Tea Party Republican Dennis Ross Admits that the GOP Shutdown is About Pride

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Dennis Ross, a Republican representative from Florida since 2011, admitted that the GOP shutdown is all about Republican pride, “I think now it’s a lot about pride.”

Ross is one of the most conservative House members according to the Club for Growth, and he is the first Tea Party member to say that he would support ending the five day GOP government shutdown with a spending deal that didn’t include changes to ObamaCare.

Jonathan Weisman at the New York Times reported:

“Republicans have to realize how many significant gains we’ve made over the last three years, and we have — not only in cutting spending but in really turning the tide on a lot of things,” Representative Dennis Ross, Republican of Florida, said on Saturday. “We can’t lose all that when there’s no connection now between the shutdown and the funding of Obamacare.”

He added: “I think now it’s a lot about pride.”

The GOP shutdown isn’t a policy argument and it never was, because no sane party would shutdown the government over a law already vetted by the voters, Congress, and the Supreme Court. It’s conservative hubris.

Ross pointed out that the party “risked losing a fight over the scale of government while waging a quixotic war against the health care law.” True enough. Republicans are undermining the core of their ideology by defending and refunding parts of the government.

Days ago I warned that Republicans were actually causing Americans to realize just how much good the government does for them. If the GOP keeps the government shutdown long enough, even the most politically out of touch American will feel the pain, and will be hesitant to buy into the “government should be drowned” mantra of conservatives.

Furthermore, Republicans have now placed themselves in the business of picking winners and losers in government – something they are allegedly 100% against.

And apparently this entire thing is about their pride. They have to get something before they refund the government, because they’re hurt and embarrassed.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) went all Rodney Dangerfield days ago, “We’re not going to be disrespected. We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.”

When whining about respect and pride doesn’t work, Republicans have practically taken to crying, “Leave us alone!” They don’t like being called extremists, so leave Britney alone, you meanies. How dare you speak the truth about Republicans while they’re destroying the economy. #Winning.

Ross’ comments demonstrate that Republicans don’t even know what they stand for anymore, and that’s why no one can guess what they’re going to do next. The one thing we can be sure of: Tea Party Republicans see themselves as comic book heroes defeating President Obama. They don’t know what they don’t know, and they can’t absorb the fact that they are losing this very public battle with the President.

The humbling of the GOP is just getting warmed up, I fear. A bit of a reminder: “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”

Here’s a tip for Republicans: If your party would stop fundraising off of promises that you should know you can’t deliver, like defunding ObamaCare, you could avoid the humiliation of caving in public yet again. But this would involve educating the Tea Party (including yourselves, apparently) about how government works, and telling your corporate donors to buzz off. In other words, it would require courage and integrity – two values the GOP obviously can’t afford to embrace.

Sarah Jones

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