Ok, a little thread comparing this shutdown and the last one because there's one huge central difference that is getting lost.
The demand that Ted Cruz and his house allies made in 2013 was to defund Obamacare. That was the ask. And the reasons that shutdown was so reckless and preposterous, the reason most of the GOP counseled against it was...
was that it was an ask that Democrats and Obama would never say yes to. And they weren't vague on this point! It was clear from the beginning, "no, we won't defund our signature legislative program. Ever."
And so, after 17 days, the government re-opened without a vote to defund Obamacare. Cruz and his house allies ended up exactly where everyone told them they'd be: SOL.
Compare that to this conflict. Here, D's have several asks (community health center $, ending the CR practice altogether, ditching the budget control act, etc..) But the most contentious is protection for DACA recipients.
And here's where the biggest difference: back in 2013, Obama was *VERY CLEAR* that the central ask was something he opposed completely and totally. In *this* case you have Trump, the WH and GOP leadership all saying "sure, we want to protect Dreamers. "
McConnell already promised Flake a vote on it.
The president convened a bipartisan meeting, where he said on live TV to the negotiators: I will sign whatever you come up with!
When they offered the deal he ripped it up and said people from Africa are from shithole countries.
The president convened a bipartisan meeting, where he said on live TV to the negotiators: I will sign whatever you come up with!
When they offered the deal he ripped it up and said people from Africa are from shithole countries.
The problem is that Trump and GOP, unlike Obama, are not being clear or honest about what their actual position is.
Obama opposed defunding Obamacare. Full stop.
Trump and the GOP functionally oppose protecting Dreamers.
Obama opposed defunding Obamacare. Full stop.
Trump and the GOP functionally oppose protecting Dreamers.
