The Impending GOP Neutron Bomb If They Shut Down The Government

Memories are short in politics

And that’s true for the most part. In the last 30 years, only the GOP has been responsible for a government shutdown due to a failure to fund the government. The epitome of shutdown stupid was Trump personally shutting down the government over his wall when the GOP held The House, The Senate, and the White House. Who else could voters blame?

But the last time I can remember a shutdown costing the GOP was when Newt Gingrich shut down the government when Bill Clinton was President, and it cost him his Speakership. Other than that the axiom has tended to hold true. The other shutdowns occurred far enough out that most voters had forgotten about it before the next election rolled around.

And one would think that if the GOP and House Squeaker Cave-In McCarthy play their cards right, the same should hold true. After all, if the Freedom shuts down the government at midnight Saturday night, and d*cks around until the middle of October to lick their nuts, and then passes a continuing resolution to reopen the government, there’s still 12 months before election day. Plenty of time for voters to forget the shutdown, especially with Traitor Tot’s criminal proceedings rolling down the tracks. But not this time.

Stupid, thy name is Freedom Caucus. Being at heart basically performance artists rather than legislators, they neither care whether government functions, or care what happens, not only to their constituents, but to everybody else in the country when the government shuts down. But what do they care as long as they keep getting on FUX News and the long green keeps rolling in. But the rest of the GOP, as well as the RNC cares like hell.

Y’all remember that I have occasionally referred to the importance of off year state elections, and how they can be a canary-in-the-coal-mine for the next general election. well, in the first week of November this year, we have not one, but two state off year elections that could change the balance of power going into 2024.

The first one is the purple commonwealth of Virginia. And as a purple state, it’s always in a state of flux. And as a result, GOP House members from Virginia are ready to sell their first born child to keep the government from shutting down. Because they can already read the handwriting on the wall.

The northern suburbs of Virginia are basically nothing nothing more than a bedroom community for Washington DC. The FBI training facility is in Quantico, Virginia. The CIA headquarters are in Langley, Virginia. And there are multiple military bases and installations all over Virginia. The US government is one of the largest employers in Virginia.

And in Virginia, voters go to the polls on November 7, 2023. If the GOP shuts down the government for any appreciable length of time, and paychecks are missed, then they’ll be missed by hundreds of thousands of Virginians. And whatever emotional and financial pain they suffer, the GOP won’t have 12 months for the memory to fade, they’ll have a couple of weeks before election day. GOP Governor Glen Youngkin desperately needs to get control of the VA legislature to get anything done in his term, but if there’s a shutdown, who are Virginia voters going to blame. Certainly not the Democrats.

The second off year state election is in Kentucky. Kentucky is normally a secure red state. But in 2019, the GOP ran a Trump wanna be for Governor, and Democrat Andy Beshear Beshear has proven to be a popular Governor, weathering tragedies like mass shootings, floods, and a train derailment full of toxic chemicals.  pulled off the upset. The GOP desperately wants to reclaim the governorship, but Kentucky is home to Fort Knox, as well as multiple military establishments. Think voter noses may get bent out of joint if the government shuts down?

House Squeaker Cave-In McCarthy is a miserable, despicable, craven coward. He took an oath to serve his constituents, and protect the Constitution. He could end this tragi-comic farce tomorrow by crafting a clean continuing resolution that funds the government through January 15th, with Ukraine and disaster aid. Put it to the floor for a clean up or down vote. It would pass with 300+ votes, and better yet slap down the Quisling Freedom Caucus members. Let them try to vacate the Chair. If 150 traditional conservatives vote for the clean continuing resolution, what are the chances that Sugar Daddy Matt Gaetz can get 218 votes to ditch McCarthy with only four votes to spare in the GOP caucus? McCarthy needs to stop being a butt boy, and do some simple goddamned math. But he won’t.

I thank you for the privilege of your time