The Calm Before The Storm: Republicans Set Up A New Government Shutdown Battle With Obama

The House passed a CR 319-108 today, but the vote was calm before the storm as Republicans are setting up a government shutdown showdown with President Obama.

It would be nice to think that House Republicans have learned their lesson and will now fund the government, but the temporary funding measure that the House passed was designed to get the GOP through the midterm elections. After the midterms, Republicans plan to unleash a government shutdown frenzy if they take control of the Senate.

Sen. Mitch McConnell is already promising a massive government shutdown if Republicans win the Senate. McConnell’s strategy as he outlined to it to the Koch brothers is to use the budget process to demand policy changes from President Obama, or else he will shutdown the government.

Today’s vote was nothing more than Republicans buying themselves some time, and rolling the dice on taking back the Senate. If Republicans fail to take back the Senate, the country could be facing another government shutdown showdown just before the holidays. If Republicans do win control of the Senate, the country will be dragged into a full scale partisan gridlocked war.

Mitch McConnell is planning on using the budgetary process and government shutdowns to invalidate the entire Obama presidency. The years since Republicans took control of the House have been ugly, but they are nothing compared to what Mitch McConnell is prepared to put the country through in order to carry out his Koch fueled agenda.

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Today’s passage of the continuing resolution was the calm before the storm. There is another government shutdown battle brewing, and this one will be even ugly than last year. Don’t be fooled by this one vote. Republicans are setting up a crisis that could define the last two years of the Obama presidency. The degree of crisis will be determined by whether or not voters give Republicans a Senate majority in November.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association