Republican government shutdown Archives

Rick Santorum Complains about the Republicans Strategy on Healthcare

He called it the “circular firing squad.” That was Rick Santorum definition of the way Republicans conducted themselves over the rollout and implementation of Obamacare.

According to Santorum, Republicans could have just sat back and watched as the website for Obamacare crumbled under the weight of interested American trying to sign up for insurance. But instead Santorum continued, they engineered a government shutdown that accomplished nothing, except guaranteed loss for subpar Republican candidates.

“Everybody knew this wasn’t going to work coming out,” the 2012 Republican presidential contender said during an appearance on Monday’s Morning Joe. “To know that, going into this October 1 and to have it be just a fight between Republicans instead of focusing on what was clearly going to be a problem was not a very smart thing to do.”

The 16-day shutdown also hurt Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign for Virginia governor.

“There’s no question about it. I live in Virginia and Ken could not get on message till the last ten days.”

“Because of the government shutdown!” Joe Scarborough interjected.

“The government shutdown,” Santorum said, nodding.

“We had a circular firing squad going on in Washington,” Santorum said of his party. “It was just painful to watch people – both camps trying to do the right things but ending up just shooting each other.”

Republicans’ New Claim: Obama made us Shutdown the Government

You have to be a Republican to buy what these people are selling. Or you have to hate the President so much that you’re willing to dismiss the facts to believe the lies. And yes, there many Republicans willing to believe the lies. Although the facts have been smacking them in the face for the last 16 days.

Various right-wing media outlets are picking up the claim that President Barack Obama deliberately lured Republicans into a trap planned by his senior advisor Valerie Jarrett.

The claim originates with author Ed Klein, who wrote a provocative and widely criticized biography of Obama called The Amateur, in addition to The Truth About Hillary, a similarly received book on the Clintons.

“(Jarrett) convinced the president that a government shutdown and default offered a great opportunity to demonize the Republicans and help the Democrats win back a majority in the House of Representatives in 2014,” Klein told The New York Post.

Klein said Jarrett told the president that voters would blame Republicans for the shutdown and “devised the no-negotiating strategy” that ultimately forced the GOP to end the 16-day shutdown with Obamacare still intact and to extend the federal government’s borrowing power to avert debt default.

“Valerie also came with the idea of using the words ‘hostage’, and ‘ransom’ and ‘terrorists’ against the Republicans,” Klein said.

Those tactics, along with Republican antics before and after the shutdown began Oct. 1, drove the GOP’s favorability ratings to record lows for any political party.

Ted Cruz is also on Obama’s payroll.