Oct 09 2013
GOP Response To Shutdown Bland, Whimpy, Defensive
Now I understand why the GOP continues to poll worse than the Dems in regard to the Shutdown Theater. They have no fire in their political efforts. A GOP ad has been released and it underscores this problem:
The ad is boringly factual, focused on House GOP CYA (we passed bills to fund the government) and wimpy.
The ad completely ignores the jack-boot criminal acts being perpetrated on normal average Americans by the Obama Shutdown Theater Gestapo (played by the National Park Service, if you can believe it).
From armed detention of Americans in NPS hotels:
The tourists were treated harshly by armed park employees, she said, so much so that some of the foreign tourists with limited English skills thought they were under arrest.
When finally allowed to leave, the bus was not allowed to halt at all along the 2.5-hour trip out of the park, not even to stop at private bathrooms that were open along the route.
“We’ve become a country of fear, guns and control,” said Vaillancourt, who grew up in Lawrence. “It was like they brought out the armed forces. Nobody was saying, ‘we’re sorry,’ it was all like — ” as she clenched her fist and banged it against her forearm.
To the forced eviction of 80 year old couples from their home:
Joyce Spencer is 77-years-old and her husband Ralph is 80. They’ve been spending most of their time in the family ice cream store since going home isn’t an option.
The Spencers never expected to be forced out of their Lake Mead home, which they’ve owned since the 70s, but on Thursday, a park ranger said they had 24 hours to get out.
To barring priests from giving mass to our soldiers and their families:
Father Ray Leonard serves at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia but because of the government shutdown, he wasn’t allowed to go to celebrate Mass this past weekend.
He is contracted by the Defense Department to meet the spiritual needs of Catholics, but not now. The chapel doors were locked and the sign said, “Shutdown: No Catholic service till further notice.”
To barricading private businesses from the OPEN federal road they are accessed from:
“He is turning guests away from a private business right now,” Rob Miller, the inn’s general manager said while filming the scene. “This is the federal government turning guests away from a private business.”
Watch the video (H/T: Sean Hannity Show):
Not to mention closing down public monuments, tot lots being barrycaded and Americans being fined for jogging in the forest!
The NPS excuses are ridiculous. Apparently all those BS excuse flew out the window when The Mall was opened for a left-wing rally yesterday.
Each of these acts in the Shutdown Theater is unconstitutional in some form or another. Each deserves a law suit and heads to roll. And the best the GOP comes up with is that weak-tea ad?
The GOP needs to get its head out of DC and start making the case for the Americans being brutalized and harassed by Obama’s Shutdown Players. No political leader is pointing out these actions and calling foul. We all know the Dems are all for Oppressive Big Government, so that leaves the GOP to be the standard bearer for the Libertarian, Small Government Cause. And that requires more than bills being passed and milquetoast ads.
Obama and the Dems are taking huge beatings in Public Opinion going into the 2014 election season. First here:
According to the poll, 63% of those questioned say they are angry at the Republicans for the way they have handled the shutdown.
“But the Democrats are not getting off scot-free. Fifty-seven percent of Americans are also angry at the way the Democrats are dealing with the shutdown. And a 53% majority say they are also angry at President Obama,”
Overall, 62 percent mainly blamed Republicans for the shutdown. About half said Obama or the Democrats in Congress bear much responsibility.
…
Fifty-two percent said Obama is not doing enough to cooperate with Republicans to end the shutdown; 63 percent say Republicans aren’t doing enough to cooperate with him.
…
Most Americans disapprove of the way Obama is handling his job, the poll suggests, with 53 percent unhappy with his performance and 37 percent approving of it.
A good analysis of this poll is done by Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. A 5% spread in a poll with probably 3-5% margin of error, means both sides are getting equal heat – so far. The GOP needs to stand tall for the victims here: average Americans being harassed at gun point, injured financially and fined for no good reason. Each one of these victims should have a champion on Capitol Hill exposing their situation to the general public. That would shift the tied of popular opinion.
These two pictures are more in line with what this nation needs to be seeing out of the GOP. The first image may be too harsh, but the core message is spot on. The second speaks volumes.
The GOP could come out of this heroes, if they stand with the people outside the beltway and ignore the niceties of federal politics. Now is a time for grass roots hard ball.
Ted Cruz would know how to reply. That’s why the Establishment Republicans hate Ted Cruz so much. Because he won’t play the “go along and we’ll all be friends at the bar tonite” game.
WWS and AJ are right. A couple of hard hitting ads showing people being thrown out of their houses and vets being arrested while showing bills passed by the House and defeated by Harry Reid would go a long way toward setting Obama and Reid back on their heels.
Then a couple of ads showing exactly how much Reid and Obama are lying about negotiating should send their negatives zooming.
At this point it is about campaigning and not about governing. Turnabout is fair play.