| | | Obama Cares About America More Than House Republicans DoThere's not much to negotiate over since the Senate and president accepted the House budget number
10 hrs ago by Christopher Hahn
Democratic consultant and pundit t
 President Barack Obama makes a statement about the government shutdown during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, Monday, Oct. 7, 2013. • AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
President Barack Obama should be flattered. The House Republicans' entire strategy in taking the federal government hostage through the shutdown relies on one basic assumption. That Obama cares.
They know the president doesn't want the nation to suffer, and is likely to give them more than he should to end the crisis. Simply put, congressional Republicans believe President Obama cares about America more than they do. In fact they know it, and are counting on it.
President Obama needs to hold firm. This fight is absurd. The House and Senate passed budgets in March, and the Senate has been asking the House to appoint conferees ever since, to hammer out an agreement. House Speaker John Boehner refused until last week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has agreed to have a conference if the House will pass a clean continuing resolution, keeping the government open, while they negotiate. Boehner refused, even though a temporary continuing resolution would easily pass the House.
Let's face it, there's not much to negotiate over, since the Senate and president accepted the House budget number, $986 billion. The only sticking point is Obamacare. Make no mistake, GOP fears surrounding this program is not about its cost or effectiveness, but about how much Americans will love it. Twenty years from now the new tea party will carry signs that read "Keep your government hands off my Obamacare."
Clearly Boehner cares more about his title and Capitol Hill real estate than the American people. He also believes that because Obama cares about the people, he will cave rather than risk the harsh realities of an extended shutdown or, God forbid, a credit default. After all he's given in to the tantrums of the House tea party wing before.
This time it's different. Too many Americans have gone without affordable health insurance, and Obama cares about them too. The fight over health care has gone on too long, and opponents of the Affordable Care Act have never offered an alternative. And they never will.
Obama must resist the urge to give in. He's cut enough from the budget, and the tea partiers won't be satisfied unless he resigns. A line must be drawn, and nothing short of the long overdue marginalization of the House no-nothings will settle this crisis and end their stranglehold over Congress. Every spending bill the House has delivered to the Senate includes something from the Mitt Romney 2012 platform that the American people soundly rejected 11 months ago, including an employer opt-out over contraception.
My advice to the president is to give moderate/conservative Republicans in the House, like Rep. Peter King of New York, time to wrestle control from the reactionaries. If they win it could return Washington to a place where reason triumphs over ideology.
This fight should have happened long ago. But Democrats, like Neville Chamberlain, continued to appease, hoping that if we give in on some items they will stop. You can't negotiate with fanatics who believe they are called by God to a crusade. They won't stop until the U.S. government is in ruins.
In a few weeks a clean CR can be discharged via petition. I hope this crisis ends before that. But if not, I hope it ends with the nation truly understanding who cares about the people and who doesn't.
Christopher Hahn is a highly sought-after progressive pundit, political consultant and attorney based in New York. He is a veteran of over 1,000 national television appearances on a variety of political and public policy topics. Christopher's skill in dealing with public policy issues was honed during five years he served as a senior aide to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and as chief deputy county executive for Nassau County, N.Y. Follow him on Twitter @christopherhahn.
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