How? Because the GOP is a bunch of fools, that's how!

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How Can The GOP Be Thinking About A Government Shutdown?
By Stan Collender, July 31, 2016

First, think about the logistics of a shutdown this fall.

A federal government shutdown would occur a little more than five weeks before the 2016 election. Unless Congress decided to leave town while the government’s doors were shut, electorally vulnerable representatives and senators (and there are many more Republicans than Democrats in this category) who will want to be home campaigning will be forced to stay in Washington instead of being able to going back to their districts or states.

In other words, it shouldn’t happen.

Second, think about the politics.

Assuming it lasted just a week, a shutdown would end just as early voting began in many states and it would likely be the event most on those voters’ minds.

For those who wait [to] vote on Election Day, there wouldn’t be enough time for congressional Republicans to change the subject. As a result, the bad taste many people get because of a government shutdown would still be on their tongues as they went to the polls.

Again, a shutdown shouldn’t happen.

Third, think about the optics.

A government shutdown this October would dramatically reinforce the idea that the House and Senate GOP leadership — which has repeatedly promised it would make Washington work, would prove Republicans could govern and would show that they would re-impose “regular order” to get Congress running smoothly — had failed miserably.

So no shutdown, right?

Fourth, this would put Donald Trump in a very difficult spot. He would either have to support a Republican leadership that wouldn’t seems to be in control, or would have to criticize it and put the GOP House and Senate majorities in further jeopardy. Given Trump’s propensity for talking about himself rather than identifying with the GOP, the strong suspicion by many congressional Republicans is that he would be critical rather than supportive and that the odds of them being reelected will decrease.

And yet…a government shutdown this fall is actually being mentioned by some Republicans as something that could happen or should be considered.

Some of the talk is inevitable given the appalling appropriations situation. The House is only scheduled to be in session for 17 days in September with no votes scheduled before 6:30 p.m. on four of those days and no votes after 3 p.m. on four others.

That will leave only 9 full days before the fiscal year begins on October 1 for the House to complete work on all 12 appropriations, and it left Washington in July without having passed any of them.

The Senate is in the same situation. It’s only scheduled to be in session in September for 19 days and it hasn’t passed any appropriations either.

In other words, almost as sure as anything can be in U.S. politics these days, a continuing resolution will once again be needed to prevent the federal government from shutting its doors because very few – or more likely none – of the appropriations for the coming year will be enacted.

A continuing resolution, which in a previous era would have been relatively noncontroversial, this year will be the equivalent of a political petri dish that includes almost every toxic issue that isn’t dealt with earlier.

Indeed, given that Congress has done so little this year, the CR will likely be the legislative vehicle for almost every tough vote that’s left. Those wanting action on their issue could easily threaten to take their ball and go home if they don’t get what they want. The result could easily a shouldn’t-happen-don’t-want-to-talk-about-it government shutdown.

Expect to see pushes for more for the Pentagon, for raising the caps on military and domestic spending, for Zika funding and for cuts to Planned Parenthood.

The CR could also be where representatives and senators try to push nonbudget issues such as gun control.

And some members will try to use the CR for purely election-related issues. For example, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has already suggested a shutdown might be appropriate if Hillary Clinton isn’t charged with something.

I’m not suggesting that a shutdown this fall is likely…or at least I’m not suggesting that yet. And given that members of Congress typically protect their reelection prospects like they were the crown jewels, you have to assume that they will do anything – including avoiding a shutdown – to make their returning to Congress more likely.

But at this date at the end of July, the possibility of a shutdown cannot be dismissed out of hand.
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