Day 2

It’s the second day that the government has shutdown, and there still appears to be a stalemate. House Republican Steve Pearce from New Mexico appeared on the House floor where he called on the Speaker, the Senate Leader, and the President to have a public meeting to work out their differences. The leadership will be going to the White House this afternoon where they will try to come to a compromise. The president has been noticeably absent through the entire CR battle, as he said the Republicans are trying to extract a ransom at the expense of passing a budget. The House has passed bills that fund certain areas of the government, but as over 700,000 workers have been furloughed, this is not enough. The primary reason for this stalemate is Obamacare, which went into effect yesterday as launched. As this is Obama’s signature legislation and something he expects for his legacy as president, it is not surprising that he refused to take part in the GOP’s refusal to allow the individual mandate to become a reality. Governor Chris Christie criticized Obama, saying that the executive branch should never expect leadership from the legislative branch. Obama indeed should have done more to gain Republican support, and instead he played hard to get with negative consequences. Nancy Pelosi said that she wants a clean CR that does not include an anti-Obamacare amendment to pass by Friday, and is rallying 200 members to go to the Capitol steps in order to gain public support and pressure Republican House members to act. As President, Obama should have had a meeting with the legislative leadership before the shutdown, and his refusal to negotiate was not a wise move. Both parties are playing the blame game, and both parties can twist rhetoric to shift responsibility.