Goverment Shutdown: "Huff n' Puff"

Remember the story of the “Three Little Pigs”? Of course, you do. The Big Bad Wolf threatened to blow down their houses so he could devour them in the end, which sort of reminds one how the recent looming government shutdown played out. There were “three houses” within the House of Representatives that could be labeled as Democrat, moderate Republican, and Right Over the Edge. What is more, there had to be the wolf, let’s say played by Florida’s Matt Gaetz. Why him? Because he wants to destroy whatever House Speaker is trying to build when it came to averting the shutdown when he committed to a deal with Democrats earlier in the year. We all know that as the shutdown came right up to the midnight hour, it was Gaetz who was all over the place threatening to “take” McCarthy out if he didn’t somehow find a way to not compromise with Democrats in the House to avert a shutdown even it if meant that millions of Americans would suffer. Did anyone hear a Republican House member say that he/she would have to “tighten” the belt buckle if they would lose any government benefits because of a shutdown? Again, of course not, because their wealthy donors always make sure that there will be money in their pockets. Nonetheless, back to our story. Every time one of the little pigs built a house, the wolf would blow it down. That was played out in the House when McCarthy would think that he had something that would satisfy Republican members, and his political nemesis, the “Matt Gaetzs” would “huff n’ puff” and blow down whatever McCarthy tried to do in an effort to avert a shutdown. Face it, McCarthy will not go down in history as a great House Speaker like “Tip” O’Neil or even Nancy Pelosi, as the deck was stacked against him when it took him 15 vote tries before he won the gavel. However, McCarthy wanted the job so badly under hostile circumstances, that he practically signed a contract with right-wing conservatives with his political blood knowing that it would take only one member to call for his expulsion from the Speakership. When McCarthy found his first house blown away with the shutdown inching ever more closely, he tried to put on a positive front that he “would get the job done”. Nevertheless, the wolf was still at the door. When it became evident that McCarthy would need Democratic support, the howls of the wolf got even louder. When McCarthy couldn’t get his own members to pass procedural votes in the House, that meant that another “house” was getting ready to fall. It did. McCarthy knew that he was in a jam, and the only way out was help from Democrats. All of the huffing and puffing from Republicans would go up in smoke when Democrats voted in big numbers to help the American people who also happen to be Republican/conservative, not so much for Republican colleagues in the House. The wolf or the Matt Gaetzs in the House knew that calling for McCarthy’s head was not going to matter to Democrats. It was Republicans who threw McCarthy under the bus. Now that the Continuing Resolution has been signed by President Biden, the fight is not over. Congress has 45 days to figure out something before they may have to go through this again. Already, they are talking about who were the “winners” and who were the “losers”. The “winners” as it stands now are the American people. Democrats can claim credit for making that happen. Republicans in the House and Senate who were against the C R, are in no shape/form/ fashion “winners”, including Kevin McCarthy. It was a gamble that they knew they would lose at the final bell or at their last huff and puff. There is no victory lap for McCarthy, no victory cigar. Someone once made the point that shutdowns happen when Republicans are in control of either the House or the Senate. One would also hope that more conservative voters would remember that when election day approaches. Republicans are all about spending deficits except when the spending is in some of their districts. Whatever happens to McCarthy is in the hands of those conservatives who want him gone, or will they wait and see how he negotiates with Democrats in the House as the 45-day clock is ticking. Democrats “saved” him once, will they do it again? It probably doesn’t matter to many conservatives because they know that Democrats may cave in to save McCarthy. But Republicans will still find a way to spin the shutdown mess to their advantage, knowing that as long as they tie Democrats to spending, it should work in their favor come election time. They should just save the huff and puff. It is nothing but stale air. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.