Speaker of the House, John Boehner, was bold in leading a charge against the President and Obamacare. In an effort to derail the impending health care law a few republicans rallied behind Boehner refusing to pass through a budget, a tactic with the ambition of bringing Barack Obama to the negotiating table, but instead they ended up shutting down the government.
A Pew Research Center poll has stated that 38 percent of Americans blame the GOP for the shutdown, while only 30 percent blame democrats. According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll an overwhelming 45 percent of U.S. citizens approve of Obama’s handling of the situation. The same poll also suggested that 70 percent disapprove of republican handling over budget negotiations.
Everyone in Congress has been hit with blame in some way but it appears that a majority of the public place the blame of the government shutdown upon the shoulders of the GOP.
It is important to keep in mind that only a sub-party of republicans, the Tea Party, is so determined to derail Obamacare. The problem is that this minority is lumped in with moderate republicans making the whole party to blame. Boehner insists that the party is unified in their efforts.
NBC insists that they have counted 22 House Republicans that are willing to pass a clean continuing resolution which along with 200 Democrats would just be enough for it to pass through the House. This completely refutes Boehner’s statements.
Assuming that Barack Obama remains firm, right now the GOP is in a lose/lose situation.
If Boehner prolongs this stand-off only for them to succumb later on they risk damaging their reputation further.
If the Speaker of the House leads moderate Republicans to pass through a clean CR while the Tea Party throw a tantrum from the far right it will epitomize the strong split within the GOP.
Either way it goes Republicans will come out of the shutdown for the worse.
With gubernatorial elections just around the corner, the GOP will need to rally behind one another. It is this need for solidarity that leads me to believe that John Boehner might just stand firm against Obama and drag out this shutdown.
This past Monday the Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Greg Walden, met with some top GOP donors to listen to their complaints over their party’s recent transgressions.
Disenchanted donors who may withhold money is the last thing the party needs, especially with vital elections coming and the 2016 Presidential Election looming off in the horizon.
