Highbrow Magazine - the senate https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/senate en Explaining Our Cautious, Caustic Congress https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/4964-explaining-our-cautious-caustic-congress <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 10:55</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/3congress.jpg?itok=tYtvtr4E"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/3congress.jpg?itok=tYtvtr4E" width="480" height="250" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From PunditWire.com</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>The political system America enjoys today is roughly a century old.   It began when voters were first allowed to directly elect U.S. Senators in 1913 and women got the vote in 1920.  Both acts made the system more democratic, as did California’s embrace of the initiative procedure that allowed voters to enact their own laws in 1911.</p> <p> </p> <p>Inevitably those whose power was constrained by these new rules gradually figured out ways to use them and at least partially reassert control.  As a result it is nearly impossible to make a credible Senate race in most states without a big bankroll, arguably returning control to those who selected Senators under the old system.  The initiative process, which spread to other states, has also been distorted by those with money who focus on parochial concerns while obliquely attempting to elect their candidates.  Giving women the vote was a simple question of fairness.  While this enlargement of the electorate had a big influence on how campaigns are waged, there’s no clear evidence it has changed outcomes.</p> <p> </p> <p>Institutionally, our system remains conservative.  Change doesn’t come quickly or easily, which some of us think is a good idea.  But the combination of the internet, where people have come to expect instant gratification (some think the President should be required to propose a law any time 100,000 people petition for it) and the Citizens United decision, which allowed more corporate cash into politics, raising the price of admission without any detectable impact on the outcomes, have inspired many to ask whether the system works as well as it could or should.</p> <p> </p> <p>The result can be confusing because of the way procedures and outcomes are braided together.  Those who lose on the issues — whether they favor gun control, restraints on abortion or single-payer health insurance — tend to think that the majority stands with them and that the will of their majority is being subverted by a system that’s unfair.  There’s a cottage industry that works to debunk polls showing the majority, in fact, does win on  most issues.</p> <p> </p> <p>The biggest distorting element in the system today is the way political districts are drawn in an effort to protect incumbents from both parties.  The population of a state can be sliced and diced in countless ways to yield different partisan results.  Some states are moving toward making the process less political, but these efforts tend to get only modest media attention (because those doing the drawing are technocrats who don’t give good soundbites and the incumbents challenging them understand the need to keep things quiet).</p> <p> </p> <p>It isn’t a simple process, as our experience with voting rights laws indicates.  If 20% of the residents — or voters — in a state are blacks, does that dictate that 20% of those elected should be black as well?  In a state with integrated neighborhoods, that’s difficult to achieve.  You can’t just use a grid.  And drawing the map with such special attention to one group inevitably disadvantages others.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumcongress_9.jpg" style="height:382px; width:600px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>And while redistricting reforms could elect new people, that’s no guarantee of new policies.  Reformers hare chronically concerned about power of incumbency, which has been quietly declining.  The average length of service in the House of Representatives peaked in the 111th Congress (2009-2010) at 13.1 years and has since dropped to 9.1 years — a 30% decline.  The average U.S. Senator has served for a decade, less than two terms.</p> <p> </p> <p>Few would argue that Congress has become more effective — though it may be more representative — as the length of service has declined.  So its hard to make a case that things would get better if more incumbents were ousted, an outcome that would cede greater power to outside experts like lobbyists and staff.</p> <p> </p> <p>In a democracy like ours, government tends to slow when the voters are divided and unable to reach consensus on where the country should be going.   When the country decides — on civil rights in the 1960s or gay marriage in the past few years — the system is quite responsive.  Smart politicians can’t afford to be left behind.  But getting ahead of the voters is equally dangerous.  That describes today’s climate that combines the caustic with the cautious.</p> <p> </p> <p>The best strategy for those with an appetite for more change is to go out and organize and not get distracted by tinkering with the rules.punditwire</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p><strong><em>For 16 years, Jim Jaffe worked for House Democrats who served on the Ways and Means Committee, apprenticing with Representatives Green, Gibbons and Gephardt before working for Chairman Dan Rostenkowski.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>From PunditWire.com</em></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/congress" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">congress</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/senate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the senate</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/house-representatives" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">house of representatives</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/american-government" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">american government</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obama" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obama</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/democrats" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Democrats</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jim Jaffe </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images; Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Wed, 22 Apr 2015 14:55:36 +0000 tara 5934 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/4964-explaining-our-cautious-caustic-congress#comments Distancing Themselves From Obama Is What Cost Democrats https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/4421-distancing-themselves-obama-what-cost-democrats <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Wed, 11/05/2014 - 10:41</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumObamaStateofUnion_5.jpg?itok=T3cIn9qf"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumObamaStateofUnion_5.jpg?itok=T3cIn9qf" width="480" height="320" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From <a href="http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2014/11/running_from_obama_hurt_dems_in_2014.html?wpisrc=topstories">The Root</a> and republished by our content partner New America Media</strong>:</p> <p> </p> <p>The Republican Party’s takeover of the U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s midterm election is the tip of a rather sizeable iceberg that saw the GOP win governorships in the blue states of Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts.</p> <p> </p> <p>As the losses for Democrats mounted during the course of election night, any number of pundits questioned the Democratic Party’s Obama Avoidance Syndrome. That philosophy failed to aid Democrats in Kentucky and Georgia hoping for upset victories. The party’s reluctance to embrace the Obama administration’s successes in providing health care, lowering unemployment and saving the nation from a great recession proved to be their undoing.</p> <p> </p> <p>With the national party abandoning the president, black voters responded with less enthusiasm and less turnout than 2012.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Party of No’s success was based on a number of factors, including the 2010 redistricting that has turned Congress into a virtual fortress, President Barack Obama’s relatively low approval ratings and a favorable Senate re-election map that allowed Republicans to play aggressive offense while the Democrats shrank from the fight.</p> <p> </p> <p>Obama’s absence from the ballot was clearly felt in gubernatorial and Senate races in states the president carried two years ago, most notably Colorado.</p> <p> </p> <p>It didn’t have to turn out this way.</p> <p> </p> <p>Both the Obama administration and the Democratic Party have failed to articulate a coherent message and vision to the American people this election cycle. Rather than join forces and extol the president’s leadership on domestic issues, especially with regard to unemployment, health care and the environment, Democrats abandoned the president and in the process allowed Republicans to successfully shape this year’s message.</p> <p> </p> <p>Ironically, the same party that has spent the last four years blocking any and all progressive legislation cast itself as outsiders, ready and willing to change Washington. Perhaps even more incredibly, enough voters believed in that message so that they handed control of the Senate to Republicans.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumobamaclinton_2.jpg" style="height:335px; width:600px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>President Obama must now deal with a Republican-controlled Congress for the final two years of his presidency. The lesson, should Democrats choose to take it, is that progressives must act with the courage of their convictions. But many will say the exact opposite, arguing that the red-state election night tsunami indicates a national tilt to the right. This is dead wrong.</p> <p> </p> <p>The failure to mobilize the Obama coalition cost democrats nationally. Poll-driven gubernatorial and Senate campaigns, orchestrated by well-paid consultants, failed to inspire the kind of grassroots insurgency that made Obama’s victories possible.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>2016 will indeed be a referendum on the Obama administration and the Democratic Party’s willingness to embrace the president’s legacy. If, as they did this year, they cut and run, rather than stand and fight, we will surely see a Republican president inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2017.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Democratic Party’s presidential candidate must offer a clear vision, one that extols the virtues of Obama’s policy victories, and of political continuity, rather than distance or avoidance.</p> <p> </p> <p>Finally, Democrats must rediscover their political identity. Obama’s call for hope and change in 2008 helped to revive the party’s liberal and progressive wing. In passing the Affordable Care Act, Obama succeeded in institutionalizing the signal policy achievement of our era. The inability of the entire party, now, to run on that signal achievement, stands out as a failure of imagination, character and integrity.</p> <p> </p> <p>The silver lining to yesterday’s results is that in two years, Democrats get another chance. Let’s hope that by then, President Obama and the national Democratic Party find common ground. We have seen the results when they don’t.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p><strong><em>Peniel E. Joseph, a contributing editor at The Root, is founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy and a professor of history at Tufts University. He is the author of Waiting ’Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America, Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama and Stokely: A Life. </em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From <a href="http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2014/11/running_from_obama_hurt_dems_in_2014.html?wpisrc=topstories">The Root</a> and republished by our content partner New America Media</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/midterm-elections" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">midterm elections</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republican-victory" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">republican victory</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/democrats-loss" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">democrats loss</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/senate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the senate</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/house" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the house</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/congress" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">congress</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/elections-2014" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">elections 2014</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obama" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obama</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obama-administration" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obama administration</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Peniel E. Joseph</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Google Images; Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Wed, 05 Nov 2014 15:41:44 +0000 tara 5393 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/4421-distancing-themselves-obama-what-cost-democrats#comments How Democrats’ and Republicans’ Struggle for Control is Harming the Country https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/4396-how-democrats-and-republicans-struggle-control-harming-country <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 13:27</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1republicansdemocrats%20%28NAM%29_0.jpg?itok=aaVGfaEK"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1republicansdemocrats%20%28NAM%29_0.jpg?itok=aaVGfaEK" width="480" height="268" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>From <a href="http://punditwire.com/2014/10/24/its-a-mad-mad-mad-world/">PunditWire.com</a></strong>:</p> <p> </p> <p>Way back during the Cold War, the U.S. and Soviet Union were locked in a tense face-off for decades.  Both sides had huge arsenals of thermonuclear devices.  But there was a doctrine of military strategy called Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD, that kept the missiles in their silos.  It became a foundation in the national security policies of both great powers that the use of high-yield weapons of mass destruction by either side would bring about immediate and total retaliation by the other side and cause the complete annihilation of both.</p> <p> </p> <p>We’re still here, so I guess, to some degree, MAD worked.</p> <p> </p> <p>But today, nearly 25 years after the end of the Cold War, we seem to be in another battle to the death for dominance and power.  This one is within the United States, but it’s every bit as MAD.  Our two political parties are locked in a hyper-partisan life and death struggle for control of the federal government and the national agenda.</p> <p> </p> <p>Thus far, with a Republican House of Representatives and a Democratic Senate, each side has been able to stop the other one cold.  Nearly everything that passes in the House is dead on arrival in the Senate.  And just about anything that attracts enough votes to get out of the Senate is dead as a mackerel in the House.  As a result, the Congress of the United States has accomplished absolutely nothing of substance.</p> <p> </p> <p>That leaves the Executive Branch to faithfully execute.  But that hasn’t worked out so well either.  Every time this president tries to use executive authority to do something because Congress can’t seem to, he gets whacked for usurpation of power and violating the Constitution.  And if he waits for Congress to act, he’s pilloried for a lack of leadership.   It all sounds a bit MAD.</p> <p> </p> <p>But wait!  It gets better.  As a result of the MAD doctrine being practiced in Congress, mutual destruction is actually taking place.  The American public isn’t wild about either party.  That’s nothing new for Republicans; 33 percent of the public has a favorable view of the GOP and 56 percent unfavorable.  That hasn’t changed much in decades.  But now Democrats are viewed unfavorably by 51 percent of the public, and favorably by only 39%.  That’s a significant drop for Dems, who’ve never polled below 46 percent favorable in 30 years.</p> <p> </p> <p>This validates the MAD strategy.  The two parties in Congress have continued to fire their weapons at each other and those weapons have proved lethal, not to the combatants, but to the rest of the country.  Helped along by large puffs of hot air, the radioactive fallout has drifted far from the Capitol and infected a growing segment of the American people.  As a result, trying to rebuild a functional government in the ashes of the current war, assuming it ever ends, will be difficult because so many Americans have chosen ideological sides.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2boehner.jpg" style="height:417px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>“Twenty years ago, fewer Americans were consistently liberal or conservative in their views about politics and society, and even those who were ideologically oriented did not express the animosity toward the other side that is common today” reports Pew Research.  “In 1994 – hardly a moment of goodwill and compromise in American politics – just 23% of consistent liberals expressed a very unfavorable view of the Republican Party. And just 28% of consistent conservatives saw the Democratic Party in equally negative terms.”</p> <p> </p> <p>But today, more Americans are aligned to their toenails with one party or the other, and the majority of ideologically-oriented Americans really deep down don’t like the other side.  In major political campaigns, the two top priorities have always been to motivate your base voters — those who start out being for you or your party — and to try to win over most of the undecided voters.  However, the undecided voters are a rapidly shrinking group.  In the last few presidential races, most of a campaign’s resources have been aimed at identifying and motivating voters already committed to a candidate or political party.</p> <p> </p> <p>What does this mean for the ability of government to govern?  “In principle,” concludes Pew Research, “most Americans want their political leaders to compromise.  A 56 percent majority prefers political leaders who ‘are willing to compromise,’ while 39 percent prefer leaders who ‘stick to their positions.’”</p> <p> </p> <p>“Yet, Partisan animosity has increased substantially over the same period.  In each party, the share with a highly negative view of the opposing party has more than doubled since 1994.  Most of these intense partisans believe the opposing party’s policies ‘are so misguided that they threaten the nation’s well-being.’”</p> <p> </p> <p>While Democrats and Republicans in Congress are busy trying to kill each other off, they’re infecting millions of bystanders.  The question is whether or not opposing sides will ever take their fingers off the launch buttons long enough to look around and notice that they could be destroying the whole country.</p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/pelosi.jpg" style="height:424px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p><strong><em>Dave Helfert has been a political and governmental communicator for more than 30 years, writing speeches for elected officials and candidates, creating media in more than 200 political campaigns, working for six years as a Communications Director in the Clinton Administration and then nine years in the U.S. House.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>From <a href="http://punditwire.com/2014/10/24/its-a-mad-mad-mad-world/">PunditWire.com</a></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/democrats" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Democrats</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/house" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the house</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/senate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the senate</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/us-government-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">us government</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obama-administration" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obama administration</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/american-government" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">american government</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Dave Helfert</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media; Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Mon, 27 Oct 2014 17:27:23 +0000 tara 5355 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/4396-how-democrats-and-republicans-struggle-control-harming-country#comments Dueling Political Agendas and the Government Shutdown https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/2896-dueling-political-agendas-and-government-shutdown <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Tue, 10/15/2013 - 09:46</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumobamacruz_0.jpg?itok=Q6Kj7Vay"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumobamacruz_0.jpg?itok=Q6Kj7Vay" width="480" height="268" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> From <a href="http://punditwire.com/2013/10/13/just-sorting-things-out/">PunditWire.com</a>:</p> <p>  </p> <p> The government shutdown serves no discernible purpose beyond setting a very dangerous stage for competing political interests to try to advance their agendas and, of course, giving the news media and political commentators an urgent issue to cover and interpret.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Yet it’s a fascinating time to be a student of political communication.  During these epic battles, we get to analyze rhetorical weapons while they’re still being fired.  We get to take a close look at who’s saying what and how what they’re saying is evolving.  We get to consider which statements demonstrate clever strategy and agile messaging and which are clumsy or obtuse.   And we can take note of message opportunities completely missed.  It’s like a military historian getting to observe Yorktown, or Gettysburg or the Battle of the Bulge while the bullets were still flying.</p> <p>  </p> <p> As approaching deadlines raise the heat, the sheer volume of political messages — in both quantity and loudness — grows daily.   But like jalapeño peppers in a pot of chili, simply adding more ain’t always better.</p> <p>  </p> <p> You almost need a program to identify all the players.  We have House Republicans versus the White House, and House Republicans versus Senate Democrats.  It’s the House Democrats versus Senate Republicans; and House Republicans versus House Democrats.  It’s some House Republicans versus Senate Republicans.  It’s a few Senate Republicans versus other Senate Republicans and all the Senate Democrats.  And it’s the White House versus a few Senate Republicans, but pretty much leaving the rest of the Senate Republicans alone.  And it’s a few Senate Democrats wishing they were somewhere else.  Then you have corporate financial and business interests sending messages to House and Senate Republicans, and getting messages from the White House.  You have conservative ideological interests sending messages to House Republicans and a few Republican Senators.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Got all that?</p> <p>  </p> <p> In a free-for-all like this, it’s tough to decide who’s winning the message battle.  About the best you can do is check to see how the messaging might have changed since the fight broke out, and, in view of the changing ground and changing poll numbers, it pretty clearly has.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The White House is now a bit more open to discussions with Republicans over some elements of Obamacare.  The argument is over when discussions occur.</p> <p>  </p> <p> House Republicans have backed way off earlier demands that the White House defund, then delay, then delay parts of, then modify Obamacare.</p> <p>  </p> <p> More ‘Old Guard’ Senate Republicans want the whole thing over.  They’re looking at public opinion, which blames Republicans in Congress more than Democrats for the stalemate.  They’re afraid the fight only hurts their chances for a majority in both Houses of Congress anytime in the foreseeable future.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumcongress_2.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 382px;" /></p> <p>  </p> <p> The Republicans’ financial and big business supporters are telling their political friends that threatening the full faith and credit of the United States is bad for business.</p> <p>  </p> <p> At the same time, the ideological folks are yelling, “Take No Prisoners!”  They want House Republicans to continue the standoff.  Some are unconvinced that refusing to raise the debt limit will have any effect on the country’s credit rating.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas seems pretty convinced he’s winning the battle.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Missed message opportunities?  Might have been nice for some authoritative, credible source to translate all the Hill babble — CRs; conferencing; Regular Order —  into English and explain to the public what exactly is going on here.</p> <p>  </p> <p> And the White House missed a big one.  Health &amp; Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius should have explained publically how in the world all the Healthcare.gov computer screw-ups happened, what’s being done to fix them and who she’s holding accountable.  If this was done while the media’s attention is still primarily focused on the government shutdown and debt limit fight, it would receive some news coverage and minimal comment.  It wouldn’t be looming as yet another contentious issue as soon as this one’s over.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The only element in the war of words on which there is universal agreement is that every single elected official, former elected official or would-be elected official in Washington, DC — from President Obama to Senate Republican Leader McConnell and Democratic Leader Reid, to Speaker Boehner, House Democratic Leader Pelosi and my personal hero, Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who represents citizens from another planet in the U.S. House — all these folks are able to tell us, the American people, with absolute certainty what it is that we, the American people, want.</p> <p>  </p> <p> It all kind of makes you proud, doesn’t it?</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> <em>Dave Helfert has been a political and governmental communicator for more than 30 years, writing speeches for elected officials and candidates, creating media in more than 200 political campaigns, working for six years as a Communications Director in the Clinton Administration and then nine years in the U.S. House.</em></p> <p>  </p> <p> <a href="http://punditwire.com/2013/10/13/just-sorting-things-out/">PunditWire.com</a></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/government-shutdown" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">government shutdown</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obama" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obama</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/ted-cruz" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ted cruz</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/politicians" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">politicians</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/political-rhetoric" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">political rhetoric</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/democrats" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Democrats</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicas" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">republicas</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/boehner" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">boehner</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/reid" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">reid</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/house" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the house</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/senate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the senate</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/congress" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">congress</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/deficit-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the deficit</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obamacare" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obamacare</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Dave Helfert</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:46:29 +0000 tara 3677 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/2896-dueling-political-agendas-and-government-shutdown#comments What Other Media Are Saying About the Government Shutdown https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/2862-what-other-media-are-saying-about-government-shutdown <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/media" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Fri, 10/04/2013 - 09:48</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/2capitolhill.jpg?itok=HkwwGbRT"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/2capitolhill.jpg?itok=HkwwGbRT" width="480" height="244" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> From our content partner, <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2013/10/ethnic-media-react-to-government-shutdown.php">New America Media</a>:</p> <p>  </p> <p> <br /> <em>Pres. Barack Obama summoned top lawmakers to the White House on Wednesday afternoon, where he was expected to urge them to pass measures to finance the government and increase the debt ceiling, without placing limits on the Affordable Care Act. But, no progress was made to end a budget impasse that resulted in a government shutdown since 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday. </em></p> <p>  </p> <p> <em>News of the shutdown, which includes the closure of all national parks and a work furlough for 800,000 federal employees, generated a big response in the ethnic press. Key areas of concern included the shutdown’s effect on federal workers, loss of funding for social services, ramifications for immigration reform, and environmental impacts. </em><br /> <br />  </p> <p> <strong>Federal jobs a lifeline for many people of color</strong><br /> <br /> Ethnic media expressed concern for the plight of federal workers. People of color make up a larger proportion of the federal workforce than they do the general workforce, <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/10/how_the_government_shutdown.html">Colorlines reports. </a><br /> <br /> According to <a href="http://www.laopinion.com/cierre-gobierno-afecta-hispanos-eeuu">La Opinion</a>, a federal report estimates that as of the end of 2011 there were 157,653 Latinos working for the federal government, or 8.1 percent of that workforce. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://politic365.com/2013/10/01/federal-shutdown-likely-to-cause-big-trouble-for-blacks-and-latinos/">Politics365 reports</a> that the government shutdown will disproportionately affect Latino and blacks:<br /> <br /> “In 2012, blacks comprised about 13 percent of the nation’s population but nearly 18 percent of its federal workforce, according to the most recent data available. That same year, Latinos comprised nearly 16 percent of the nation’s population and just over 8 percent of those employed by the federal government.”<br /> <br /> Steven Pitts, an economist and labor policy specialist at the University of California, Berkeley, told Politics365 that “government employment — be it at the local, county, state or federal level – together constitute the largest single employer of black men and women living in the United States.”<br /> <br /> Ethnic media ran press releases from <a href="http://www.indiacurrents.com/articles/2013/10/01/apala-statement-government-shutdown">labor advocacy groups</a> and unions to show solidarity with furloughed federal workers – nearly 1 million federal employees who “are furloughed with no guarantee of retroactive pay while many others continue to work without pay." <br /> <br /> <strong>Shutdown will hit working vets especially hard</strong><br /> <br /> The military’s 1.4 million active-duty members will stay on duty during the federal government shutdown, and Pres. Obama signed a bill on Monday to ensure all active members of the U.S. military will continue to get paid, media report. <br /> <br /> But, of the 800,000 furloughed federal workers, about half are members of the military. And veterans could start to see a delay in disability compensation and pension payments in two to three weeks.<br /> <br /> The “Balitang America (News in America)” <a href="http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/10/02/13/fil-am-pensioners-worried-over-effects-us-govt-shutdown">newscast</a> on the ABS-CBN Network, spoke to Filipino American military retirees who are worried they won’t get their monthly pensions if the government closure is extended. Meanwhile the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department warned that if the shutdown drags into late October, “it will run out of money for compensation and pension checks for more than 3.6 million veterans worldwide,” reports Bev Llorente.<br /> <br /> <em>La Opinion </em>reports that there are 1.2 million Latino veterans, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. </p> <p> <br /> <br /> <strong>Freeze on social services runs the gamut</strong><br /> <br /> Ethnic media also reported on how the loss of funding for social service programs will affect their respective communities. <br /> <br /> <em>La Opinion</em> <a href="http://www.laopinion.com/cierre-gobierno-afecta-hispanos-eeuu">reported</a> that the Department of Agriculture announced that following the government shutdown, it will not have additional funds for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food program. Latinas make up 45 percent of the 9 million women who are pregnant or have small children and rely on healthy food through the WIC food program. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://noticias.univision.com/estados-unidos/noticias/article/2013-10-02/como-afecta-a-los-hispanos-el-cierre-del-gobierno?ftloc=homepage1:wcmWidgetUimHomepageStage&amp;ftpos=homepage1:wcmWidgetUimHomepageStage:1#axzz2gbDFVN2l">Univision reports</a> that small business loans -- many of them owned by Latinos - are on standby, and that the closure of Head Start programs will also have a huge impact on Latinos, who make up 73.3 percent of all Head Start students.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumobamademocrat%20%28NAM%29_4.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 335px;" /><br />  </p> <p> Tribal communities will not be immune to the shutdown, <a href="http://navajotimes.com/news/2013/1013/100113update.php#.UkyIHxjy_-l">reports the Navajo Times</a>:<br /> <br /> “Programs such as tribal colleges, some Indian Health Service units, and Head Start will operate only if funds are currently available.”<br /> <br /> There is, in addition, no guarantee of federal reimbursement if tribal governments choose to self-fund, the Navajo Times reported. </p> <p> <br /> <br /> <strong>Shutdown could slow immigration reform</strong><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.latinospost.com/articles/28744/20131001/immigration-reform-2013-news-polls-government-shutdown-doom-bills-chances.htm">Latinopost.com reports</a> that the government shutdown and looming fight over the national debt and debt ceiling have eclipsed the momentum on immigration reform.<br /> <br /> Jean Paul Salamanca writes: “The conundrum facing Republicans on the looming shutdown is not unlike the one facing them in the immigration reform debate. …While the best way to do that [make inroads with Latino voters] may be to pass the Senate's "Gang of Eight" immigration bill that would grant millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. a pathway to citizenship, hardliners in the Republican Party are still opposed to granting what they deem an ‘amnesty’ to immigrants living in the country without authorization.”<br /> <br /> Despite the shutdown, planning for a <a href="http:/?http:/americasvoiceonline.org/blog/pro-immigrant-rights-movement-begins-escalation-efforts-and-hits-the-streets-in-more-than-130-cities-across-the-country/">National Day of Action</a> on October 5th to call on Congress to pass immigration reform is moving ahead with 130 major mobilizations expected to happen in cities and towns across the country.<br /> <br /> <br /> <strong>Environmental consequences</strong><br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.rafu.com/2013/10/government-shutdown-forces-closure-of-manzanar-national-historic-site/">Rafu Shimpo</a>, a Japanese daily news source in L.A., reported that as a result of the shutdown, the National Park Service (NPS) has closed all of its 401 national parks, including Manzanar National Historic Site, where some 10,000 Japanese-Americans were detained during World War II. Manzanar was one of 10 camps that together held 110,000 Japanese-Americans. The paper also reported impacts on Tule Lake Historic Site. <br /> <br /> The paper also reported on the loss of revenue from the park closures -- $450,000 per day, including an estimated loss of $76 million per day in visitor spending in “gateway communities.”<br /> <br /> <em>Indian Country Today</em> posted a story titled <a href="http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/10/01/no-park-you-10-photos-closed-national-parks-and-monuments-151538">“No Park for You!</a>” featuring 10 photos of closed national parks and monuments. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/10/epa_loses_over_90_percent_of_staff_but_committed_to_communities.html">Colorlines reported</a> that among government agencies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has one of the highest percentages of furloughed employees – 90 percent of its staff -- raising concern over environmental protection and oversight during the government shutdown. <br /> <br />  </p> <p> <strong>Commentaries urge Obama to act tough, call for preservation of ACA</strong><br /> <br /> The Root’s <a href="http://www.theroot.com/views/obama-should-tap-his-inner-angry-black-man?wpisrc=root_lightbox">Charles D. Ellison writes</a> that he wanted to see Pres. Obama take a tougher stance on the budget battle and government shutdown:<br /> <br /> “It's his signature cool-pose style, half engineered as a way to always stand above the fray, Zen sharpened and carefully chiseled in an effort to completely blast long-standing stereotypes of angry, militant black men on a marathon head stomp...Times like these, however, call for a street-court approach. We now hunger for flashes of impatience and outrage.”<br /> <br /> <em>The Twin City Daily Planet</em> argues in an <a href="http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/blog/nan-madden/minnesotans-feel-deja-vu-federal-government-shutdown-starts">op-ed</a> that a government shutdown is bad, but having more uninsured Americans is worse. <br /> <br /> The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes that the U.S. House’s proposal to keep the federal government running but delay components of health care reform would “cause 11 million more Americans to remain uninsured in 2014 and result in higher premiums for many others.”</p> <p>  </p> <p> <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2013/10/ethnic-media-react-to-government-shutdown.php">New America Media</a></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/government-shutdown" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">government shutdown</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/ethnic-media" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ethnic media</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/media-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the media</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obama" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obama</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obama-care" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">obama care</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/affordable-care-act" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Affordable Care Act</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/health-insurance" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">health insurance</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tea-party" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Tea Party</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/democrats" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Democrats</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/house" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the house</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/senate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the senate</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Staff</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Wikipedia Commons</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Fri, 04 Oct 2013 13:48:10 +0000 tara 3618 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/2862-what-other-media-are-saying-about-government-shutdown#comments Government Shutdown: A Win for Obama (and Cruz) https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/2854-government-shutdown-win-obama-and-cruz <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/news-features" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News &amp; Features</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Wed, 10/02/2013 - 10:10</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumobamacruz.jpg?itok=hSuFpaP8"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumobamacruz.jpg?itok=hSuFpaP8" width="480" height="268" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> From <a href="http://www.theroot.com/views/shut-it-down-its-win-obama-and-cruz?wpisrc=root_lightbox">The Root</a> and our content partner, <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2013/09/shut-it-down-its-a-win-for-obama-and-cruz.php">New America Media</a>:</p> <p>  </p> <p> <em>Why the president and his Tea Party rival both have something to gain in this government face-off.</em></p> <p>  </p> <p> (The Root) -- With each passing "crisis" in the zero-sum game of congressional politics, we've gotten used to sorting out the winners and losers of every battle. But as September's round of Washington's annual budget fight tightens up -- and a government shutdown [has occurred] -- what we have, so far, is a win-win: The Tea Party's Sen. Ted Cruz has the attention he craves, and President Barack Obama stays "covered."</p> <p>  </p> <p> But what, exactly, do they get out of the deal?</p> <p>  </p> <p> Last week Cruz faux-filibustered a House bill to "defund" Obamacare -- a bill that he supported -- and then voted against it, anyway. The result was an enhanced reputation on both sides of the aisle for being "an incredibly bright guy who's an arrogant jerk."</p> <p>  </p> <p> Even Republican colleagues, like Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, took to the Senate floor to accuse Sen. Cruz of pushing bad policy that boiled down to a me-first media campaign.</p> <p>  </p> <p> But Cruz -- who headlined <em>Fox News Sunday</em> last week and <em>Meet the Press</em> this Sunday -- is playing the Tea Party lead-dog role for everything it's worth. And all you need to know about why he's done what he's doing can be found in Friday's new poll from Public Policy Polling, showing that Cruz has boosted his standing among his political base to the point that he's now GOP primary voters' "top choice to be their candidate for president in 2016."</p> <p>  </p> <p> He's relished the criticism because as Mediaite's Noah Rothman points out, as long as Congress is held in low esteem by the public, picking a fight with his colleagues is Cruz's way of "making all the right enemies" on the way to a future run for the White House.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Obama, on the other hand, needs a reboot.</p> <p>  </p> <p> He's never quite sold the idea that the Affordable Care Act will help millions of uninsured Americans secure coverage while simultaneously lowering premiums for those who're already insured and shrink the overall cost of health care as a share of GDP.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Even those supporting Obamacare aren't quite sure that it will turn out as advertised.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Now, though, Cruz's crusade led to a government shutdown on the same day that Obamacare's state health insurance exchanges are scheduled to launch -- giving the president a window to spotlight the issue again. And so far, he's made the most of it.</p> <p>  </p> <p> He told a Maryland crowd last Thursday that once Obamacare launches, they'll want to "get covered." And he tweaked opponents by predicting, wryly, that "once it's working really well, I guarantee you they will not call it Obamacare."</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumcongress_1.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 382px;" /></p> <p>  </p> <p> Don't expect one speech to turn the tables in the president's favor, but that's a lot better than his old 2009 mantra: "bending the cost curve."</p> <p>  </p> <p> So what happens next? If you're like most people, you've got more pressing things to do than follow the play-by-play in Congress. But to recap: House Republicans passed a bill to fund the government -- but not Obamacare. The Democratic-controlled Senate rejected it Friday, sending a bill back to the House without any provision touching Obamacare. Then, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, the House passed what they called a compromise bill, proposing only to delay Obamacare for a year, instead of defunding it.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Which is like saying they won't break Obama's legs; they'll just break one of his thumbs.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Cruz and Obama might still wind up as culprits if budget gridlock turns into a prolonged shutdown or another debt ceiling crisis in October -- especially if it turns out like 2011, when markets dipped after Standard &amp; Poor's downgraded the nation's credit rating.</p> <p>  </p> <p> But for the moment, Obama -- who's never liberal enough for Democrats and never gets the benefit of the doubt from Republicans -- now has a foil who's making it easier for him to stand up for his health care initiative and outline his budget priorities. And Cruz gets to show that he's first among equals when it comes to opposing anything linked to Obama.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Meanwhile, federal employees will be furloughed, any salary that they forfeit won't be spent in a still-fragile economy, and Congress's inability to make a deal will eventually threaten another loss of confidence in the markets.</p> <p>  </p> <p> For everyone else, in other words, it's a lose-lose.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> <em>David Swerdlick is a contributing editor at</em> The Root.          </p> <p>  </p> <p> <a href="http://www.theroot.com/views/shut-it-down-its-win-obama-and-cruz?wpisrc=root_lightbox">The Root</a></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obama" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obama</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/obamacare" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Obamacare</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/government-shutdown" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">government shutdown</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/ted-cruz" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ted cruz</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/republicans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Republicans</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/democrats" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Democrats</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/house" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the house</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/senate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the senate</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/affordable-care-act" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Affordable Care Act</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/health-insurance" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">health insurance</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tea-party" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Tea Party</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/health-benefits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">health benefits</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">David Swerdlick</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:10:18 +0000 tara 3605 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/2854-government-shutdown-win-obama-and-cruz#comments