Shutdown, Day Two

The Republicans—who decided to shut down the federal government to stop the implementation of a healthcare plan that: 1. Was originally theirs; 2. Is a giant corporate handout to insurance companies; 3. Will give healthcare coverage to millions of USians; 4. Is so popular that servers were overwhelmed yesterday by people trying to sign up—tried their darnedest to give the terrible national media fodder for their garbage "both sides" equivalence tropes by proposing three appropriations resolutions last night in the House to fund the District of Columbia, veterans programs, and national parks, which were immediately rejected by Democrats.

GOP leadership decided earlier in the day to advance smaller spending resolutions as a way to ease the impact of the government shutdown that started today. But Democrats held out against this tactic, and most voted against the three bills in order to keep up pressure for a comprehensive spending package.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the piecemeal strategy would allow Republicans to pick and choose which parts of the government to fund, which she compared to a slow release of hostages.

"They took hostages by shutting down the government," Pelosi said. "Now they're releasing one hostage at a time."

...House Democrats were backed by their Senate colleagues and the Obama administration, both of which said they would oppose a piecemeal approach.

"These piecemeal efforts are not serious, and they are no way to run a government," White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said.

Meanwhile, President Obama addressed the nation from the Rose Garden yesterday, and placed the blame for this crisis—during which 800,000 federal workers have been placed on indefinite leave, and countless more people will feel the reverberating economic effects associated with the shutdown—squarely at Republicans' feet:

Striking a defiant tone in the Rose Garden of the White House – one of the many government offices operating on a slimmed-down staff – Obama declared that the Affordable Care Act was "here to stay". Flanked by citizens who will benefit from the reforms, whose central provisions came into force on Tuesday, Obama said: "They've shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans."

The Republican leader of the House, John Boehner, focused on the refusal by Obama and senior Democrats to negotiate.

"The president isn't telling the whole story when it comes to the government shutdown. The fact is that Washington Democrats have slammed the door on reopening the government by refusing to engage in bipartisan talks," he said.

That old chestnut.

And 'round and 'round we go. Because this is what the Republicans want. This is the endgame of the race-baiting and poverty-shaming that has been their decades-long strategy to crush the New Deal.