The race is on for a face-saving solution. From The Hill newspaper,
Senate GOP, Democrats looking for ‘off-ramp’ to end shutdown next week.
Details,
Senate Republicans and Democrats are trying to hammer out a proposal to end the 30-day government shutdown as soon as next week, as some centrist Democrats argue behind the scenes that their party has successfully highlighted rising health care costs and it’s time to end the stalemate.
Shutdown fatigue on Capitol Hill is growing as the government stoppage approaches the one-month mark, and the pain is increasing.
Democrats appear ready to declare shutdown victory and move on with their lives. But what form will “victory” take? Quoting one Senator,
Democrats have won a victory because we have demonstrated that we are fighting for health care for all Americans.
Ok, then. What will it take to re-open government? Democrats are hoping for a strong showing on election day next week, If Democrats wait until Wednesday (or beyond) then this “shutdown” will have become the longest on record.
Senate Democrats could end the shutdown today if they were so willing, but they think having government workers go unpaid will help them in the Virginia elections on Tuesday. So, it turns out that this entire exercise was just a cynical ploy to boost their sagging chances at the ballot box. For shame.
The Senate will take a preliminary vote today on confirming another appeals court judge. It would be the third appeals court judge confirmed since the shutdown began on October 1, to accompany seven district court judges already confirmed this month.
Keep ’em coming!
