Dems Shutdown Strategy About to Backfire?

Has the boy cried "WOLF" once too often as Senate Dem leader denies cancer treatment for kids?

OBAMA: "You don’t negotiate by putting a gun to the other person’s head, or worse yet by putting gun to the American people’s head by threatening a shutdown.” Gun rhetoric? REALLY?

You have to hand it to Democrats. They do know how to stick to the songsheet in big moments like a government shutdown. They blame Republicans with a unison chorus using some of the most divisive and hyperpartisan rhetoric and their accomplices in the mainstream media dutifully report their remarks as if they were facts.

Over the past few weeks Democrats have called Republicans "hostage takers," "arsonists," "anarchists," and referred to them as "bomb strapped" terrorists who want to blow up the economy and "rape" the American people (more). White House Press Secretary Jay Carney went so far as to say that Republicans are "irresponsible and reckless," using "threat and extortion." According to Democrats all the pain of the government shutdown is entirely the fault of Republicans even though it is Democrats, including at Wednesday's White House meeting, that have refused all invitations to negotiate.

The regular way legislative differences between the House and Senate are worked out is in what is called a conference where the two sides negotiate. Since both the House and Senate have passed bills to fund the government, the constitutional process requires both sides to work it out. Below is the House conference committee sitting at the table opposite empty chairs where Senators would normally sit.

House negotiators are ready to engage in constitutionally require process. Where is the Senate?

Senate Democrats officially rejected the House call for a conference on Tuesday.

Senate Democrat Leader: No help for kids with cancer!

Since Senate Democrats have refused to negotiate Republicans in the House have been preparing a series of bills to fund parts of the government. The Senate passed and Obama signed legislation originating in the House to pay the military. Now, they are sending a bill to re-open parks and museums as well as make sure children get cancer treatments. Nothing doing says Senate Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (DEMOCRAT-NV) let the real motivation behind this circus slip while taking a question from CNN's Dana Bash:

Transcript from Mediaite:

BASH: “You all talked about children with cancer unable to go to clinical trials,” Bash began her question. “The House is presumably going to pass a bill that funds at least the NIH. Given what you’ve said, will you at least pass that? And if not, aren’t you playing the same political games that Republicans are?”

In return, Reid chastised the reporter:

REID: Listen, Senator Durbin explained that very well, and he did it on the floor earlier. As did Senator Schumer. What right did they have to pick and choose what part of government is going to be funded? It’s obvious what’s going on here. You talk about reckless and irresponsible. Wow. What this is all about is Obamacare. They are obsessed. I don’t know what other word I can use. They’re obsessed with this Obamacare. It’s working now and it will continue to work and people will love it more than they do now by far. So they have no right to pick and choose.

BASH: But if you can help one child who has cancer, why wouldn’t you do it?

SCHUMER: Why pit one against the other?

REID: Why would we want to do that? I have 1,100 people at Nellis Air Force base that are sitting home. They have a few problems of their own. This is — to have someone of your intelligence to suggest such a thing maybe means you’re irresponsible and reckless.

BASH: I’m just asking a question.

Democrats like Reid seem to be throwing around that "irresponsible and reckless" label at just about anyone these days.

In that same press conference Reid said:

REID: We have to stop playing these foolish games that keep coming to us from the other side of the Capitol. This is not about him or me, about scoring points for one side or the other, name-calling, like the villain of villains. It's about doing the right thing for the American people. They expect us to act like adults.

"They expect us to act like adults." They sure have me fooled!

Then there's Obama, who said this:

BARACK OBAMA: “During the course of my presidency, I have bent over backwards to work with the Republican party and have purposely kept my rhetoric down. I think I’m pretty well known for being a calm guy.” (CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” 10/2/13)

Is Obama auditioning for a comedy act? How does this statement jive with this "gun to the head" rehtoric above? It's no secret he has been the most divisive and polarizing President in living memory. Will he now be firing his senior stagger who said they wouldn't "negotiate[e] with people with a bomb strapped to their chest."

Polls Suggest Americans Not Crying Wolf w/ Dems

Anyone who was paying attention during the great Sequester scare (remember how tame Obama's rhetoric was with that?) isn't likely to be panicked by the same scare tactics now. And polls show Americans are fairly evenly divided on placing blame. My prediction is that the longer Democrats continue with their "my way or the highway" style of governing the public will blame them for the problem. A few more stories about kids with cancer or World War II vets being blocked from their memorial might just wake people up to what is really going on!