Now in its second week, the government shutdown has caused quite a stir among the American public. National parks from the monuments in Washington to Alcatraz Island are closed. Federal workers from the EPA to Health and Human Services have been furloughed. At the heart of the problem are the Affordable Care Act and the debt ceiling. The biggest issue, though, is that there are two groups that simply cannot agree on any of the issues. Are there culprits on both sides of the House and Senate? Definitely. But the real issue is the divisiveness between the two parties. The Republicans try to move money around in the budget to give the Democrats funding for some parts of their less popular programs in an attempt to appease them. The Democrats, in turn, send back the budget demanding funds for the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. This far into the partial shutdown, the Republican Party has received much of the blame for the failures of Congress. However, the Republicans have shown willingness to compromise on Obamacare and other parts of the budget, something that many Democrats have criticized the Republicans for not having.
As is a common trend in modern American politics, the failures of the current Democratic administration will swing the pendulum back to the
Republican side. With an approval rating of 37 percent as of October 10th, Mr. Obama’s current approval rating is lower than George W. Bush’s at the same point in office. [1] [2]
The shutdown should raise public awareness of the fact that many of the current politicians cannot do their jobs. The current job description for a Congressman should include “ability to compromise.” That qualification is something that seemingly never comes up on any candidate’s résumé today. If you dislike a politician, realize that you or someone like you voted for that person to handle your money.
Ted Cruz has received some criticism for his filibuster on the Senate floor. Being from Texas, he will win his next Senatorial election, which, incidentally, is not for quite a while. Some believe that his filibuster was a publicity stunt to raise his political profile. Will he be a presidential candidate in 2016? Probably not. 2020? Maybe. Mr. Boehner, from Ohio on the other hand, should be more concerned than Mr. Cruz regarding his re-election. Mr. Boehner’s current approval rating, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey, is 18 percent. [3]
The shutdown will be one of the main features of the 2016 elections. There will be accusations made against political rivals based on their position during the shutdown. There will be debate questions in both primary and general elections aimed at it. And it could be one of the deciding factors in who the American people elect in 2016.
Alex Hubiki and Brett Krutiansky
[1]http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-10-09/politics/42838288_1_house-republicans-shutdown-senate-democrats
[2]http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/09/bush-had-higher-approval-rating-than-obama-at-this-point-in-his-presidency/ [3]http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/31/boehner-pulls-polling-punch-on-president/
