# They're really gonna do it again. Shutdown 2015! **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 9, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467 "2015-09-09T22:08:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/201 "2015-10-01T12:49:32Z")
They’re hardly following a fiscal _strategy_, **adaher**. Don’t give them credit for having one. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/202 "2015-10-01T14:01:22Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Keeping funding at 2011 levels is a good thing. It’s why the deficit is disappearing. Actually, the improving economy has added about a trillion dollars more to annual revenues as compared to 2009, when the deficit was the largest. Restraint in discretionary spending has really had a very modest impact on the deficit, but a fairly substantial impact on government operations. For example, the IRS helpline sucks now, and the Army has eliminated something like 15% of its active duty soldiers since the spending caps went into place. I fully recognize that every billion counts, but the deficit hawks are basically arguing that it is impossible to add $35 billion in discretionary spending (which would help things like medical research, IRS helplines, NASA investments, etc) out of $3.5 trillion in annual spending. Seriously, that is the entirety of the current budgetary stalemate. Republicans want $3.500 trillion in spending next year, and Democrats want $3.535 trillion in spending. No, I’m not kidding. That is what this whole budget impasse is about. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/203 "2015-10-01T15:20:33Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Republicans want $3.500 trillion in spending next year, and Democrats want $3.535 trillion in spending. > > No, I’m not kidding. That is what this whole budget impasse is about. That’s like two guys spending $50 arguing over whether a Big Mac should stay $3.99 or increase to $4.09. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/204 "2015-10-02T20:34:29Z")
Screw the shutdown, [we get to play debt-ceiling chicken as November 5 approaches](http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/01/news/economy/debt-ceiling-jack-lew/). That’s our GOP: government (if you can call it that) by self-created crisis and hostage-taking. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/205 "2015-10-02T20:41:26Z")
Ted Cruz has an opportunity to step in and be Speaker once more, and just in time, too! ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/206 "2015-10-08T18:36:03Z")
[It’s back on the table, friends.](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/08/us-usa-congress-republicans-mccarthy-idUSKCN0S227G20151008) > [@](#): > > Republicans in Congress were plunged into turmoil on Thursday when California Representative Kevin McCarthy, considered the favorite to succeed House Speaker John Boehner, surprisingly dropped out of the race, throwing the party’s ability to govern into question. > … > The upheaval comes weeks before the United States is due to reach the limits of its borrowing authority. Congress faces a difficult vote to raise the debt limit to avoid a possible default, and lawmakers are also struggling to reach a deal with President Barack Obama, a Democrat, on spending levels before government funding runs out on Dec. 11. Yes, Boehner will stick around, but he’s the lamest duck imaginable. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/207 "2015-10-08T18:50:45Z")
I dunno - Boehner’s hand might be strengthened, now that it’s clear that the party’s even more dysfunctional without him than with him. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/208 "2015-10-08T18:52:33Z")
The same people who have been opposed to functionality itself all along are still going to be opposed. They’re not going to give in, not so soon after they won Boehner’s scalp. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/209 "2015-10-08T18:57:51Z")
If they can’t replace him, they can’t claim his scalp. Best outcome is that Boehner stays on, allows votes on things that drive the Teanuts crazy, and life goes on. If they extremists can’t vote with the sane Republicans on a replacement Speaker, then they’re stuck with Boehner and he can ignore them with impunity. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/210 "2015-10-08T19:01:03Z")
One can only wonder where Boehner’s head is at - would he change his mind and want to stay on or not, now? McCarthy was more his guy than the Tantrum Party’s, so they might consider that they’ve won his scalp now, too - and be even less transigent. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/211 "2015-10-08T19:09:00Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The same people who have been opposed to functionality itself all along are still going to be opposed. They’re not going to give in, not so soon after they won Boehner’s scalp. What **Bob** said. Boehner only needed the radicals in order to stay Speaker. Now nobody knows who the hell they can replace him with. Anytime Boehner can find 30 members of his caucus who are willing to cut a deal with the Dems, he can just go ahead and do it. What are they going to do to retaliate - vote him out? He can tell the radicals to go fuck themselves with a chainsaw, and they can’t do a damned thing about it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/212 "2015-10-08T19:11:12Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > McCarthy was more his guy than the [Tantrum Party](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGBLlFMn9Xc)’s, so they might consider that they’ve won his scalp now, too - and be even less transigent. (Link added by me. Fitz and the Tantrums, “The Walker.”) Yeah, but that means nothing now. He only needed them to remain Speaker. Now he doesn’t even need them for that. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/213 "2015-10-08T19:14:08Z")
Only if he wants to stay in office now, or at least is willing to. Even he may not know just yet. He’s certainly not going to call the election until his caucus is unified around one candidate, rather than let Pelosi woo the RINO’s with some nefarious deal, so he may be forced to stick around anyway. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467/214 "2015-10-08T19:18:26Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Only if he wants to stay in office now, or at least is willing to. Even he may not know just yet. Well, he’s already committed to staying in office until they find a replacement, which could take awhile. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theyre-really-gonna-do-it-again-shutdown-2015/730467.md?page=10)