# What is public opinion on who is to blame for the shutdown? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 8, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722 "2013-10-08T21:29:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/61 "2013-10-09T15:31:10Z")
I think they’d still hold out for his admitting he’s a Kenyan Muslim Socialist usurper, ineligible and unqualified to hold the office. ---
**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 9, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/62 "2013-10-09T15:32:23Z")
> [@](#): > > As Gingrich and every rational person knows This is not a logical sentence. You’re talking about a guy that said he was so patriotic that it made him cheat on his wife. The media gripes are coming from the wrong side. The media always bends over backwards not to appear to favor one side so it puts up the pretense of both sides having some culpability. What they should be doing is showing what a bunch of terrorist thugs that the Republicans are. What they want is nothing less than the nullification of the 2012 elections. Who the public blames will of course fall along partisan lines. Right wingers will find no fault with the GOP, most everyone else will blame the GOP more than Obama, the enlightened will assign 100% of the blame to the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party and the utter, complete, and absolute failure of John Boehner as Speaker. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/63 "2013-10-09T16:14:51Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > So, what should Obama do about this? Can he twist the knife even more and push these numbers higher by changing his rhetoric? … I honestly don’t think he has too much choice. He will end up thowing them something that will be enough face-saving to allow them to move on, but he cannot throw enough that any future House minority concludes that this tactic works. That’s just the right thing to do for the needs of governance in the future IMHO. As political theater he wants to demonstrate firmness but not rigidity - a tough thing to pull off. I think Boehner is foolish not accept Obama’s current offer and call it a win. Spin it as Obama agreeing to negotiate with the clock running on a new short term package while Obama spins it as they agreed to fund and raise before he began to negotiate. They won’t get much better … they can’t. Another political theater aspect is that Obama may, in those negotiations, “give” things that he wants to give but that he would prefer to appear to be forced into … Keystone and some aspects of entitlement reform … things that otherwise would piss off his own core. Just MHO. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/64 "2013-10-09T16:21:21Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > This is not a logical sentence. You’re talking about a guy that said he was so patriotic that it made him cheat on his wife. I hadn’t heard this one. Not that I doubt Gingrich is capable of it, but do you have a cite for this? ---
**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 9, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/65 "2013-10-09T16:26:45Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I hadn’t heard this one. Not that I doubt Gingrich is capable of it, but do you have a cite for this? I’ll admit it’s a bit of a paraphrase, but [here.](http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/03/09/134392580/newt-gingrich-seems-to-blame-past-personal-lapses-on-patriotism) ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/66 "2013-10-09T17:00:10Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’ll admit it’s a bit of a paraphrase, but [here.](http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/03/09/134392580/newt-gingrich-seems-to-blame-past-personal-lapses-on-patriotism) Meh. His current wife was a Republican staffer in the house when he started his affair with her, so I don’t think it’s too far out in left field to say that he was working to hard and that caused the affair which led to his marriage. That’s a nice piece of fancy footwork, though, him bringing his patriotism into it. Bubba would be proud. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/67 "2013-10-09T17:29:45Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > You know the old saying: If your opponents are shooting themselves in the foot, don’t get in their way. Napoleon put it more elegantly: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/68 "2013-10-09T17:38:04Z")
If his mistake is to commit suicide by blowing up the house you both live in, that does not apply. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/69 "2013-10-09T17:44:31Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > It won’t play against him, because the media won’t let it. > > As Gingrich and every rational person knows, the media is determined to downplay and spin anything that might make Obama look bad. If both Obama and the GOP refuse to negotiate, the media (apart from Fox) will spend 90% of their time talking about how the GOP refused to negotiate. > > Of course this is going to go over like gangbusters on the SDMB - they order the Obama Flavor-Aid in the Big Gulp size. > > Regards, > Shodan The ironic thing, is that you’re doing the exact thing you’re complaining about. The _Conservative Flavor-Aid_ you’re chugging makes you think that Obama and the Dems are the unreasonable ones here. > **[19 Times Democrats Tried to Negotiate With Republicans](https://www.nationaljournal.com/s/69116/19-times-democrats-tried-negotiate-with-republicans/)** > > The GOP's biggest talking point of the shutdown is only true if you ignore everything that happened before last week. They tried to negotiate on the budget 19 times. The GOP refused. Then they demand that the ACA get damaged for them to pass a CR. If you weren’t chugging the _CF-A_ you’d see that blaming both sides is asinine. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/70 "2013-10-09T20:42:36Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > It won’t play against him, because the media won’t let it. > > As Gingrich and every rational person knows, the media is determined to downplay and spin anything that might make Obama look bad. If both Obama and the GOP refuse to negotiate, the media (apart from Fox) will spend 90% of their time talking about how the GOP refused to negotiate. I have a question that I would ask Gingrich, too, since you seem to be coming from similar thoughts here; how would you explain 90% of the media attempting to bias the argument vs. the apparent small difference in public attitudes towards Democrats and Republicans in the poll Gingrich cites? Are people simply not listening to the media? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/71 "2013-10-09T21:05:09Z")
No need for the historical accuracy, btw: The \*saying \*is “drink the Kool-Aid”, and referring to a drink that few have ever even heard of just makes you look pedantic. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/72 "2013-10-09T21:12:44Z")
The original context is the suicide poisonings at Jonestown. And it was, indeed, Flavor Aid. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/73 "2013-10-09T21:16:27Z")
The point is, so what? ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/74 "2013-10-09T21:32:52Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > The original context is the suicide poisonings at Jonestown. And it was, indeed, Flavor Aid. Not that it matters, but I did not know that. I know about the Jonestown event and that is where “drink the Kool-Aid” comes from, but I just assumed it really was Kool-Aid. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/75 "2013-10-09T22:37:34Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > Not that it matters, but I did not know that. I know about the Jonestown event and that is where “drink the Kool-Aid” comes from, but I just assumed it really was Kool-Aid. Oh, this thing again, the reality is that both Kool-Aid and Flavor Aid were present in Jonestown. The clip seems to be down now, but in a documentary on Jonestown, weeks before the end, there was an interview of Jones showing up his storage room, with crates of food, including many containers of Flavor Aide \*\*and \*\*Kool Aid. Here is a close up of one of the crates Jones opened to the camera crew: [http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2412/capturept0.jpg](http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2412/capturept0.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/76 "2013-10-10T03:50:05Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Oh, this thing again, the reality is that both Kool-Aid and Flavor Aid were present in Jonestown. > > The clip seems to be down now, but in a documentary on Jonestown, weeks before the end, there was an interview of Jones showing up his storage room, with crates of food, including many containers of Flavor Aide \*\*and \*\*Kool Aid. > > Here is a close up of one of the crates Jones opened to the camera crew: > [ImageShack - Best place for all of your image hosting and image sharing needs](http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2412/capturept0.jpg) Of course, the difference is that Kool-Aid is something n-----s drink. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/77 "2013-10-10T03:57:43Z")
What the f BG? I am sure you are making fun of someone but goddamn. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/78 "2013-10-10T04:00:01Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > What the f BG? > > I am sure you are making fun of someone but goddamn. It’s a meme I’ve picked up lurking on RW messageboards (and sometimes occasionally on the SDMB), not on African-American messageboards. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/79 "2013-10-10T10:43:13Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Of course, the difference is that Kool-Aid is something n-----s drink. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > It’s a meme I’ve picked up lurking on RW messageboards (and sometimes occasionally on the SDMB), not on African-American messageboards. Then leave it on those boards. Don’t drag that nonsense over tothe SDMB. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722/80 "2013-10-10T11:10:09Z")
This thread has taken an unexpected turn. The answer to the OP seems to be “It depends on your news sources”. If you’re in the right-wing bubble, it’s all Obama’s fault. If you follow the mainstream media who are trying to be “balanced”, it’s everyone’s fault. If you’re of a more liberal bent (or are just paying attention) it’s primarily the fault of a small minority of extreme right-wingers in the House of Representatives carrying out a [Koch Brothers plan](http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/207311/the-5-creepiest-things-about-how-the-koch-brothers-engineered-the-shutdown/) and forcing the rest of the party members and the Speaker to join them or else face being primaried in 2014. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-public-opinion-on-who-is-to-blame-for-the-shutdown/670722.md?page=5)