# what do the Republicans have to negotiate with? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 9, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768 "2013-10-09T13:47:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/461 "2013-10-16T15:52:06Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > What the fuck? Allowing people with pre-existing conditions to get health insurance screws up the US? Getting millions more of US citizens addicted to government handouts screws up the US. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/462 "2013-10-16T15:54:42Z")
It’s kind of amazing how similar this whole episode is to the 2012 election: The polling and the responsible, intelligent part of the media showed pretty clearly that Romney was doomed, but Fox News, the Right Wing info-tainment sphere (like Rush and Hannity), and the nutbars in office (like Gohmert and Bachmann) were sure he was sailing to victory. And now, all the polling and the responsible, intelligent part of the media are showing pretty clearly that the Republicans’ strategy of using the debt limit and shutdown as leverage was doomed, but Fox News, the Right Wing info-tainment sphere (like Rush and Hannity), and the nutbars in office (like Gohmert and Bachman) are sure they’re sailing to victory. Supporters of the Republicans- I would be pretty pissed at Fox News, Rush, Hannity, and the Tea Party congresspeople, if I were you- pretty much every prediction and claim they make about the future has been wildly false. ---
**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 16, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/463 "2013-10-16T15:56:40Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Getting millions more of US citizens addicted to government handouts screws up the US. Buying private health insurance is a handout? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/464 "2013-10-16T15:57:06Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Supporters of the Republicans- I would be pretty pissed at Fox News, Rush, Hannity, and the Tea Party congresspeople, if I were you- pretty much every prediction and claim they make about the future has been wildly false. But they LOVE those lies, yes they do! ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/465 "2013-10-16T15:58:35Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Obamacare is another (pretty big) step on screwing up United States beyond all recognition. What step was “Shut the government down and potentially destroy the economy of the entire world because you didn’t get your way?” ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/466 "2013-10-16T15:59:13Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Buying private health insurance is a handout? No. Getting a government handout is a handout. ---
**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 16, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/467 "2013-10-16T16:02:36Z")
And what do you call driving the country to the brink economic collapse – a fun road trip? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/468 "2013-10-16T16:03:51Z")
Shutting down vital services for weeks and taking a big chunk out of the economy also screws up the country, but hey, the party of personal responsibility can’t be bothered by things like cause and effect. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/469 "2013-10-16T16:04:12Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > No. Getting a government handout is a handout. What part of the ACA is a government handout? What is the government handing out specifically to people? The ability to purchase health care from a private company? Is that what is being ‘handed out’? Could that possibly be what you mean? Can you explain please? I see that you are very angry about people being able to have access to health care, but I am not quite certain why exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/470 "2013-10-16T16:04:15Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > And what do you call driving the country to the brink economic collapse – a fun road trip? I call it a silly exaggeration. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/471 "2013-10-16T16:05:16Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > What part of the ACA is a government handout? The part where the government hands people money, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/472 "2013-10-16T16:05:23Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I call it a silly exaggeration. … and this would be called what? A delusion? ---
**Author:** ![TheSeaOtter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed655f/32.png) [@TheSeaOtter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSeaOtter)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/473 "2013-10-16T16:05:28Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > No. Getting a government handout is a handout. Well, since that doesn’t appear to be happening, maybe we’re not destroying America after all. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/474 "2013-10-16T16:07:16Z")
> [@TheSeaOtter](#): > > Well, since that doesn’t appear to be happening Yes, those millions of people getting handed thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) dollars a year from the government under Obamacare are just my imagination, right? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/475 "2013-10-16T16:08:09Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > … and this would be called what? A delusion? A symptom. ---
**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 16, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/476 "2013-10-16T16:14:17Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I call it a silly exaggeration. Sure, like evolution is “just a theory.” The ability of ideologues to reject experts never fails to amaze. “All those PhDs can’t be right… because I’d rather they not be! QED!” ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/477 "2013-10-16T16:17:05Z")
**Terr** , considering that your sources were so incredibly, hilariously wrong about the 2012 election (I assume you used the same sources then as you do now) and the results of this debt/default gambit, perhaps they’re wrong about the effects of the ACA as well. With their track record, it’s a good bet that the ACA will be wildly successful and make America a much stronger country! ---
**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 16, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/478 "2013-10-16T16:18:47Z")
Anybody know how much of a subsidy the average dude would get when he buys a policy under the exchanges? We subsidize so much in the US- we subsidize your mortgage with tax breaks, we subsidize agriculture, the oil industry, etc. But any subsidy to better the lives of citizens is taboo? Sounds nuts to me. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/479 "2013-10-16T16:19:59Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > **Terr** , considering that your sources were so incredibly, hilariously wrong about the 2012 election (I assume you used the same sources then as you do now) and the results of this debt/default gambit, perhaps they’re wrong about the effects of the ACA as well. Are my “sources” (basically the text of the ACA is my source) wrong about millions more of Americans getting government handouts under ACA? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768/480 "2013-10-16T16:22:32Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > We subsidize so much in the US- we subsidize your mortgage with tax breaks “Tax break” is paying less taxes. The intentional misnomer of “tax credit” is getting a handout from the government, whether you pay taxes or not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-republicans-have-to-negotiate-with/670768.md?page=25)