This is what counts for progress now in DC… "There's a crack there," Boehner said Tuesday.
An AP/GFK poll finds that 62% “mainly blamed Republicans for the shutdown. About half said Obama or the Democrats in Congress bear much responsibility.” More: “The Associated Press-GfK survey, out Wednesday, affirms expectations by many in Washington — Republicans among them — that the GOP may end up taking the biggest hit in public opinion from the fiscal paralysis, just as that party did when much of the government closed 17 years ago.”
But Obama gets just a 37%/53% job approval. Congress gets just a 5% rating.
Politico: “Boehner’s speakership now hinges on whether he can somehow emerge from the showdowns over funding the government and raising the debt limit with some victory in hand and without a capitulation to Obama and Hill Democrats.”
Remember, “This isn’t some damn game,” folks.
Republicans might filibuster a debt-limit increase. Democrats then may make the requirement 51 votes instead of 60.
‘You should never argue with a crazy mind’… Roll Call: “If you thought Republicans weren’t serious about a debt default, think again. While Democrats refuse to negotiate on the continuing resolution and the debt limit, apparently assuming the GOP will eventually cave, House Republicans insist they are prepared to bring borrowing authority to a screeching halt.”
Roll Call: “Sen. Joe Manchin III said Tuesday that Democrats should negotiate a debt deal as part of the debt limit increase — a break from Democratic leaders and President Barack Obama. The West Virginia Democrat said he personally is ‘looking for a bigger plan’ to reduce the debt as part of the discussion to authorize payment of the government’s bills.”
National Journal notes that Republicans may be violating the Constitution by questioning the U.S.’s debt.
National Journal looks at how the shutdown is affecting people across the country.
National Journal: “The Capitol Police’s arrests of Democratic Reps. Joseph Crowley and Charlie Rangel of New York; Keith Ellison of Minnesota; Al Green of Texas; Luis Gutierrez and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois; John Lewis of Georgia; and Raul Grijalva of Arizona were the preplanned culmination of a daylong immigration rally on the National Mall. Scores of officers descended on Garfield Circle, where the lawmakers and hundreds of activists refused to leave the street, leading to the arrests. The protest made for good optics—lawmakers were led off in zip-ties—but it is unlikely to reshape the politics of immigration reform, which has lost momentum since the Senate passed a comprehensive bill earlier this year.”