Hah. Ramesh Ponnuru has now been enlisted to try to talk sense to the Republican hive-mind. I guess he didn’t get the memo that the Borg doesn’t listen to pinheads and consultants.
I love how Ramesh is forced to conclude his column, as if he knows he’s talking to morons.
One possible outcome of this debate is that the Republican House passes a government-funding bill that doesn’t include money for Obamacare, but then gives in to the Democratic Senate on the issue. At that point the conservative groups that are pushing for defunding will say Republican leaders have again betrayed them, and get back to the vital work of raising donations off that idea.
That won’t be the happiest of endgames for Republicans, but it would still be better than a shutdown or default that failed to achieve their goals while inflicting political damage on themselves — and, in the case of default, substantial economic damage on everyone else.
The repeal of Obamacare is a worthy and potentially popular cause, but it won’t be accomplished through sheer willpower.
So, the best outcome that Mr. Ponnuru can come up with is that the House does everything he’s advising them not to do and then Mitch McConnell and John Boehner sell them out. That’s the best possible outcome.
What a bunch of idiots.