According to Tom Cohen of CNN, September 23, 2013, the threatened government shutdown really is more about elections than about anything else. As the budget stalemate moves to the Senate, several key players, including House Speaker Boehner, (R-Ohio), are volleying for position in an effort to solidify their stance and provide themselves with a firm foundation from which to debate the budget, the proposed spending cuts and high-profile programs such as Obama Care.
According to Cohen, there are three possible scenarios that Boehner possibly could play out on this matter: 1) He could push through the Senate version of the budget spending bill and thereby keep the government running for the time being. This is unlikely because of the fact that the Senate is controlled by the Democrats and the Republican led House has many ideological difference with the Senate. 2) He could push through a modified Republican version of the same Senate bill in an effort to keep the government running while the debate continues. 3) He could put the Senate in a position whereby they either have to compromise with Republicans on some items in the budget or risk a loss of thousands of federal workers' jobs. Cohen did not venture a guess on which option he thinks Boehner might exercise.
Cohen did, however, state his belief that the spending debate really concerns elections and rallying the political bases of members of Congress more than it concerns coming up with a compromise on the budget:
Third, this is all really about elections, like everything in Washington. In this case, legislators eyeing next year's congressional elections and the 2016 presidential vote are trying to appeal to their political bases more than actually working for a compromise solution."
Right now the budget debate is like a nervous nellie in rush hour traffic. Dust, debris and rumors are flying around aimlessly. But, true to form, the debate will end and so will the dust cyclone. And our independent republic will have endured one more perilous exercise of democracy in a volatile political climate.
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http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/23/politics/congress-shutdown-showdown/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
