The Daily Dot - GOP congressman blames park ranger for government shutdown

The Daily Dot - GOP congressman blames park ranger for government shutdown
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:

Like a game of hot potato that costs $300 million a day, Washington politicians are doing everything they can to deflect culpability in the government shutdown and point the finger of blame at someone else. 

House Speaker John Boehner blames President Obama. President Obama blames the Tea Party faction of the House Republican caucus. But one Texas congressman is trying to blame a highly unlikely suspect: A rank and file National Park employee.

In a rather baffling piece of video captured by NBC 4 in Washington, Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas) gets confrontational with an unidentified park ranger at the World War II Memorial on the national mall. The memorial has become the site of a proxy war in the ongoing government shutdown as veterans had to barge past barricades in order to visit the site. The memorial has been closed, along with all other National Park sites, while the president and Congress attempt to reach a deal to fund the government. 

"How do you look at them and … deny them access?" Neugebauer asked the ranger. 

"It's difficult," the ranger said. 

"Well, it should be difficult," replied the congressman. 

"It is difficult," the ranger reiterated. "I'm sorry, sir."

Indeed, it has been a difficult situation for parks employees to negotiate. The shutdown technically makes it illegal for the department to allow visitors on the site, but the department has invoked the First Amendment to allow veterans to visit anyway. All this has gone on while park rangers and 800,000 other federal workers have been furloughed without pay during the budget stalemate.

But the reality of the situation didn't seem to have any bearing on the congressman's exchange with the ranger. Neugebauer went on to try and publicly shame the ranger, to no avail.

"The Park Service should be ashamed of themselves," Neugebauer said. 

"I'm not ashamed," replied the ranger.

"You should be," said the congressman. 

Despite the congressman's efforts to deflect blame for the government shut down onto a group that is among those suffering the most under it, most Americans squarely put the blame on congressional Republicans, particularly the Tea Party faction in the House, which refuses to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government without a defunding of the Affordable Care Act. 

A recently released CBS News poll found that 44 percent blame Republicans, while only 35 percent blame Obama and the Democrats. 

The poll did not mention how many people blame National Park rangers.

Obama tells congressional leaders he won't negotiate on shutdown, debt - Yahoo News

Obama tells congressional leaders he won't negotiate on shutdown, debt - Yahoo News
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
President Barack Obama stressed to congressional leaders on Wednesday that he will not negotiate with Republicans over a government shutdown or raising the U.S. debt limit, the White House said.
After more than an hour of talks at the White House that did not lead to a breakthrough, the White House issued a statement saying that Obama remains hopeful that "common sense will prevail" in the budget standoff.
"The president made clear to the leaders that he is not going to negotiate over the need for Congress to act to reopen the government or to raise the debt limit to pay the bills Congress has already incurred," the White House said.
Obama held talks in the Oval Office with the top U.S. Republican, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, the top Democrat in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.
It was their first face-to-face talks since a government shutdown began on Tuesday.
House Republicans have been demanding that Obama agree to cut funding or delay implementation of his signature healthcare law in exchange for their agreement to approve spending measures to reopen the government.
In addition to the government shutdown, the United States faces a historic debt default on October 17 unless Congress agrees to raise the U.S. borrowing limit.
"The House could act today to reopen the government and stop the harm this shutdown is causing to the economy and families across the country," the White House said.
"The president remains hopeful that common sense will prevail, and that Congress will not only do its job to reopen the government, but also act to pay the bills it has racked up and spare the nation from a devastating default," it said.
 http://news.yahoo.com/obama-stressed-congressional-leaders-not-negotiate-over-shutdown-001224369--business.html