GOP: Biting The (Wrinkled) Hand that Fed Them

[Yeggo]

So, Politico's got a story today about how support from panicky seniors put Republicans over the top on Tuesday. They even had the gall to claim they turned to Republicans because they were worried about changes to Medicare. Of course, Eric Cantor goes on TV over the weekend threatening a government shutdown, and nobody asks him who will cut the Medicare checks for these old Republicans in the meantime.

I say - let them shut the government down. If it takes not getting their money for folks to realize how dependent they are on the government they're supposedly opposed to, so be it. Apparently people have forgotten what the GOP agenda looks like. Let's let Cantor show them.

http://conversation101.squarespace.com/generic-ballot/2010/11/8/the-gop-biting-the-wrinkled-hand-that-fed-them.html#entry9407703

[toddwv]

1. It'll be interesting to see how this unfolds.

Cantor is obviously planning on a major play. Will it be a bluff or not is a question swirling around in everyones' heads. The mere threat of a gov't shutdown will probably be enough to cave a few Democrats who traditionally role over and expose their bellies in cases like this.

IF, however, the Dems call the Republicans' bluffs and the Republicans go through with it, then the media will most likely spin the blame onto the Democrats. Will the American people buy it this time? A gov't shutdown is a pretty hefty thing. As you said checks don't get cut and there are ALOT of people living on check-to-check shoestring budgets.

The Republicans are walking on eggshells right now. Do they even realize it? They won this election because of a HUGE influx of outside cash, an apathetic Dem voter base, a tepidly performing economy and, of course, a constant 24/7 media running the right's memes as the gospel truth and providing free airtime for the Republican victory campaigns on nearly every news channel supported by polls that were so far off that the major polling companies should've fired their entire staff of data collectors.

We're already seeing signs that the right is barely holding on to their historically tight unity. Infighting is starting to popup and the battle for the leadership position will only serve to widen the fractures. If the GOP doesn't start producing right-wing, and I mean FAR right-wing legislation, their own people will turn on them. It's already starting to happen if you look in the right places and if the Dems are smart, they will grind the House to a virtual halt so that ZERO legislation comes out of there without Democratic Party ink marks in the columns.

So, to sum up, 2011 is going to be a VERY interesting year. Expect massive drama.