VIDEO: Why The News Struggles To Say Republicans Are Responsible For The Government Shutdown
And why the public is likely to catch on anyhow
Please enjoy the second episode of Decoding the News. It includes some characteristic examples of mainstream journalists and outlets muddying what is actually a clear picture: Republicans, and Republicans alone, are responsible for the looming government shutdown. House Republicans have collapsed into civil war. There’s a band of far-right Republicans who believe that the GOP’s toe-hold on power in one half of Congress entitles them to dictate the terms of how the government should be run, and how much we as a society should spend on which government functions. They have Donald Trump’s full support for shutting down the government, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has ceded them a lot of power.
It also includes a brief explanation of what a government shutdown is in practice, and why—even with so much unclear reporting out there—most Americans will allocate blame for it correctly, if it happens. Thank you for watching! And so long as we’re in this free period, feel free to share it with anyone who might benefit—friends, colleagues, conservatives, cranky uncles. It’s meant to inform.
Almost all media couches discussion of budget negotiations as “spending” when every budget has two sides, revenue and spending. This use of “spending” as a catchall gives Republicans a pass on their refusal to raise revenue. Even the term “fund” is squishy and doesn’t convey the need for revenue and Republican scorched earth policy where revenue is concerned.