It appears that Obama and the Democrats are setting the stage for another government shutdown as part of a budget battle. This can be a solid victory for Republicans, if they play their cards right.
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, was in Washington yesterday speaking at the American Enterprise Institute. He taught Republicans how to deal with this issue. Here’s an excerpt, where he relates what he told Democrats:
“Listen, you guys want to pass an income tax increase, you can. That’s fine, I’m going to veto it. And if you want to close down the government because of that, that’s fine. But I want to tell you something. I’m not moving any cot into this office to sleep in here. You close down the government get in those black SUVs with those troopers and go to the governor’s residence. I’m going to go upstairs, going to open a beer, I’m going to order a pizza and I’m going to watch the Mets. And when you decide to re-open the government, give me a call, and I’ll come back.
Republicans, the important thing is how you handle this. If you act like Chris Christie did in New Jersey, or like Ronald Reagan did when the air traffic controllers threatened to strike, you’ll win the PR battle. The people are sick and tired of bloated government. And if you don’t act embarrassed or afraid that they’ll blame you, the people will rally behind you. Shut down the government, and take credit for it. What’s your other option, back down? If you back down, get ready to welcome back Speaker Pelosi in 2012.
I am confident that there are a lot of people who feel this big, bloated government could take a big holiday, and that would be fine. The only problem with it is that it probably wouldn’t be for long enough.
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