It's Monday.
We're already at work, most of us. Got a serious 48 hours ahead of us, not just at work but across the country. The irresponsible, badly-managed House of Representatives has acted to shut down the government as of midnight tonight, the issue being a law that has already been passed, approved by the Supreme Court, and due to go into effect tomorrow. The dominant party in the lower house -- the Republican party -- thinks it's better to shut the entire government down if they're not allowed to, effectively, nullify that law -- particularly as they don't have the necessary support to change or chuck the law.
So fuck you America.
"Fuck you America" doesn't actually appear at the august website of the United States House of Representatives. Instead, its equivalent -- in small print and more practical and polite -- is that the "113th Congress, 1st Session · The House is not in session." It goes on to note briefly that there will be two hearings, one on site and the other in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City? Have fun.
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Ezra Klein sees a very interesting outcome for all this wrangling: the Republicans take a punishment they don't appear to have anticipated.
... The federal government will probably shut down tonight. And, at about the same moment, Obamacare will go live, as the shutdown does little to impede the law.
There's a silver lining in this for Obamacare, as well as a real danger. ...Klein,WaPo
If nothing much were going on -- in other words, if the threat of the shutdown and then the shutdown itself weren't gobbling up the media's attention -- all eyes would be on the inevitably bumpy start of the application of the new law tomorrow. The danger? That Obamacare may lose some signups tomorrow because all the attention is on Washington -- on a messy Congress and more economic uncertainty.
But in the end...
... All of this speaks to why the Republican Party is so frightened. Until now, Obamacare has been an abstraction. You can repeal an abstraction. Tomorrow, it becomes a reality. And reality is a lot harder to repeal. ...Klein,WaPo
