Senator John McCain says that the actions of House
Republicans causing the government shutdown is one of the most “shameful
chapters he’s seen” in all his years in congress. Mr. McCain, I am ashamed to say that I
campaigned for you for president and supported you in your run for the senate. I am ashamed.
First
of all, the government has shut down 17 times since 1976 when budgeting
processes allowed it to happen, and you have worked through 9 of them. The government shut down every year when
Ronald Reagan was president. How were
they resolved? President Reagan refused
to inflict pain on the American people, so he negotiated and compromised.
It
was not the Republicans but President Obama and the Democrats who shut down the
government because they refuse to negotiate, refuse to compromise. Republicans offered proposal after proposal
and each one was either rejected or ignored.
First
they offered a budget that funded everything except Obamacare. Rejected.
Second,
they offered a budget that funded everything but proposed to delay Obamacare
for a year and repeal the malevolent medical device tax. Rejected.
Third,
they proposed a budget that funded everything, but delayed Obamacare’s
individual mandate for just one year and required the president, the vice
president, political appointees, and all members of Congress and their staffs
to enroll in Obamacare’s health-care exchanges with no employer contribution. Rejected.
Fourth,
the House tried passing small appropriations bills to keep specific portions of
the government running. Ignored. Obama demands they restore all government
funding without conditions.
Republicans
proposed keeping the sequester cuts in place, but giving departments of
government the flexibility to apply those cuts in ways least harmful to
services. Democrats said no. Sequester cuts must be applied across the
board in ways that inflict the most pain on the American people.
Democrats
insist on an all or nothing approach despite the fact that in every government
shutdown in the past, spending gap measures have always been passed to protect
important services.
Senator
McCain, I am embarrassed that you demonize those of us in These United states who insist on a fiscally responsible government. Blame President Obama. He is so inept he hasn’t been able to get a
budget passed in 5 years, even during those years when Democrats controlled both houses.
Blame Democrats who criminally refuse to face the mind boggling realities
of a 17 trillion debt coupled with 90 trillion dollars in future unfunded
liabilities.
Obama and
the Democrats have opted to simply ignore the doom and gloom.
Harry Reed refuses to bring even President Obama’s proposed budgets to
the floor of the senate for a vote, and he and goes home grinning because he
has manipulated the press, and you, into blaming Conservative Republicans. “They've
shut down the government over an ideological crusade.” God forbid we should have legislators who put
principle before power.
Senator
McCain, I love you. I respect you. But I regret to say that you have, for 33
years, sacrificed principle for power.
God forbid we lose every election, but at least Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio
and Mike Lee and David Vitter, Jeff Sessions, Pat Roberts, Jim Risch, Rand Paul,
James M. Inhofe and Mike Enzi will rest in peace, knowing they fought the good
fight.
