Fearing a lost governor’s race, Virginia Republicans confront party divide

[carolinayellowdog]

9. My exchange with Rep. Griffith, into whose district I just moved

I think taking back the 9th, represented for almost three decades by Rick Boucher (D), is more feasible now that the incumbent has made his position so clear.

me:
The current government shutdown is the worst abuse of the political process I have witnessed in six decades, and I have never feared for the future of our republic as I do now. Obamacare will reduce my health insurance cost from over $8000 year to just over $2500-- without costing the government one penny in subsidies. As a pre-Medicare retiree driven to the brink of poverty by outrageous health insurance prices, this is the best thing the government could do for me at this point, and that is true for MILLIONS of Americans.
The Tea Party is willing to destroy America and the world economy in order to prevent this aid to the American people, and their ignorant fanaticism has led the House in a disastrous direction. Please follow the example of the sane Virginia Republicans trying to end this crisis rather than deepen and prolong it. As a historian I am sadly confident that this is a disaster that will be remembered for decades for the harm done to America if House intransigence continues.

him, blaming the Senate!:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the partial government shutdown. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. To receive up-to-date information on the partial shutdown, I encourage you to visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov .

In business negotiations, it's not wise to bid against yourself. But that's exactly what the House of Representatives repeatedly did in order to try and keep the government open. As you know, I do not like the Obamacare plan and would prefer that it be repealed. Notwithstanding my position, the House recently passed the following legislation with my support that would have funded the government and prevented a partial shutdown.

On September 20, the House passed a government funding bill (H. J. Res. 59), which included a provision to defund Obamacare and to prioritize Social Security payments in the event the debt ceiling is reached. On September 29, the House passed a 75 day funding bill that included the repeal of the medical device tax and delayed implementation of Obamacare by one year. On September 30, despite not receiving any counterproposal from the Senate, the House passed a funding bill that included a one year delay of the individual mandate within Obamacare (the President has already delayed the employer mandate within Obamacare). That bill also included a provision to ensure that Members of the House and Senate, their staff, the President, and his staff, do not receive special treatment within the Obamacare-created health insurance exchanges. When the Senate refused to vote on that proposal, the House passed a bill to "appoint conferees" (negotiators) to the government funding bill. Appointing conferees is a process whereby the House and Senate each appoint a select number of members to form a conference committee (a working group) in order to negotiate the differences between House-passed and Senate-passed legislation.

Unfortunately, the Senate has refused to appoint negotiators in order to find a solution to end the partial government shutdown. In fact, despite the House having passed the assortment of bills listed above, the Senate has not shown a willingness to negotiate in good faith. For example, earlier this year, the Senate voted 79-20 in favor of repealing the medical device tax in a symbolic vote. Ensuring Members of the House and Senate do not receive special treatment in the health insurance exchanges has its original underpinnings in the Obamacare law. And yet, the Senate is now unwilling to accept these very same things? If the Senate has changed its mind and now disagrees with these provisions, and everything else passed by the House, that's their right, but why are they unable or unwilling to make a good faith counteroffer to the House with their own preferences?

Because of Senate inaction on legislation to fully fund the government, the House has passed a number of bills with my support to fund certain parts of the government until a wholesale resolution can be reached. These bills include funding for veterans' benefits, national parks, National Institutes of Health (NIH), national guardsmen and reservists, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), District of Columbia, and nutritional assistance for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). One week into the partial shutdown, the Senate has refused to fund any of these programs.

It is my expectation that the House will continue to propose solutions to the partial government shutdown that will add to the already numerous choices awaiting action in the Senate. Please know that I stand ready to work with my colleagues in the House to quickly consider any good faith offer from the Senate that will fund the government and allow it to reopen.