Originally Posted by
JasonEvans
Fair or not, the party seen as being in power almost always gets blamed in a shutdown or government inaction situation and the Republicans are seen as being in power this time. The fact that the Dems passed a stimulus bill first, more than a month ago, in the House makes it even easier for the public to see the GOP as the ones holding up a new stimulus package. It was smart of Pelosi to get that out there early.
Jason, to the frustration of the Republicans, they always get blamed for a government shutdown. Everyone tends to believe that Dems love government and Pubs hate the government. "Inaction" may be different...
Beginning with Gingrich and the House Republicans forcing a government closure, which rebounded to hurt the Republicans (from history.com):
In November 1995, Newt Gingrich gave President Bill Clinton an ultimatum: approve cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other programs, or he would shut down the government. The ensuing shutdowns were a public embarrassment for Gingrich and a victory for Clinton...
A Pyrrhic victory for Clinton because l'affaire Lewinsky started during the shutdown.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013