The government shutdown may be unpopular among the public at-large — and polling may show the GOP is bearing the majority of the blame — but as far as the right-wing media is concerned, the good times have only just begun.
"Welcome to the Harry and Barry Shutdown Show," chimes the headline of a front page post at the right-wing blog RedState. The piece, written by Daniel Horowitz, goes on to argue that the shutdown, far from being politically damaging to Republicans, is in fact playing out better than any conservative could hope.
"What a difference a sense of conviction and the presence of a Republican backbone brings to a debate in Washington," beams Horowitz, before launching into a fact-free estimation of the shutdown's political repercussions:
Democrats are beginning to slowly grovel back to the negotiation table, barely able to contain their show of bravado [sic]. We are now having a national discussion about Obamacare, something that would have never happened had we not chosen to fight on the budget bill. [...]
Something funny occurs when we actually stand and fight. Democrats are put on defense, and they begin to make mistakes. We begin shifting the polls, public perception, and even the media cycle.
Co-blogger and right-wing radio host Dana Loesch is similarly positive about the politics of the shutdown for the right. She argues that the shutdown, which, like Horowitz, she attributes to Democrats, is an example of President Obama's "refusal to face the American people."
Over at Tucker Carlson's the Daily Caller, meanwhile, Jim Huffman, listed as the dean emeritus of Lewis & Clark Law School, argues that the shutdown is "really not such a big deal." After referring to the 800,000 or so furloughed workers' forced time off as "a little paid vacation," Huffman concludes that Republicans have "every right, indeed the responsibility, to represent those who elected them" by shutting the government down.
Positive as Horowitz, Loesch and Huffman may be, however, their zeal for the shutdown pales in comparison to that of Townhall's Michael Reagan, eldest son of the former president. In a piece titled "A Blessing for the GOP," Reagan urges Republicans to "let the crisis continue" so voters can "see the stark differences" between the two parties:
You want “free” socialized medicine and all the coercive strings and stupidities that come with a government bureaucracy? Fine. Vote Democrat in 2014.
You want to get government out of health care, rely on competitive market forces, and be free to choose what level of coverage you get and where you get it? Fine. Vote Republican in 2014.
Voters will have a clear choice next year, and I’m betting the fight over Obamacare is going to backfire for Democrats, not Republicans.
How voters react to the shutdown only time can tell. How the right is reacting, on the other hand, is quite clear: they're loving it.
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