Ahead of a likely U.S. House vote on a government funding bill, Yahoo asked conservative and Republican voters whether they'd prefer their representatives vote to fund the government or gut the Affordable Care Act. Here's one voter's perspective.
COMMENTARY | In a daring move of political brinkmanship, the GOP has drafted a bill that will raise the debt ceiling, but at the same time will defund Obamacare.
This is a dangerous and politically detrimental move. The GOP-controlled House has tried many times to pass a bill that would defund Obamacare and each time it has failed in the Senate. However, the funding of the U.S. government is not something to play around with. This a move that holds our government hostage to my party's whims.
On principal alone, this action is wrong. It is an attachment of an issue that is totally unrelated to the matter at hand. They have also attached a bill that would fund the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which Obama has repeatedly refused to sign. Such attachments, known as riders, would not pass on their own, so they ride on the back of a bill that must pass in order to get these laws through. For the Republican Party to do this means that they endorse the same type of political trickery being done to them. This may hurt them later on.
My congressman, Rep. Timothy Bishop, a New York Democrat for Long Island's first district, has said he would not vote to defund Obamacare, along with most other Democrats. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has also stated, "Republican leadership has been dragged kicking and screaming into a fight that they know is bad for their party and bad for the country."
Even though the Republican Party may believe it is following what is in the best interest of its constituents, it seems to fail to understand that the Democratic Party in the Senate is following the interests of its constituents as well. To try to force through legislation the GOP knows the Democrats cannot pass is a move that indicates that the GOP is not serious about compromise, negotiation and political cooperation for the future of our nation.
Aside from refusing to cooperate in politics, this move could seriously damage the GOP. The GOP already does what their constituents want by presenting anti-Obamacare bills to the House and passing them to the Senate. This is their job, along with attempting to foster a more open and direct communication with the Senate to see to it that such bills may get passed. However, attempting to force the Senate to pass this bill through such brinkmanship is by no means a professional move by the very people who are not only supposed to represent Americans, but also ensure that the government cooperates and continues to function.
If there is a government shutdown, the GOP's standing will be severely affected. Many private contractors will go without pay, and hundreds of thousands of government employees will be furloughed. Many of us have friends and family who are contracted by the government as well, and such a shutdown will have a big impact on our personal lives, especially financially. It will make Republicans appear very reckless, and will jeopardize the Republican Party in the eyes of the American people. Strategically speaking, with the 2014 elections just a bit more than a year away, such a shutdown will look very bad for my party and not be forgotten so quickly.
If the GOP wishes to find a way to defund Obamacare, it would be best working hard to show it is reasonable and cooperative now in order to ensure that it gets more seats in the Senate later on. This would then allow Republicans to pass such a resolution that focuses on Obamacare. But for now, the functioning of our government, and the future of our country are the issues that are at stake here, and take far more precedence over Obamacare and the Keystone Pipeline.
Gabriel Abram resides on Long Island and contributes to Yahoo, The Jewish Post, and Seeking Alpha.
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