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November 12, 2014 10:57 AM UTC

In classic dodge, Gardner refuses to take government shutdown off the table

  • 13 Comments
  • by: Jason Salzman

(Joke's on you – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Rep. Cory Gardner (R).
Rep. Cory Gardner (R).

Warning to Washington DC reporters: Here comes Senator-elect Cory Gardner! Gardner tried to slither past Colorado reporters by answering questions with falsehoods (See personhood.) or responding to queries with predictions about the future, instead of answers to the actual questions (See immigration.).

Now Gardner is trotting out his trademark "answer-a-question-by-saying-two-things-at-once" for Washington journalists and getting away with it!

Asked by ABC's “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos Sunday if Gardner's promise to be serious about governing means "taking things like shutting down the government off the table," Gardner replied:

"The government shutdown is a bad idea anytime, anywhere."

Translation: I won't answer your question because I don't want to rule out a government shutdown, but I want to make reporters think I won't vote to shut down the government (winky, wink to the Tea Party).

If you're thinking, give me a break, Republicans like Gardner won't shut down the government again, you should read Sen. Jeff Sessions' not-so-veiled threat to shut down the government to prevent Obama from stopping the deportation of some immigrants, as he's apparently planning to do this year. Talking Points Memo's Sahil Kapur reports in a piece titled "Top GOP Senator Hints at Government Shutdown Fight over Immigration:"

In an op-ed Monday for Politico magazine, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), currently ranking member of the committee, said it would be "unthinkable" for Congress to pass a long-term spending bill that doesn't block funding for Obama's expected actions to free some immigrants from the threat of deportation.

"President Obama’s executive amnesty … cannot be implemented if Congress simply includes routine language on any government funding bill prohibiting the expenditure of funds for this unlawful purpose," wrote Sessions, a longtime foe of immigration reform.

This strategy is similar to the one that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) persuaded Republicans to adopt in 2013 in a quest to defund Obamacare. It did not work: Obama held firm, the government shut down, and 16 days later Republicans backed down and agreed to fund Obamacare along with the rest of the federal government.

So, yes, shutting down the government again sounds crazy, but it's still on the table, with the apparent blessing of Gardner.

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13 thoughts on “In classic dodge, Gardner refuses to take government shutdown off the table”

  1. Cory will simply explain that any shutdown is obviously Obama's fault due to his flagrant insubordination in not following his GOP congressional master's orders.

  2. I'm no Gardner fan but I think its clear from what he said Sunday morning, he won't vote for a government shutdown. He said its a bad idea anytime anywhere. That seems to be an unequivocal promise to vote against it, if it comes to the floor for a vote.

    1. Come on, R36. You know how much I respect you, but this one is easy.

      Someone will attach an amendment to the vote that will force Cory to support it because it will be so important he can't say no….

      1. I admit you could be right and if Gardner does that then he has broken a promise I don't think most voters will be happy with, but his statement last Sunday puts him unequivocally on record against a shutdown – "anytime, anywhere."

      1. I admit you could be right and his past record doesn't allow anyone to put their trust in what he says, but at this moment he is on record that he does not support a government shutdown "anytime, anywhere." Let's hold him to it.

        1. Agreed, but remember no Republicans ever voted to shutdown the government — just ask Cory or Mike Coffman.  

          So when the next funding bill comes with amendments to defund ACA, etc. the shutdown will happen when Obama vetoes the bill.  Republicans have absolutely nothing to do with the process.

          GOP logic is quite simple to grasp.

        2. Exactly what Davie said. What

          The government shutdown is a bad idea anytime, anywhere

          means to Gardner is, "When we send a POS bill to Obama and he vetoes it, we will claim that it is a bad idea that Obama has shut down the government."

    3. So then what is it about Senator [elect] Slimy that keeps him from saying, "I would never vote for a government shutdown"? — please forgive the tautology.

      Maybe it's the same thing that allows him to smugly assert that, "there is no federal personhood bill," when he's been asked of late about his sponsorship of the federal personhood bill?

      Fuxsakes, I can easily imagine Gardner voting for a government shutdown, and then declaring there is "no government shutdown," because the action he voted on was called "The America, Liberty, Equality and Cute Puppydogs ACT — can't you?

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