National Journal: “In interviews with more than a dozen GOP lawmakers, the Republicans rejected the notion that Washington could default on its debt unless a borrowing increase is approved before Oct. 17. For the United States to actually default, these Republicans argue, the Treasury Department would have to stop paying interest on its debts–something GOP lawmakers claim is inconceivable.”
Quote of the Day
“I’m positive that a clean C.R. would pass. If it went on the floor tomorrow, I could see anywhere from 50 to 75 Republicans voting for it. And if it were a secret ballot, 150.”
— Rep. Peter King (R-NY), quoted by the New York Times, disputing Speaker John Boehner’s contention that he doesn’t have the votes to pass a clean funding resolution.
Boehner’s Dilemma
First Read: “The Tea Party folks who are clearly driving the shutdown/debt limit
trains likely won’t be pleased with any negotiation or compromise,
whether it’s over the president’s health-care law or a true compromise
over entitlements and the sequester. (Is there any deal that isn’t the
president 100% folding that can be sold to the Tea Party caucus? The
answer is probably no.) So if Boehner ultimately achieves a negotiated
compromise, he might find himself in the same Tea Party trouble he’s
trying to avoid.”
Flashback Quote of the Day
“America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.”
— Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), quoted by National Review, on March 16, 2006.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think, personally, it would bring stability to the world markets.”
— Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), quoted by the Washington Post, on breaching the debt ceiling.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m a progressive activist fiscal conservative, but I’m still a fiscal conservative. And so we can’t talk about tax cuts in any sector until we sort out our financial situation.”
— New York City mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio (D), quoted by CBS New York.
Boehner Insists on Concessions to Raise Debt Ceiling
House Speaker John Boehner “flatly refused to schedule votes for full government funding or to raise the debt ceiling without concessions from Democrats, asserting that the House couldn’t and shouldn’t take either step without addressing problems with the new health care law and the nation’s debt crisis,” ABC News reports.
“Some 21 House Republicans have said publicly that they’re willing to support a ‘clean’ measure to extend all government funding without other conditions attached… That’s apparently enough, when added to Democratic votes, to pass a bill out of the House.”
But Boehner disputed that notion: “There are not the votes in the house to pass a clean CR.”
Tips from a Hostage Negotiator
John Avlon talks with former FBI hostage negotiator Christopher Voss about how to end the fiscal crisis in Washington, D.C.
Said Voss: “It actually reminds me of a prison siege. The opposition isn’t particularly organized. The smart move is to pick among the leadership on the other side who is the most reasonable. Then you empower them by talking with them and granting some sort of small concession. And they suddenly gain a lot of influence on their side.”
Quote of the Day
“If the United States government, for the first time in its history, chooses not to pay its bills on time, we will be in default. There is no option that prevents us from being in default if we don’t have enough cash to pay our bills.”
— Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, quoted by the Washington Post, adding that, “Congress is playing with fire.”
GOP Floats Short Term Extension of Debt Limit
A senior House Republican tells CNN that “one idea being considered to end the immediate fiscal impasse is a bill to fund the government and extend the nation’s borrowing authority for six weeks.”
“The GOP lawmaker said a committee could then be set up to negotiate the fiscal issues dividing the two parties and negotiate a plan to keep the government funded for the rest of the year without the proverbial gun to their heads.”
What is the Shutdown is About?
New York Times: “The twin shutdowns of 1995 and 1996 had a theme: Cut federal spending, especially on Medicare, to eliminate the budget deficit in a prescribed length of time. This time around, even many Republicans no longer know what they want to achieve.”
Said Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL): “I think now it’s a lot about pride.”
Florida Republicans Back Cruz
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “may be catching grief from some fellow Republicans in Congress for his role as a leader of the group in Congress in favor of shutting down the government rather than funding the Affordable Care Act, but he’s getting support from the Florida Republican Party,” the Tampa Tribune reports.
“The state party’s caucus of state committeemen and committeewomen, who make up the governing executive committee of the party, just voted by acclamation during a meeting in Orlando to express their support for Cruz.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“This mess was created by the Republicans for one purpose, and they lost. People in my district are calling in for Obamacare — affordable health care — in large numbers. These guys have lost, and they can’t figure out how to admit it… So we sit here until they figure out they fuckin’ lost.”
— Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), quoted by Slate, on when the government shutdown will end.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“You really have to call Cruz, I’m not even joking about that. That’s
really what you have to do, because he’s the one that set up the
strategy, he’s the one that got us into this mess, and so we’ve got to
know what the next move is.”
— Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), quoted by the New York Times, when asked what Republicans were going to do next in the budget standoff.
The Seinfeld Shutdown
Marc Thiessen: “Quick: What do Republicans want in exchange for ending the government shutdown? If you know the answer, congratulations — because Republicans sure don’t.”
“It calls to mind the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry and George are coming up with an idea for a show to pitch to NBC — and decide it will be ‘a show about nothing. That’s what this standoff has become — the Seinfeld Shutdown, a shutdown about nothing.”
Headline of the Day
“Obama presses GOP’s Boehner”
— Richmond Times Dispatch, October 4, 2013.
A Longshot Way to End the Shutdown
Democrats outlined a plan to use a “discharge petition” to force a vote to end the government shutdown. It effectively overrides House leaders by presenting a petition signed by a majority of representatives to bring a bill to vote on the floor.
Speaker John Boehner’s press secretary immediately dismissed the idea on Twitter: “Ah, the old discharge petition move. Zero percent of the time it works every time.”
Except that Digital First Media finds four high profile times the maneuver has worked in the past.
Quote of the Day
“Today, too many in our politics choose scorched earth over common ground. Many of our public debates are happening in what I like to call an evidence-free zone, where ideology trumps data and common sense. That is a recipe for paralysis, not progress.”
— Hillary Clinton, quoted by the Associated Press.
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