Why I (sometimes) Hate Washington or The Shutdown That Never Should Have Been
Mike Walker, Col. USMC (retired)
All,
When the “Defund Obama Care” gambit dipped into failure, I was more than harsh in criticizing some of my Republican friends.
There was no serious effort to win over the needed Democratic votes in the Senate, and even if that had succeeded, there was no possibility of gaining enough votes to overturn a Presidential veto.
Worse still, the “Defund” tactic, even if it had succeeded, had no effect on most Obama Care revenue streams as they were tied to entitlements not under Congressional control. Further, Obama Care is the law of the land so every hospital, clinic, doctor’s office, and State and local health care agency has to comply with the law regardless of Congressional funding.
But after that tomfoolery, the Republicans did back down, on 30 September they removed the demand to defund Obama Care and went after a one-year delay in the individual mandate.
Now we discover that the White House and Harry Reid were playing equally reckless political games from that point on.
And remember, 30 September was BEFORE the Government shutdown.
There was time, albeit not much, for a responsible compromise.
Well before 30 September, the White House knew that the 1 October launch of the Obama Care open enrollment period was in serious trouble. Enough for HHS Secretary Sebelius to admit three weeks later, on 20 October, that the need for a delay of as much as two years was not an exaggeration.
Given that there were more White House meetings over Obama Care than any other single issue during the this Presidency, certainly hundreds and perhaps a thousand or more, it was clearly understood that a delay was a rational course of action but politically unacceptable.
Washington DC is dysfunctional and it appears that Senator Harry Reid and President Obama are drinking the same Kool-Aid previously imbibed by Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee.
All the political junkies and partisan hardball players could not wait for the "Shut Down" fight but the American people did not want it.
What we have are leaders who think it is better for Republicans to score points on Democrats or Democrats to score points on Republicans than to do what is right for Americans and America.
Based on what we now know:
Republicans were foolish to try to defund Obama Care except when it came to gaining partisan political points.
Democrats were foolish not to delay the implementation of the individual mandate except when it came to gaining partisan political points.
It was dishonorable for “the powers that be” in Washington DC not to have reached a compromise before 1 October over a delay in the individual mandate.
A Pox on all their houses!
And now think about this:
The Administration deemed the launch of the individual mandate open enrollment as “A-OK” on 1 October while the business mandate was considered “too unready.”
It makes me queasy and weak in the knees when I think about how screwed up that program must be in comparison to the “everything is fine” roll out of the individual mandate.
Oh boy! Oh boy!
Mike
