How Long Will The Shutdown Last? (Dec 2018)

[GannonFan]

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/425 ... Py9vqoGvhQ

McConnell blocks House bill to reopen government for second time

Senate Republicans blocked a House-passed package to reopen the federal government for a second time in as many weeks on Tuesday.

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Ben Cardin (Md.) asked for consent take up a package of bills that would reopen the federal government.

One bill would fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8, while the other would fund the rest of the impacted departments and agencies through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Is it me or is McConnell not taking enough flack for this?

The WSJ opinion section leans right, but they're even picking up on the idea that McConnell is melting into the background as Trump and Pelosi share the limelight. (probably a pay wall there, sorry!)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/mitch-mcco ... 1547509844

[dbackjon]

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/425 ... Py9vqoGvhQ

McConnell blocks House bill to reopen government for second time

Senate Republicans blocked a House-passed package to reopen the federal government for a second time in as many weeks on Tuesday.

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Ben Cardin (Md.) asked for consent take up a package of bills that would reopen the federal government.

One bill would fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8, while the other would fund the rest of the impacted departments and agencies through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Is it me or is McConnell not taking enough flack for this?

He's not

[Ivytalk]

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/425 ... Py9vqoGvhQ

McConnell blocks House bill to reopen government for second time

Senate Republicans blocked a House-passed package to reopen the federal government for a second time in as many weeks on Tuesday.

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Ben Cardin (Md.) asked for consent take up a package of bills that would reopen the federal government.

One bill would fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8, while the other would fund the rest of the impacted departments and agencies through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Is it me or is McConnell not taking enough flack for this?

Maybe we can get to him through Elaine Chao.

[JohnStOnge]

Happened across reporting on a poll of Federal Employees during lunch. Here's an article on it

https://www.govexec.com/insights/report ... es/154014/

A caveat is that it is a probability sample of subscribers to certain publications rather than a probability sample of the entire population of Federal employees:

Government Business Council and GovExec released the survey from Dec. 27-28, 2018 to a random sample of Government Executive, Nextgov and Defense One subscribers.

That's from another article on the poll at https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/20 ... ll/153863/.

But I think it's reasonable to think that, as expected, the overwhelming majority of Federal employees do not favor shutting down over the wall. 71% of respondents oppose the shutdown. You can do some math and calculate that 60% either do not think the country should fund the wall (38%) or do support the wall but don't think a shutdown is the best way to accomplish that goal (22%). 20% favor a shutdown to secure funding for a wall.

Party affiliation is interesting. Most respondents are NOT Democrats. 16% said they prefer not so divulge their Party affiliation but 59% are either Independent (31%), Republican (23%), or Other (4%). Democrats, at 26%, do not outnumber Republicans by much.

[Ivytalk]

Happened across reporting on a poll of Federal Employees during lunch. Here's an article on it

https://www.govexec.com/insights/report ... es/154014/

A caveat is that it is a probability sample of subscribers to certain publications rather than a probability sample of the entire population of Federal employees:

Government Business Council and GovExec released the survey from Dec. 27-28, 2018 to a random sample of Government Executive, Nextgov and Defense One subscribers.

That's from another article on the poll at https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/20 ... ll/153863/.

But I think it's reasonable to think that, as expected, the overwhelming majority of Federal employees do not favor shutting down over the wall. 71% of respondents oppose the shutdown. You can do some math and calculate that 60% either do not think the country should fund the wall (38%) or do support the wall but don't think a shutdown is the best way to accomplish that goal. 20% favor a shutdown to secure funding for a wall.

Party affiliation is interesting. Most respondents are NOT Democrats. 16% said they prefer not so divulge their Party affiliation but 59% are either Independent (31%), Republican (23%), or Other (4%). Democrats, at 26%, do not outnumber Republicans by much.

“Happened across,” my ass. You spent an hour looking for it.

[JohnStOnge]

Republican Congressman Bill Hurd represents this District:



He also voted with the Democrats this past Thursday to restore funding to agencies. He does not buy into the Trump wall idea:

phpBB [video]

He is a former CIA officer. He had tours of duty in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. He was undercover in Pakistan. That may be a factor in his belief that the money would be better spent on an "intelligence led" approach.

And if you're wondering based on his appearance: He is not Hispanic.

So I guess we need to ask ourselves if we think a former CIA officer who represents that District or a former con man involved in New York Real Estate with no involvement in border issues knows more about what is needed at the border.

I would think we need to ask ourselves if we think a former head of the Border Patrol knows more about what is needed at the border than a Congressman.
Jan 9:
Obama Border Patrol chief to Trump: ‘Stay the course’ on the border wall
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... 5d4c68ab23

I have two lines of thought on that. First I think there have been different takes by different Border Patrol people. Like for instance until early January the Border Patrol Union website had a statement up indicating that a wall would be a waste of money. The previous Union Leadership had that opinion. The new Union Leadership does not.

The other thought is that Border Patrol people are looking at a given situation as it is and thinking about how to address it. Hurd is thinking in more strategic terms. He is thinking that money would be better spent at the source of the problem. He thinks that there are better ways to end up with fewer people coming into the United States illegally than focusing on barriers to stop them once they've made the decision to come here.

It's hard to say. But I would say that I think a former CIA officer could very well be better equipped by experience to think in those terms than a former head of the Border Patrol is.

[93henfan]

Don't skip the elephant in the room. Senior leadership of every agency consists of political appointees.

Do you really think they're going to buck the administration?

[Ibanez]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/15/us/feder ... index.html

93, you're falling behind.

[93henfan]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/15/us/feder ... index.html

93, you're falling behind.

On a serious note, our ethics folks advised against anyone at my agency setting up GoFundMe's.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

You guys are such fuck wads. Trump is proud of you!

It's why America elected him

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[Ibanez]

You guys are such fuck wads. Trump is proud of you!

It's why America elected him

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He was elected to make people go without their pay and to ruin lives? Got it.


Question, when you suck off Trump, do you give him a bit of a reach around and knock on the back door or no?

[Grizalltheway]

It's why America elected him

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He was elected to make people go without their pay and to ruin lives? Got it.


Question, when you suck off Trump, do you give him a bit of a reach around and knock on the back door or no?

He's too busy getting railed by Alex Jones to bother with that.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

It's why America elected him

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He was elected to make people go without their pay and to ruin lives? Got it.


Question, when you suck off Trump, do you give him a bit of a reach around and knock on the back door or no?

Nope just straight up cocksucking. We are men and we don't do any of that millennial fagottry.

Fund the wall or STFU

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[Grizalltheway]

He was elected to make people go without their pay and to ruin lives? Got it.


Question, when you suck off Trump, do you give him a bit of a reach around and knock on the back door or no?

Nope just straight up cocksucking. We are men and we don't do any of that millennial fagottry.

Fund the wall or STFU

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That's not how it works, Trump isn't a dictator.

[AZGrizFan]

Nope just straight up cocksucking. We are men and we don't do any of that millennial fagottry.

Fund the wall or STFU

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That's not how it works, Trump isn't a dictator.

He’s not the only one in DC who thinks they run things.

[dbackjon]

He was elected to make people go without their pay and to ruin lives? Got it.


Question, when you suck off Trump, do you give him a bit of a reach around and knock on the back door or no?

Nope just straight up cocksucking. We are men and we don't do any of that millennial fagottry.

Fund the wall or STFU

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Only scared snowflakes want a wall. Fragile masculinity. That's Trump's base.

[∞∞∞]

Nope just straight up cocksucking. We are men and we don't do any of that millennial fagottry.

Fund the wall or STFU

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Only scared snowflakes want a wall. Fragile masculinity. That's Trump's base.

[93henfan]

It has nothing to do with masculinity. There are 30% on each side who feel that anything less than getting everything they want is a loss. That's not how our government was designed to operate.

Eventually they will all have to lose a little, so they can both claim victory. I just wish it didn't take a month or more to get there. I have bills to pay.

[93henfan]

By the way, I have already negotiated 1/2 payments, with full backpay, on my rent and my child support until end of the shutdown. I am going to call JP Morgan Chase tomorrow to see if I can delay my mortgage payment on my rental home or work out a forbearance agreement during the shutdown. I have a near-perfect credit score and I really don't want to lose it.

[Chizzang]

John Stossel thinks you're totally expendable...
and a whiny bitch

phpBB [video]

[93henfan]

John Stossel thinks you're totally expendable...
and a whiny bitch

phpBB [video]

So do all Republicans.

Anything new to report?

[Ibanez]

He was elected to make people go without their pay and to ruin lives? Got it.


Question, when you suck off Trump, do you give him a bit of a reach around and knock on the back door or no?

Nope just straight up cocksucking. We are men and we don't do any of that millennial fagottry.

Fund the wall or STFU

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You’re a silly bitch


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[Grizalltheway]

That's not how it works, Trump isn't a dictator.

He’s not the only one in DC who thinks they run things.

True.

[∞∞∞]

It has nothing to do with masculinity. There are 30% on each side who feel that anything less than getting everything they want is a loss. That's not how our government was designed to operate.

Eventually they will all have to lose a little, so they can both claim victory. I just wish it didn't take a month or more to get there. I have bills to pay.

The resolution sent to the Senate has overwhelming Dem/Rep support and had a 100-0 voice-vote in the Senate (including support by the turtle that won't bring it up to a vote anymore). There's no reason to even "lose a little" by either side. GOP senators need to grow a pair.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

Nope just straight up cocksucking. We are men and we don't do any of that millennial fagottry.

Fund the wall or STFU

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That's not how it works, Trump isn't a dictator.

But you guys say he's a dictator....... And a Nazi...... And a fascist and a...... Make up your mind.

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