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January 20, 2018 06:53 AM UTC

2018 Government Shutdown Day 1 Open Thread

  • 59 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

So here we are again.

Comments

59 thoughts on “2018 Government Shutdown Day 1 Open Thread

  1. The Air Force Academy just announced that due to the shutdown, all intercollegiate athletic events are cancelled. 

    So what about the colleges (Fresno State men's basketball today being a good example) who've spent money to travel to Colorado Springs and now it's all for naught? Maybe they should send a bill for their expenses to the 536 idiots in Washington. Oh wait, Congress and the President never suffer or lose money during a shutdown.

    This sends a message to other universities that the military schools can't be depended on when scheduling events.

      1. Source? Navy has been more successful, and last fall there was a report "Nov 8, 2017 – Navy football coach Ken Niumatalolo makes $2 million and is by far the highest-paid coach at all three academies, according to recent records."

  2. As expected, Trump, McConnell, Ryan prefer to finger point rather than work out a deal. Schumer even put the border wall on the table, but to no avail. 

      1. Kelly, an immigration hardliner, killed the latest deal:

        According to a source familiar with the discussions, Schumer and Trump discussed a DACA bill in exchange for Republicans’ full defense spending request and the possibility of Trump’s full border request, which would include money for a wall. Both men said they felt like they were close to a big deal, but probably needed a bill to continue government funding for a few days as they hammered out the details.

        After some more back-and-forths between Schumer and Trump ― and Schumer and McConnell ― Trump’s chief of staff, John Kelly, called Schumer Friday night and said the framework of the DACA deal was too liberal. The deal was off.

  3. Michael Bennet is a half-assed (D) who was more intent on hanging out with his dimwit half-brother Gardner than in fulfilling his obligations to his constituents or advancing any kind of progressive policy. 

    He is a phony and I cannot stand him.…especially knowing he’ll be SFL and face virtually zero criticism around here. 

    1. Zappatero — don't discount yourself. Bennet will have plenty of criticism as long as you are here.

      Many of the rest of us recognize that Bennet beat Romanoff in a Democrats-only primary, then spent a whole bunch of money (including a fair amount of his own) to narrowly beat Ken Buck in the general election when the trend was to Republicans. In short, Bennet appears to be a candidate who can win in Colorado.

      If you think someone else would be a better Democrat and could get elected — I'd be interested to hear who you think that would be. In my 20 plus years in Colorado, I've not seen state-wide election go to an out-and-out liberal or (very) progressive Democrat. Mark Udall might be the closest — and he narrowly won in 2008 (with a smaller margin than Obama) and lost in 2014.

      1. In any other era Bennet would be a Republican and Pols would mock his lameness. I’ll never forgive the team of D’s that first put him up for the job. 

          1. Zappatero needs to answer JohninDenver's question. John has 20+ years in Colorado; I have just under 37 years here. I agree with John's statement about electibility.

            Thus far, Zappatero can't seem to answer a straight question like John's. All he can give is more anti-Bennet platitudes.

            1. Bennet has become a more forceful communicator. His votes are okay, for the most part. I don't trust him to promote a consumer-friendly public health plan that would cause insurance corporations to lose profits. I wish he was less tied to the financial services industries, less of a deal-maker. He is what Trump aspired to be. And by the way, he was originally appointed, not elected, so don't rhapsodize about his "state-wide moderate appeal".

              Our PERA funds are in jeopardy, partly because Bennet inserted himself into that conversation when he was DPS superintendent.  He insisted that DPS retirement be bought out (with borrowed money, in a deal he brokered) to invest in PERA. This was following a bad decision to buy out early retirements for teachers (again with borrowed money).

              Then PERA's board of trustees has invested our funds badly – in oil and gas companies such as Extraction, which brought us the Firestone explosion, and many others. Those bring in around 5% R o I. There is very little investment in renewable energies in the PERA portfolio. But that's another diary.

              Bennet helped to cause this situation with his "Let's make a deal" financial industry expertise. I think that's where his loyalties still ultimately lie.  He hasn't demonstrated anything differently.

              If you asked me to come up with an alternative to primary Bennet, I'd nominate Senator Irene Aguilar – someone who has demonstrated commitment to public health, and who is certainly not bought out by finance or insurance industries. However, as a good Democrat, she would never primary Bennet.

              1. You mean the doctor-senator who gave us the Bernie-care ballot initiative which garnered something like 21% of the vote? Yeah, I can see her winning statewide. 

                She refrains from challenging Bennet not out of party loyalty but because she recognizes that she has the DeGette Problem. Her politics do not sell south of Hampden, west of Sheridan and east of Monaco.

                1. Yes, that term-limited Doctor Senator Aguilar.

                  I'll remind you that, before the Koch brothers got busy funding anti-Coloradocare hysteria, Coloradocare was polling statewide at 55%.

                  Then Dems got cold feet, and jumped on board and started promoting dubious arithmetic and scary predictions about how Amendment 69 would prohibit all insurance-paid abortion. None of this was ever backed with hard evidence.

                  All of the flaws in the bill could have been fixed with a year ramp-up to implementation. Amendment 69 funds were basically for a feasibility study.

                  Senator Aguilar herself says that communication and messaging were a problem –

                  "We never came up with a good soundbite that resonated with people," Aguilar said of Coloradocare. How do you get people to agree to a tax increase? She's still not exactly sure what she would have changed about the message but thinks that more of a focus on "cutting waste"—getting the hated insurance middleman out of healthcare—could be a start.

                  Senator Bennet will never vote for a universal public option in health care – in spite of his comments in 2009.

                  However, his "Medicare X" proposal would, if passed, ease my life in rural Colorado with few health care plans available.

                  I think Senator Aguilar could win statewide. She communicates caring and competence. She is bilingual and has deep roots in both urban and rural Colorado. She would be a formidable foe, and a kick-ass US Senator.

                  But you're free to disagree, of course. Just don't distort the facts.

                2. Don't throw rocks at Irene, R&R. She became my senator after the 2010 redistricting and she's a good one. She's bright, cares about her constituents and nobody owns her.

                  1. She's bright, cares about her constituents and nobody owns her.

                    All true. She is a good fit for a Denver senate district. But what she is offering does not sell outside of Denver.

                3. Oh , ferfuckssake.

                  Colorado Care never polled above sinlge digits in the Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE populations.  Students and others under 22- never cared, outside the boundaries R&R stated.  ^^

                  Dr Aguilar is not going to live long enough to win statewide in Colorado. If she gets appointed, she's a lame duck to the end.

                  Yes, yes – she's a lovely heart and a fine person.  don't matter to the math

                  1. "Colorado Care never polled above sinige (sic) digits in the {age 65+} population."

                    Except for that time that it did. Before the Kochs got their propaganda spread, and Democrats bought it, looking for CYA to seem "moderate"and to keep their insurance industry donors happy.

                    "Dr Aguilar is not going to live long enough to win statewide in Colorado."

                    Says who? Are you a doctor, infallible psychic, insurance actuary? Dr. Aguilar is an active, healthy 57 year old woman. She hikes, bikes, travels, and practices medicine for a charity clinic, La Clinica Tepeyac, as you would know if you bothered to investigate instead of bloviate. No reason why she couldn't run or be appointed to any national or statewide office.

                    You can go to her legislative townhall on January 31 and ask her yourself. 

                    So the only problem with my scenario of Dr. Aguilar primarying Bennet is that she probably has zero interest in the proposition, having been backstabbed thoroughly by Democrats over the last 2 years.

        1. No one s asking you to forgive.

          Did you want Sirota?  Or Beuscher? Mike Miles?
          I can't remember – 

          all I know is Ritter wanted Bennet – and so he got him. Salazar was happy enough – and that was enough for me.

          1. I thought it was Obama and Clinton wanted Bennet. Ritter just gave them what they wanted. Did the SFL and Ritter have a relationship prior to the appointment?

              1. I heard a narrative quite some time ago that Bennets' family and the Obama/Clinton establishment had some connection, and the request for Michael Bennet came straight from Obama. Not true..?..do you know? Would anyone besides Ritter?

                1. That's partially right. Obama was for Bennet and came out for him in the 2010 primary. But IIRC, didn't Bill Clinton support Romanoff in that primary? 

            1. Bennet was Anschutz' executive. His father had worked in Clinton's administration. Obama wanted someone with education expertise, which Bennet had learned by trial and error superintending DPS.

              I read somewhere that a condition of Bennet's appointment was unwavering support for the ACA – which Obama certainly did get from Bennet.

  4. The Liar-in-Chief Emperor-with-no-Clothes (except that Forbes magazine stuck to his . . . never mind) is no doubt watching TV today, and thinking all those women are marching for him! 

    If every one of you doesn't get out and work to change Congress this November, YOU are part of the problem.

     

  5. The problem, as we all know, is that the Republican Party has no leadership.  There is just a cacophony of voices shouting out their demands, with no one able impose discipline or order so that they speak with one voice.

    Schumer said Saturday that negotiating with Trump was like “negotiating with Jello.”

    “It’s impossible to negotiate with a constantly moving target,” Schumer said. “Leader McConnell has found that out. Speaker Ryan has found that out. And I have found that out.”

    The problem, however, may be Republican lawmakers. Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) was emphatic Saturday morning that the deal Schumer and Trump were discussing was not palatable to conservatives.

    “Talking to my Senate colleagues,” Meadows said as he exited a House GOP conference meeting, “there were a lot of promises made last night, but none that will become law.”

    1. Our Alfred E. Neuman "What, me lead?" president is pretty chipper this weekend.

      At first I was concerned, but then I thought... what, me ...

      Trump’s own erratic behavior in negotiations last week — including his remarks to lawmakers that many immigrants come from “shithole” countries — helped precipitate the breakdown in spending talks on the Hill by hardening the positions among party rank-and-file on both sides and giving Democrats a ready-made excuse to walk away from the negotiating table on immigration.

      Since then, he’s been a bit player in the shutdown drama — the absence of his direction and leadership driving events more than their presence.

    2. Representative Adam Kitzinger of Illinois was interviewed last week on CNN or MSNBC and repeated referred to the "Freedom Caucus" as the "Freedom Club" with very thinly-veiled contempt in his voice.

    1. I was at the march in GJ. 

      3,000 at the park (my estimate) where it started and more joined along the way. 

      It evoked many memories of the late 60s for me.✌

    1. Holy crap. Trump has united the world….against himself.😱✊✊🇺🇸☮️🌎

      Those pictures are mind-boggling. Kenya? Nairobi? Fairbanks in a blizzard?

      And he's trying to spin this in tweets, saying that women are coming out to celebrate "his" economic recovery. (Thanks, Obama!)

       Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

      Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!

  6. If a tree falls in a national park, and there is no one there to hear it because the government is shut down, does Trump still stink?

    Stay upwind, America.

  7. Is it possible the Liar in Chief actually believes these marches are in support of him? He thinks they are celebrating…the stock market? Really?

    Do you still contend V., Trump is not delusional? Does he not read the signs?

      1. Maybe it was CHB. Not worth searching for….

        I called him delusional and someone objected, but he is clearly mentally unstable.

        After a morning of digesting the Sunday morning political shows, my lady just remarked, "It sounds like someone besides Trump is making the decisions". I think she is right. My guess is Tom Cotton & Mark Meadows. 

        Kelly, as COS has cemented some lines of communication. It seems McCarthy might be working toward the house leadership by courting the Freedom Caucus. Kelly, ever the racist, is making sure Trump hears from those guys before the White House approves anything…regardless of what the president might have said.

        The fascists have, indeed, captured the White House.

  8. Looks like the Kochs do tip their servants:

    Just days after the House passed its version of the federal tax law slashing corporate tax rates, House Speaker Paul Ryan collected nearly $500,000 in campaign contributions from billionaire energy mogul Charles Koch and his wife, according to a recent campaign donor report.

    The new tax law — which slices corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 21 percent, slashes estate taxes and includes a special deduction for oil and gas investors — is expected to save the Koch brothers and their businesses billions of dollars in taxes.

    1. He says he won't run for re-election. How will he launder that money for his own use?

      Or is he already wealthy and will be fine with re-purposing all that loot?

      1. At the very least, he has the ability to spread the money around to the campaigns of his colleagues, thus gaining markers to trade for future favors when he becomes a lobbyist.

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