Federal shutdown took months of GOP planning
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Mike McIntire, New York Times
WASHINGTON — Shortly after President Obama started his second term, a loose-knit coalition of conservative activists led by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III gathered in the capital to plot strategy. Their push to repeal Obama’s health care law was going nowhere, and they desperately needed a new plan.
Out of that session, held one morning in a location the members insist on keeping secret, came a little-noticed “blueprint to defunding Obamacare,” signed by Meese and leaders of more than three dozen conservative groups.
It articulated a take-no-prisoners legislative strategy that had long percolated in conservative circles: that Republicans could derail the health care overhaul if conservative lawmakers were willing to push fellow Republicans — including their cautious leaders — into cutting off financing for the entire federal government.
“We felt very strongly at the start of this year that the House needed to use the power of the purse,” said one coalition member, Michael A. Needham, who runs Heritage Action for America, the political arm of the Heritage Foundation. “At least at Heritage Action, we felt very strongly from the start that this was a fight that we were going to pick.”
Last week the country witnessed the fallout from that strategy: a standoff that has shuttered much of the federal bureaucracy and unsettled the nation.
To many Americans, the shutdown came out of nowhere. But interviews with a wide array of conservatives show that the confrontation that precipitated the crisis was the outgrowth of a long-running effort to undo the law, the Affordable Care Act, since its passage in 2010 — waged by a galaxy of conservative groups with more money, organized tactics and interconnections than is commonly known.
With polls showing Americans deeply divided over the law, conservatives believe that the public is behind them. Although the law’s opponents say that shutting down the government was not their objective, the activists anticipated that a shutdown could occur — and worked with members of the Tea Party caucus in Congress who were excited about drawing a red line against a law they despise.
A defunding “tool kit” created in early September included talking points for the question, “What happens when you shut down the government and you are blamed for it?” The suggested answer was the one House Republicans give today: “We are simply calling to fund the entire government except for the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare.”
The current budget brinkmanship is just the latest development in a well-financed, broad-based assault on the health law, Obama’s signature legislative initiative. Groups like Tea Party Patriots, Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks are all immersed in the fight, as is Club for Growth, a business-backed nonprofit organization. Some, like Generation Opportunity and Young Americans for Liberty, both aimed at young adults, are upstarts. Heritage Action is new, too, founded in 2010 to advance the policy prescriptions of its sister group, the Heritage Foundation.
The billionaire Koch brothers, Charles and David, have been deeply involved with financing the overall effort. A group linked to the Kochs, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, disbursed more than $200 million last year to nonprofit organizations involved in the fight. Included was $5 million to Generation Opportunity, which created a buzz last month with an Internet advertisement showing a menacing Uncle Sam figure popping up between a woman’s legs during a gynecological exam.
A prepackaged government shutdown. Talking points and all.
I don’t think this is what our founding fathers had in mind.
We liberals, we TRUE patriots, need to stand firm against the tyrannical fascism that lurks deep within the GOP!
Calling altra liberals like yourselfs Patriots is king of insulting to people who lay down their lives for thier country. Unless you are laying down your life and putting everything on the line to protect this country you are not a Patriot. Your wording does nothing to create a discussion between people all it does is push people further in their corner. Fascist really. This is not right,or correct just as it would not be right or correct to call the far left as Stalinist.
Reloman, I couldn’t find in the definition of patriot where it excludes liberals. And are you saying that unless I’ve died on the battle field as an American soldier I, by definition, can not be a patriot? Huh. Didn’t read that in the definition as well. And wouldn’t that make a WHOLE bunch of YOUR GOP patriots false patriots?
pa·tri·ot noun \ˈpā-trē-ət, -ˌät, chiefly British ˈpa-trē-ət\
: a person who loves and strongly supports or fights for his or her country
Full Definition of PATRIOT
: one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patriot
I believe that’s called “conspiracy.” I wonder if Eric Holder can get his nose out of the medicinal marijuana grows long enough to start a proper criminal investigation?
On the other hand, if this is all true, it probably didn’t take long for them to figure that Boehner was just stupid enough to be a good front man for the scheme.
so we are supposed to take this article seriously because it comes from the new york times??????? until you get some outside view points from different sources i dont know how anybody can take this “paper” “web site” with a grain of salt.
Two articles with the same point of view in one day. This is a good way to keep blue states blue and red states red.
I have over the decades not seen such intolerance since journalists decided to become advocates rather than serious diggers for truth. The two articles are more opinion pieces than balanced reporting.
You rarely find opinion pieces from Krauthammer and Thomas Soule around blue states.
M Elie,
You are surprised by the bias of the ladies that run this online news media?
This editor has been feeding the liberal soup to this community for decades.
M Elie Alyeshmeri,
As stated in the NYTimes article posted in the LTN today even the far right neo-con pundit Charles Krauthammer has rightfully called the Tea Party fringe “the suicide Caucus” for causing the Gov’t shutdown and another hard right GOPer, Devin Nunez from the valley, called them “lemmings wearing suicide vests”.
Too bad if these articles provide facts that are inconvenient to people that can’t get over the fact that their political party was defeated in the last election cycle.
Absurd notions of patriotism aside, it appears to me that this fiasco may signal the end of “majority rule” in our great nation. We are becoming more like the Taliban every day. Well done “patriots,well done. Our enemies couldn’t do it but the GOP did.
Why reprint liberal talking points from the NYT? None of what is reported in the NYT is objective and it is trash leftist blather. The shutdown is purely from the top, King-Bling Bummer himself, and never in the history of the previous 17 Govt. shutdowns has anything like this happened with publicly owned lakes, boat docks, leased buildings and USFS leased-land businesses. They were never targeted before. When have open air WWII Memorials been closed to veterans who were flown in by volunteers? When have ocean bays been closed? I could see King-Bling going after the ski resorts next for punishment and intentional loss of business. He wants people to feel the pain by disrupting their lives and incomes. Since when have publicly owned things like land be blockaded from the owners? This is very unprecedented in the history of this nation and people need to see the truth in what actions are being taken at the top. Enough pandering to liberal talking points using the NYT of all places.
@M Elie Alyeshmerni: you’re smarter than that. An opinion piece? Op-eds very rarely have so many quotes, and from both sides. They are single voice opining. You want an opinion? Look at the last sentence of the article: “It really was a groundswell,” he (Needham of Heritage Action) said, “that changed Washington from the outside in.”
I usually think of a groundswell of an organic upwelling of the masses, not a set strategy funded by big money. Sheesh, state your opinion and make your comment, but please learn what an op-ed looks like.
@Justice: you’re a conspiracy theorist. Hate to name call, but you are blaming the wrong side here. And you are calling the President names…classy.
dumbfounded,
we are not a “majority rule” country, never have been. We are a Republic which is designed to protect against majority rule.
Where did you go to school?
As for the reference to the Taliban, well, why worry about your cred now anyway.
Since this article is a link to the NYTimes, here are other perspectives on related issues:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24433182
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24388669
regardless if this article is correct or not, take notice, we now have an ongoing blueprint to stagnate! I think either party now will feel free to utilize this B.S. maneuver going forwards. End result, nothing gets done. What a shame to live in such a great country and to be f****ed bu so few self centered people.
well CJ you have it wrong a bit too…a republic stands in contrast to a monarchy or dictatorship, in which power is vested in the people though election of a president and legislative bodies instead of hereditary appointments or the force of arms. But the protection against the “tryranny of the majority” comes from having a “representative democracy” rather than “direct democracy” and also the electoral college (which was also to guard against one section of the country having undo influence on who was elected Presidfent) and also having the constiutution, against which laws are judged to be either consistent or not consistent with ceratin founding principles of rights and powers.
So even if the majority support a law repugnant to the constitution, it stands a good chance (sooner or later) or being overturned. Changing the constitution is always an option, but it requires much more legislative consensus and hence, less likely. I guess if enough nut cases get the votes to change the basic foundation of the constitution, we get what we deserve.
and dictionary definitions aside:
: one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patriot
\
I am not really sure patriot is something that aspires to the highest ideals of citizenship. Out duty, and the oath of the president is to defend the constitution,
No one here has placed any blame upon the U. S. Supreme court. I do. I think Obama Care is unconstitutional because it forces people to purchase something that they may not use. Some people have decided to pay for their health care as they need it, without using insurance. They choose to accept risk. Insurance is where the insurance company accepts the risk. If a government can force you to purchase something that you choose not to use, that government can eventually own your freedom of choice, and possibly take all your money. My point here would be clearer if the government was the only insurer, and the government was forcing everyone to buy only their insurance. I blame the U. S. Supreme Court for this political battle. This is not the first time the court has made a mistake.
these are complicated issues beyond most of our understanding.
We have a law passed by both houses (one party only)and signed into law by our President. why then exempt some unions, businesses and the congress from it?
clearly, it has redeeming qualities in the area of covering existing conditions, but it is still not clear, what it is and what it will cost.
the government shut down has been laid at the feet of the GOP, which will suffer from it, but in fairness they did offer amendments to keep major functions of government going, something that has been done in the past regularly. But those who see all or none are finding it very useful politically. So many people are so ready to believe anything about boogie men.
You want to know what Charles Krauthammer said, but in context, read this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-who-shut-down-yellowstone/2013/10/03/1b1cb4a8-2c64-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions
If you want to know what Charles Krauthammer actually said about the Tea Party being the “suicide caucus” that is responsible for causing the Gov’t shut down and why he thinks it was a stupid ploy, you can watch it on youtube from Fox News’ own Bret Baier Show, you can easily google it.
He hates the middle class and people with Union jobs as much as all those supporting the 1%ers that post their opinions here as you will see from his statements, but he knows that this strategy of governing by edge of the cliff crises is a loser for the neo-cons and the conservative establishment like him.
Tahoe Pizza, no person in the U.S. can opt out of emergency health care and therefore does receive free health insurance at some level. If I am in a crash and I am unconscious, I will be put on a helicopter and taken to a trauma center. That ride alone is at least $25k. To some segment of the population that is pocket change, but that segment has insurance just for asset protection as opposed to most of us who have insurance so that we can have access to more routine health care. No person in the U.S. can be denied emergency care.
Now here is the more complex point. Every uninsured person is receiving value from that, it is derivative value. And they are getting that value for free. Actuaries for insurance companies calculate the value of that and add it to my health insurance cost. I am sick and tired of having my health insurance costs increase because people have some misinformed notion of self-insuring.
17% GDP (highest by far) and rated near the bottom for health care.
That is a complete failure. Why people like pizza dunce and other support that is beyond me.
USA! USA! USA!
“They choose to accept risk.”
Think about that again. Who is assuming all of the financial risk?
They aren’t. Everyone else is.
What a ridiculous logic.
Moral Hazard – – – You’re assuming that people can’t pay for emergency medical care and that’s where you’re wrong. People without insurance who receive emergency medical treatment often pay the bill. An air lift is a small fraction of what you say, and I could pay for it tomorrow. In the past, I had a medical condition that required about $ 3,500 worth of care. I paid every bill out of pocket. Because I wisely opted out of a second MRI procedure, I reduced the total cost by $ 3,000. So, you see many of us people who don’t have health insurance aren’t any burden to the system. You won’t likely agree with me but you people that pay for health insurance, no matter what the cost, are driving up the cost of health care and insurance. You are more to blame for this problem than you think.
Well the concept certainly applies to a lot of areas. The government has been trying to deal with moral hazard since the depression of the 1880’s. What Pizza is referring to is exactly the same as AIG entering into trillions of dollars of credit default swaps knowing that they had not way to pay it back. They took the profit, the taxpayers paid the bill.
That is indistinguishable from going uninsured.
Pizza, are you suggesting that emergency trauma care costs in the neighborhood of $3000.
Can you address the derivative value you are receiving?
With health insurance, the medical providers know they can jack up care costs to enormous proportions, and they’ll still be paid out of the deep pockets of insurance companies. That’s what you are upset about. With 80% of americans afraid to go uninsured, the insurance companies keep jacking up people’s premiums, and those people in fear of paying out of pocket, keep buying health insurance no matter the cost. These people fear a huge trauma care bill. That is you. If more people realized this problem, and say 70 % of the population had medical accounts, then payed out of pocket, care providers and insurance companies couldn’t continue to fleece the citizens. It took several years, but they’ve got this population brainwashed into thinking health insurance is their only choice. If I paid health insurance premiums to no end, I would be living at the poverty level. You people are brainwashed. That’s why I’m done with you.
Final point: I for one am very grateful to Kae Reed for starting this online journal.
She works long and hard. I respect her tremendously even when I disagree with her at times.
Look at the forum she has presented to us all.
Thank you, Kae
” you people that pay for health insurance, no matter what the cost, are driving up the cost of health care and insurance.”
Wow. That comment is second to ‘logic/reason isn’t taught in college’ for the least well thought out comment of the month.
How about preventative care reducing costs in the long term?
You seem nice. Want a re-do?
It’s time for Harry to go “nuclear”!
Fight fire with fire.
tahoe Pizza Eater says – “You people are brainwashed. That’s why I’m done with you . . . . . ”
Watch that door.
Pizza, you are actually bringing up an interesting point. Obama has touted that a part of his plan is to increase competition between insurance companies. That in fact raises health care costs. Large medical systems have the ability to charge whatever they want because they control all health care facilities in a region and the trend is to continue buying out independent specialties and primary care physicians. So now there is a basic monopoly amongst providers. We only have Barton here in town.
If we have lots of insurers, then the providers can tell any one insurance network to buzz off. But if we have few very powerful insurance companies, they can take all of their insured to other providers and play hard ball with them. We in fact want very powerful insurance networks to negotiate rates. Obama had this part wrong.
Sounds like conspiracy to commit treason.