Reign of Pain Update: Shutdown? What Shutdown!

From Power Line: Shutdown? What Shutdown

Rumor has it the federal government has shut down. Have you noticed? I haven’t. I was on Howie Carr’s radio show this afternoon, talking about the shutdown–or perhaps we should say, alleged shutdown. Here are a few observations:

1) It goes without saying that the shutdown is the Republicans’ “fault.” It makes no difference whether the president is a Republican or Democrat, or who controls congress, or whether the shutdown is prompted by Congressional inaction or by a veto. An iron law of reporting holds that the GOP is to blame for all shutdowns.

2) So that’s a given. The question is, will anyone care? The public has become rather jaded about shutdown theater, I think. In 2013, the Obama administration deliberately tried to dramatize the shutdown by closing the national parks and D.C. monuments, and taking other measures to make the shutdown relatively visible and even impactful. I don’t suppose the Trump administration will do the same. . . .

With EPA, the Commerce, Homeland Security, and HUD leading the list of the 25% of agencies affected, there's not going to be much public impact. Trump will keep the parks open if they have to chain the gates open and let people roam at will through the properties they nominally own.

If the shutdown goes beyond Jan. 1, it may start to effect me. The Smithsonian is currently running on "old" money, but if the shutdown goes on, their facilities may close to the public in 4 days, and only "essential" personnel will be working. Every Thursday, I have a band practice with the old people (in more ways than one) at work in Edgewater, and if the shutdown continues, next Thursday, practice may be cancelled. Oh well!