MICHAEL MEDVED

Medved on shutdown deal: ‘A sad collapse that didn’t have to happen’

Oct 16, 2013, 1:40 PM | Updated: 5:22 pm

While House Speaker John Boehner is backing a proposed deal to end the government shutdown, Michael Medved says the GOP strategy accomplished nothing except causing a lot of unnecessary pain. (AP file)

(AP file)

House Speaker John Boehner is urging fellow Republicans to approve a Senate deal to end the government shutdown after the agreement was announced Wednesday. But KTTH and nationally syndicated talk show host Michael Medved continues shaking his head at the “stupidity” that brought the government to the brink of defaulting on the debt.

“What purpose has this whole thing had?” asks an incredulous Medved. “It was a sad collapse and it was unnecessary.”

Medved says the shutdown has done nothing of value, hurting both the country and the GOP.

“We fought the good fight; we just didn’t win,” Boehner said in an interview Wednesday.

But Medved says Boehner, who worked hard to craft a deal through Tuesday, was ultimately undermined by a handful of members of his caucus who refused to negotiate at all – ending up with nothing but an angry public.

“I wish they had supported their leaders and the series of conditions to force some sort of compromise,” Medved says. “How is that helping anyone?”

“The problem with this is it is entirely politically created. There’s no economic reason, there’s no budgetary reason for this crisis right now at this moment.”

The Senate deal would reopen the government fully through Jan. 15, which delays the threat of another shutdown until at least after the holidays.

It extends the government’s borrowing authority through Feb. 7, sets a mid-December deadline for congressional budget negotiators to report on on their efforts to find solutions to longer-term fiscal issues. The committee will be led by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who oversee the budget committees in their respective chambers, USA Today reports.

The agreement also maintains spending limits demanded by Republicans in the budget.

And it requires the Obama administration to certify that it is verifying the incomes of individuals who receive federal subsidies to help pay for health insurance under Obamacare.

While Republicans sought to force the defunding of Obamacare, Medved says it was clear from the outset that wasn’t going to happen.

“Instead of focusing on this train wreck (Obamacare), we have been focused on the train wreck of a closed government.”

That train wreck continues to roll on, leaving more innocents in its wake. Among them is Medved producer Jeremy Steiner’s 6-year-old daughter, whose field trip to Seattle’s Ballard Locks to view salmon swimming has been scuttled because of the shutdown.

“I am very surprised they don’t have park rangers, fish rangers, to block the salmon from swimming onto federal property right now,” says Medved sarcastically. “This stupidity has to end.”

It should, as the Senate has voted in favor of the deal and the House is expected to follow suit this evening. Then Medved says the GOP can get back to focusing on its original goal: bringing an end to Obamacare.

Michael Medved on AM 770 KTTH
  • listen to michael medvedTune in to AM 770 KTTH weekdays at 12pm for The Michael Medved Show.

Michael Medved

Gaza attacks...

Michael Medved

Medved: The sad, ‘crazy’ tale of a Gaza water park, and Hamas’ war against fun

After barely three months of operation in 2010, the dream of a fanciful facility to attract tourists and delight locals lay in ruins.

5 months ago

2024 presidential debate...

Michael Medved

Medved: Will 2024 be the year of crucial political debates on TV?

It’s not difficult to imagine either Biden or Trump uttering some inaccurate or incoherent combinations of words that could undercut any momentum.

5 months ago

medved populism...

Michael Medved

Medved: GOP heading to irrelevance as party fails to embrace demographic changes

The spreading speculation about a new civil war isn't based on regionalism this time, but on distinctions in education and identity.

7 months ago

biden...

Michael Medved

Medved: How Biden learned money misdeeds can hurt most of all

The doomed example of "Tricky Dick" demonstrates the way that financial wrongdoing and personal enrichment can upset the public more than sex scandals.

7 months ago

Trump...

Michael Medved

Picking the right running mate could powerfully boost Trump’s prospects

It’s impossible to forecast who Donald Trump will pick as his running mate for the upcoming election of 2024, but it’s safe to say who he won’t select.

7 months ago

trump campaign...

Michael Medved

Medved: Can a new Trump victimhood campaign win back the White House?

Facing more than a half-dozen hostile legal proceedings before next year’s presidential election, can Donald Trump mount an effective campaign?

8 months ago

Medved on shutdown deal: ‘A sad collapse that didn’t have to happen’