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January 19, 2018 01:14 PM UTC

Gardner Doesn't Play "Shutdown Politics?" Is That a Joke?

  • 26 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
Sen. Cory Gardner (R).

USA TODAY’s Herb Jackson points out something really, really obvious that we haven’t seen noted anywhere else as Sen. Cory Gardner presents himself as a peacemaker in the high-stakes battle over a short-term continuing resolution to prevent a shutdown of the federal government as early as tonight:

Sen. Cory Gardner could not have been clearer when asked during a sit-down with reporters Thursday which party would be to blame if there’s a government shutdown.

“I don’t want to play shutdown politics,” Gardner, R-Colo, said during a discussion of immigration reform with fellow Coloradan, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.

“I think it’s a bad idea, a pox on both parties,” Gardner continued. “And the American people, I think, will blame Washington. I don’t think they’re going to be able to say, ‘Hey, this is a Republican or a Democrat,’ I think they’re going to look at it and say, ‘You bozos can’t do your work.’”

As has become a familiar refrain, Sen. Gardner has received lots of love from the local news media this week as his partnership with Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet on both children’s health care and undocumented residents not responsible for their childhood immigration stood in stark contrast to President Donald Trump’s vulgar and racist headline-making. That’s good politics for Sen. Gardner, who has seen his public approval in Colorado badly erode under Trump’s first year.

But as Jackson continues, Cory Gardner is who he is–chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC):

But that message must not have reached the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party’s political operation that Gardner chairs.

And a quick look at the NRSC’s Twitter feed reveals a whole lot of “shutdown politics” going on.

This is one of the clearer-cut cases we’ve seen of Sen. Gardner saying one thing in a bipartisan press conference, then doing the exact opposite once the cameras are elsewhere. The NRSC attacking Democrats is not even something we would bother to criticize but for the fact that Gardner so brazenly contradicted himself–condemning the exact same behavior he’s engaging in. After all, everybody expects the leader of the GOP’s U.S. Senate campaign operation to “play politics.”

But this is trying to have it both ways to an extent that simply can’t be excused. It’s totally ridiculous.

And we’re glad somebody with a large readership called BS.

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26 thoughts on “Gardner Doesn’t Play “Shutdown Politics?” Is That a Joke?”

    1. Republicans control the House, the Senate, The Supreme Court, and the White House.  Democrats can't shut a window in Washington DC without Republican approval.

        1. GOP leadership knew CHIP funding was running out months ago and decided to do diddly-squat about it.  Trump ended DACA on his own.

          Both GOP-manufactured crises. 

          Then your "Very Stable Genius" blew up bipartisan agreements this week that would have averted a shutdown.

          You don't get to plead for mercy as an orphan after you murdered your parents.

        2. Wrong.  Republicans wrote the legislation that they have brought forward…they determine what gets voted on as the majority controls the order of business.  There bill they have brought forward doesn't have the votes.  It is THEIR responsibility to get the legislation passed.  Now, Sens. Dubin, Graham, et. al., have a proposal that could have passed easily…leadership decided not to bring it forward for a vote.

          This shutdown is on the Republican Leadership…and you know it but are simply in denial.

           

        3. You got one thing right nutlid.  You're not as stupid as your average MSNBC viewer.  You're much more stupid than that.  You're the stupidest person here hands down.

        5. Wrong as usual, Nutlid.

          Looks like the Party of Lincoln was only able to get 45 of its own members to vote for the CR. They couldn't break 50 even with help of five Democrats.

           

      1. Final vote was 5 Republicans opposed — Sen. McConnell put himself in the minority so he could bring up the matter for reconsideration if and when there appears to be an appetite to ignore Mr. Trump.

  4. Talk about someone who believes in fairy dust! "Pay attention to my words, people. Not my actions! My words are pretty. My words are powerful. You are getting sleeeeeeepy…"

     

  7. I dunno, but how is it Dems fault that Scalise and Cornyn couldn't whip in enough votes to keep the trains running? This whole silly business of funding the government in dribs and drabs was the Republican's brainchild in the first place. Sorry folks, you break it you own it. 

  9. Look… Republicans had budgets in front of them in March. They had a deadline of September 30 to pass the corresponding appropriations bills. That's 6-7 months.

    If Ryan, McConnell, and Trump were at all competent, they would have worked on appropriations early and delayed the DACA announcement until after appropriations had passed. That would have shown they could govern and reduced the ability of Dems to block harsh DACA revisions or even repeal, and left CHIP to their whims as well.

    But, no… Trump had his DACA fit, Republicans spent their first full months spinning their wheels on sabotaging Obamacare, and they retreated to a leadership-only style of governing where the committees aren't even involved in writing legislation.

      1. I think the military was authorized and VA was authorized and actually had its appropriation passed. 

        The overall military appropriation is still pending and they continue to operate with a continuing resolution. We now have a pure pro-military increase faction, a pro-military increase if there is an increase in domestic discretionary funding faction, a smallish group that is opposed to the increase without an increase in taxes to pay for it, and an even smaller group of deficit hawks and peace-niks who are simply against increasing the military appropriation. Plus a number who are willing to vote however thei Party leaders (and their funding PACs) tell them to.

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