Democrats in the house of representatives today that if the speaker of the house, john boehner, simply let the bill get on the floor for an up or down vote, every congressman could vote their conscious, the shutdown would end today. The only things thats preventing all that from happening right now today, in the next five minutes, is that Speaker John Boehner wont even let the bill get a yes or no vote because he doesnt want to anger the extremists in his party. Meanwhile the gop finds itself more and more in a behind even if some republicans appear to be completely, giddily, unaware. Were very energized, very strong. This is about the happiest ive seen members in a long time because we see that were starting to win this dialogue on a national level. Well, tell that to john boehner who because hes still pandering to the suicide caucus is looking for any way out of the current mess except the obvious one, brining a clean cr bill to the floor and letting it pass. Hes even dusting off the old grand bargain which he brought up last night. Everybody laughed at him because they heard this so many times before said a democratic aide briefed on the meeting. The beleaguered speaker is getting little empathy from the white house and little cooperation from the extremist in the conference who as Time Magazine reports live in districts drawn to exclude voices of liberals and i understand in favor of the republican base. They exist in a oneparty world. Now, many of the selfdeluded rank and file see their demands as the height of reasonableness, witness Republican Congresswoman blackburn. I want 3 worth of cuts for any dollar of debt limit increase. Or rand paul who thinks lopping off half of obama care makes sense. We started off with the position we dont want obama care. Thats what we truly believe. We think its bad for the country. The president wants all of it, 100 hers. I think a compromise, both sides come off their position some. Some republicans are concerned about the increasingly kooky direction of their party. Ted cruz got a tongue lashing from colleagues at a private meeting. None would go on the record because they fear the hostage takers, too. Peter king, a conservative who now finds himself being portrayed as a moderate seems similarly perturbed by a party no longer tethered to planet earth. We cant allow ourselves to be bound by this hard right of the party. I consider myself conservative. When i see the ted cruz wing these people have no interest in keeping it going. Joining me curt anderson, senior fellow at the center on budget, margaret, bloomberg news, White House Correspondent and Washington Bureau chief at mother jones john cornyn, and Washington Bureau chief michael, i want to start with you. The republicans on the right, suicide caucus dont seem to have a concrete ask. What is the ask among the small group of People Holding us hostage. Right now they want something. They want to save face, go back to the district and say we fought the hard fight. Its not clear what that is. We probably wont know for another week at least. I think both parties have come to terms with the fact the best and maybe the only way out of this right now is to tie the Government Shutdown to the debt limit. We dont have that deadline coming for two more weekends. So thats really where we stand. No negotiations going on right now. They dont need to negotiate right now. I want to cut to the panel. Curt, i think that is the problem now. What republicans now seem to want is just to have the white house give them something so they can go back to their super gerrymander districts and say we beat that guy. Thats the ask. That cant be the ask. That would prove them to be the nonstrategic cynics that they are. In fact, if the boehner, if the grownups of the Republican Party gave in, those 30 far right republicans could go back to their district and say, my god, isnt this terrible, and fundraise off their feat. I dont think they want an ask. Like a batman movie, they want the chaos. The government shut doup is the pleasurement, not getting rid of obama care. That would be like a magic unicorn. They arent delusional. They are happy to bring the government and john boehner to their knees and run the show. They can go back either way and say look what we did. Its red meat when they succeed or fail. The only thing i add to that is, you might be right but i havent heard them Stock Exchange solidly off their ask of obama care. To me thats their ask. Even if millions of people sign up for me. So the ask includes it was ridiculous to start with and more ridiculous by the minute. Essentially we are saying we will stop poor kids from going to Health Insurance unless you take away their Health Insurance. Its an insane ask. They want to end 20th century, social programs. I dont agree john boehner is a hostage. I want to go to you, margaret, on this. John boehner could put this bill on the floor, 100 votes to pass a clean cr. Maybe the wall street of the world, old republican money crowd cant influence these 30 mad men. At what point do they get on the phone, we will fund a primary challenger to you, sir, if you dont put that on the floor. There are negotiations going on right now. Its just the negotiations are inside the Republican Party. These are negotiations among the cruz caucus, if you will, and the moderate caucus and the different sections of leadership. The blankfeins and jamie dimons and financial ceos are talking to republicans privately and publicly and telling them dont take this all the way to the debt limit. The question is they are willing not to make a stand on the Government Shutdown. That doesnt bother them as much. Lets be honest, it doesnt bother president obama that much either. Its always been about a debt limit. Always, always, always. I have to take issue with that part of the fundamental belief system of the Democratic Party is you dont punish people for being poor. You dont take away head start, women and children program, dont deny baby formula to people for an ideological crusade. I think this does fundamentally bother the president , the shutdown. It may bother him, prefer not to have it. Hes been eggerly awaiting republicans to go forward and make this mistake. The white house sees this shutdown by the republicans as a real political opportunity for obama, for democrats. I think it could help them in 2014. In a vacuum obama would probably not have this happen. Theres probably not a lot of crying at the white house this is going on. Politically where do we stand . In terms of republicans have shown their hand. They have exposed what their belief system to see those that arent watching right wing conservative media, how does this end for the Republican Party . Is there Anything Possible . Yes, because memories are short. I dont think its so much they have shown their belief systems. I grant you what you said about we dont care if mothers are denied formula for babies and all that, but its really, what its showing, more dangerously and more damaging to them is that they have no strategy, no clue, no real plan. These millions of people are finally able to sign up for the exchanges. This looks good. This free market expedialike thing, they are going to say, really, thats your line in the sand in they are going to look incompetent. A risk of losing the foundational part of their narrative, which is that government is the problem. Thats the only thing they have had to say for years, if not decades. Republicans used to do some policy, free marketbased policy but really thrown that to the curb and government is the enemy. If you have these exchanges and they start to work and people start saying, hey, this isnt so bad. The government is giving me something i want at a price i can afford, it throws their race out the door. There was a time they get target the budget deficit as emblamatic of the problem. It was 10 of gdp, now 3 or 4 . Its going down. If you look out far enough we have sustainability issues in the budget we actually really need to deal w as david correctly said, you cant deal with that with the kamikaze caucus. In fact, if you look at the impact of Health Care Reform so far, its been helping in terms of slowing the growth of health care cost. Whether that sticks, well have to say but its been helping in terms of the longterm market. The iron y, were no longer talking about those issues, structural deficit, longterm, that was what the bargain was about, longterm overall. Thats not the discussion anymore. Were talking about junking half obama care which has affect of bringing down the deficit. Its a nonsensical conversation. Two parallel threads that are interesting, republicans Congressional Republicans have set aside two narratives that might have worked in their favor if they argue them that way. Whats now obama care was a republican idea. It was fashioned along republican lines to protect and uphold private insurance, the mandate, dare we say it. Thats on one track. On the other trashing the sequester has forced the government to operate lower funding levels on a basic level they are the sorest winners ever. They do have a strategy. Republicans have a strategy. But its all about the optics, tactic, not the core message or core ask. When it came to the shutdown of the veterans memorial, they exemplified what republicans do do better than democrat. They caused the shutdown but they went out and did this. I want to play a little bit of this exchange with a park ranger and citizen at the memorial which shows really what republicans are very good at. Park service should be ashamed of themselves. This woman is doing her job like me. Im a 30 year federal veteran out of work. The reason you are no, its because the government wont do its job and pass a budget. That was randy newbauer, a republican from texas. They rush out to the memorial to embrace the veterans. Theres sort of an institutional cultural media bias here. Pox on both house, washington dysfunction. Why cant congress do its job, why cant washington function. Really we know its because of 30 or 40 republicans. Not even in the senate. Kamikaze ash lot of metaphor for the caucus. I think until the president , the democrats can make that point a little bit more stronger, they cant convince these people, maybe Lloyd Blankfein and jamie dimon. If you look at poll numbers from the 90s, government shut doup, the gap between people who believed it democrats, clintons fault versus newt gingrich, much bigger, think its republicans more than democrats. That basic narrative that everybody is at fault is a really important thing. I dont want to just go around assigning blame, because i think theres a lot to go around. Why not . If your rabid dog bites me, is that the dogs fight or yours . I think who john boehner. Moderate republicans need to come out of the closet. Put that dog down. Maybe the stock market decline will bring grownups i want to give the final word to mike. That brings me to my point. If nancy pelosi was speaker of the house and the situation was reversed, a republican, priebus would have a bus tour naming nancy pelosi as the villain. They have been pitying john boehner instead of this is the guy for hot. I dont know if john boehner is the face for messaging, they have tried to do that with with ted cruz. There a difference between boehner and pelosi, pelosi for the most time she was speaker was leading the caucus. Boehner the most time as speaker has been following his caucus. Hes not the decisive figure pelosi was before. All of this day to day tactical messaging wars, who is responsible for world war ii memorial or bigger boogie man or boogie woman for the american people, all of that, i think, as we get closer to the debt limit as the markets continue to decline because they become more nervous about this, all that is going to fade into the background. All these politicians in washington will have to look at themselves in the mirror and say how much damage am i willing to cause. Im not talking 30 or 40 hard line people in the house who basically dont think default is a terrible thing or going over the debt limit is a terrible thing. Leadership of the house, leadership of the senate, leadership of the white house. We will have negotiations, we will settle through this. The only unknown at this point is how much damage will be done to the country in the meantime. Michael, i disagree slightly. I do think with the president and now harry reid start to do it, i think the target is going to be slowly surely maybe quickly turning to john boehner. Time magazine michael scherer, thank you. Leaders are holding a News Conference on capitol hill. Senate majority leader harry reid has discussed speaker boehners role in the standoff. He did that a minute ago. Lets take a listen. We cant perform the basic government because he doesnt have the courage to stand up to the small band of anarchist. More than 100 vow to give up salaries during the Government Shutdown. When youre not doing your job and the cause of the crisis, do you really deserve a paycheck in the first place . Thats next. [ male announcer ] this one goes out to all the allergy muddlers. You know who you are. You can part a crowd, without saying a word. If you have yet to master the quiet sneeze. You stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts. Well muddlers, muddle no more. Try zyrtec®. It gives you powerful allergy relief. And zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour one on the first day you take it. Claritin® doesnt start working until hour three. Zyrtec®. Love the air. Youve got a job. Youre getting a paycheck. So you also are getting the pride of doing a good job and contributing to a business and looking out for your fellow workers. Thats what youre getting. It shouldnt be any different for a member of congress. That was president obama voiceing a common complaint of the american people. Why should members of congress who refuse to do their jobs continue to get paid as 800,000 federal workers go without their paychecks. So far at least 108 lawmakers on the hill have now said they plan to donate or refuse to accept any compensation earned during the shutdown including some of the same People Holding the government hostage like ted cruz and john boehner. Over the course of the impasse two bills have been introduced to block all members of congress from getting paid. As a symbolic gesture, this is great. Checks shouldnt come for congress while constituents suffer. Its nice local charities can be during shutdown. Its largely symbolic. The 27th amendment restricts any congress from adjusting its own pay. Even if members of congress find a way to hold their pay, the shutdown goes on. Here is what happens as they go without pay. Nearly a million workers arent getting their paycheck including a recent widow of a Forest Service firefighter in albuquerque who was told she wouldnt receive benefits for weeks. Head start for thousands of children are preparing to close, like the head start in your county in South Carolina will cancel its head start for 900 children starting tomorrow. Nutritional programs for women, infants and children are disrupted. That means no baby formula or food for kids in need. Disability benefits interrupted and will be turned away from National Institute of health. The peaceful approach doing nothing to change. While its all well and good why they want to share their paychecks most americans dont have an option. That choice has been made for them by some of these same members of congress. Not to mention half these lawmakers are millionaires. They earn an in come of 174,000. Thats over three times more than the median American Household income. The median net worth for members of congress, its 966,000, 14. 5 times more than the average american family. While we commend those members of congress for doing the right thing and refusing their paychecks, with all due respect this is a side show. Do something real. Take the vote to fund the government. Coming up if you think gop hostage is bad wait until they take the debt ceiling hostage. Well discuss the looming stand off just ahead. [ male announcer ] the new twin turbo xts from cadillac. 410 available horses. Room for four. Twice the fun. I remember thinking theres a lot i have to do. Check my blood sugar, eat better. Start insulin. Today i learned theres something i dont have to do anymore. My doctor said with levemir® flexpen. I dont have to use a syringe and a vial. Levemir® flexpen comes prefilled with longacting insulin taken once daily for type 2 diabetes to help control high blood sugar. Dial the exact dose. Inject by pushing a button. No drawing from a vial. 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Rainier by using one less trash bag each month, we can. And glad forceflex bags stretch until theyre full. So you can take them out less often. Rabid mutant tea partiers, somehow they hold out hope for the grand elusive bargain. Deal making requires purity of thought, spirit and possibly the influence of a higher being. Create in us clean hearts o god and renew a right spirit within us. Deliver us from the hypocrisy of attempti