A few of my friends were staffers for a few years after school, and yeah they got paid absolute shit and work an incredible amount. It's likely that the senior advisors are making bank though.
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PoliGAF 2013 |OT2| Worth 77% of OT1
- Thread starter The Librarian
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A few of my friends were staffers for a few years after school, and yeah they got paid absolute shit and work an incredible amount. It's likely that the senior advisors are making bank though.
Ehhhhh... that's a pretty shitty argument really. Even the media is going to call them out over this. I think this is a non-starter for political gains... GOPers are grasping for straws.
PhoenixDark
Banned
Ah I see.
Basically, if you're making 30k a year you more than likely qualify for a subsidy. The Vitter law shitcans that option and sticks staffers with higher premiums than they'd have on the individual market.
rocketknight
Member
Yeah, they just want anything at this point that they can show their base. "Look, we got concessions!" Even if it's just fucking over a few thousand people arbitrarily.
Sure, but that's not really important. Boehner does not want a shutdown. But there will be a shutdown unless the House can pass a sufficiently clean CR to get through the Senate. His ability to force Reid to make concessions is extremely limited, but a small, face-saving thing that the craziest Republicans are absurdly angry about for no good reason is probably going to be palatable, and might even pass the House.
The Librarian
Banned
I don't think Reid will let the Vitter amendment through.
Carpe Libertatem
Member
Federal health insurance. But as far as I know they don't have that once the exchanges open because they're required by the ACA to purchase insurance on the exchange.
http://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/
Just like your employer provides you with a health insurance plan to enroll in (partially subsidized by them), the federal government provides health insurance plans to federal employees as a job benefit. The insurance plans aren't necessarily run by the government, but through 3rd party insurance providers that the federal government sets up a group policy with for its employees, who receive coverage under the group policy
zero shift
Banned
If shutdown is inevitable, Obama should call an emergency address to the nation. March into Congress. Call out the Tea Party sect of the Republicans for who they are. Shame the mainstream GOP for having no balls. I mean it. Obama needs to go all out. He got re-elected and has nothing left to lose.
OH.
Fuck that shit. Obama, don't roll over.
PhoenixDark
Banned
Exactly. The Vitter amendment actually restricts a basic feature that regular (low and middle income) people get: the subsidy. The political game occurs in the sense that staffers work for the government, thus the spin is that the government is giving them a subsidy to lower their costs. But...the government is giving most (non smoking) low and middle income people a subsidy to lower their costs...
It makes no fucking sense. I had read that staffers on both sides were working to kill the Vitter amendment, and it'll be very interesting to see how that plays out this weekend. I can't see Reid caving on this, given how easy it is to deflate the bullshit talking point.
Link
The Autumn Wind
And he shouldn't. The GOP has no leverage here. Reid should tell them to stick it up their asses.
He shouldn't simply because it will set a precedent that the GOP can exploit every year. Dems really have to keep their word on the whole "no concessions" thing.
Any delay of Obamacare buys time for the GOP to repeal it if and when they retake the Senate. The Dems can't possibly be dumb enough to cave on this.
Also this CR only funds the government for a few weeks. What will they ask for next? For Obama to step down? There is no political or practical reason to negotiate on anything here
Link
The Autumn Wind
Agreed. It would pretty much say that the GOP can hold the country hostage to get whatever they want.
I don't know how any hill staffer could still support their Republican bosses after this.
The Librarian
Banned
https://twitter.com/amandacarpenter
Also, WHAT THE FUCK.
Washington (CNN) - House Republicans have added a measure aimed at limiting contraceptive coverage to the spending bill coming up for a vote Saturday night, a spokesman for Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kansas, told CNN.
A senior House leadership aide confirmed that development.
The so-called “conscience clause” would allow employers and insurers to opt out of preventative care for women which they find objectionable on moral or religious grounds. That prominently includes birth control, which most insurers are required to provide for free under current Obamacare rules.
With this move, House Republican leaders would give any employer or group health plan the ability to opt out of contraception coverage for the next year. That time frame syncs up with the larger measure in which this is included: a one-year delay of Obamacare provisions not yet in effect.
“This is a big deal for the congressman,” Huelskamp’s spokesman, Paul Nelson, told CNN. “He has been pushing for (the conscience clause) since he entered Congress.”
Democrats say the measure is unnecessary because the administration has granted exemptions to contraceptive coverage to religious nonprofit institutions. But advocates, such as Huelskamp, insist that all institutions should be able to opt out of any preventative coverage for women that they find objectionable.
The addition of the “conscience clause” ties a heated social issue to the already sharp shutdown debate.
A senior House leadership aide confirmed that development.
The so-called “conscience clause” would allow employers and insurers to opt out of preventative care for women which they find objectionable on moral or religious grounds. That prominently includes birth control, which most insurers are required to provide for free under current Obamacare rules.
With this move, House Republican leaders would give any employer or group health plan the ability to opt out of contraception coverage for the next year. That time frame syncs up with the larger measure in which this is included: a one-year delay of Obamacare provisions not yet in effect.
“This is a big deal for the congressman,” Huelskamp’s spokesman, Paul Nelson, told CNN. “He has been pushing for (the conscience clause) since he entered Congress.”
Democrats say the measure is unnecessary because the administration has granted exemptions to contraceptive coverage to religious nonprofit institutions. But advocates, such as Huelskamp, insist that all institutions should be able to opt out of any preventative coverage for women that they find objectionable.
The addition of the “conscience clause” ties a heated social issue to the already sharp shutdown debate.
Fuck these guys. Fuck 'em. Keep your hands off my birth control, you selfish lunatics. You assholes.
NYCmetsfan
Banned
I haven't talked to republican staffers but the democratic ones I know are pissed. This doesn't only affect DC but all the district offices.
The vitter amendment won't go through, you'd see an exodus of staff. Staff already gets paid crap for what they do (they're there when congress isn't and they have to stay in on nights like these where the votes go till midnight), DC is an expensive city so its even worse.
rocketknight
Member
Stay tuned all night for more of 2009's greatest hits!
My first-best, Sorkin-esque outcome here is the CR + Vitter amendment gets passed with lots of eyerolling from Reid and Obama about how dumb it is to punish Congressional staffers, then the next day all of the staffers (maybe just Republican staffers) don't come in to work, and stay gone until the Vitter amendment gets repealed.
The Librarian
Banned
Sorry about that outburst of a post (at least for me it was). I'm totally PMSing right now.
#BeingAWoman
#BeingAWoman
Brawndo Addict
Banned
Surprised there hasn't been an Onion article to the effect of something like "Republicans add amendment requiring Obama's resignation as part of funding compromise". Humor wise it seems like a natural extension from reality, has potential for a lot of easy jokes.
Link
The Autumn Wind
Insane. Literally insane.
rocketknight
Member
Honestly that sounds like something Cruz would do. I'm kind of surprised they haven't yet.
ClassyPenguin
Banned
"I ain't giving my tax dollars to allow people to have sex!"
This attitude is incredibly prevalent in a variety of groups. It's incredibly maddening when you read the CDC and other health organizations studies on contraception in America.
Are they fucking high? What is wrong with them?
An outburst is usually uncalled for, I'd say you held back admirably.
EDIT: I turned it into a thread, people should know this shit is going on.
NYCmetsfan
Banned
haha
Seriously though staffers run congress, members have meetings with lobbyists, take votes and do press. As someone who'd like to take a staffing position and knows many people for whom this is a real job and not just a rhetorical punching bag its frustrating to hear so much disinformation about this 'exemption'. Even the NR is coming out saying its BS http://www.nationalreview.com/article/359742/obamacare-non-exemption-patrick-brennan
ClassyPenguin
Banned
That's a legitimate outburst. also, ewwwww.
And it reminds me of the units we covered in an Anthro classes about menstruation. Given that the female to male ratio was like 5:1, it was awkward.
rocketknight
Member
It's hilarious reading the comments beneath that article. They quite seriously do not understand what they just read.
Zoramon089
Banned
Uhh, that's LITERALLY what happened yesterday. After his announcement that he talked with the Iranian President he went in for 10 minutes about what a government shutdown meant and how it could be avoided and basically said "Congress needs to stop this nonsense and do their jobs"
Three-dimensional checkers time: what do you guys think of the possibility that Boehner is deliberately allowing a government shutdown to happen so that he can have the fight now instead of over the debt ceiling? Lots of pundits have suggested that we're better off with a brief shutdown so that we can get past the debt ceiling in two weeks without much drama. Is it conceivable that Boehner is following that strategy in the hopes that he can tame the suicide caucus before the actual suicide mission?
Unfair? maybe... Amusing? yep!
Sorry Boomers, Love Millenials.
Sorry Boomers, Love Millenials.
The Librarian
Banned
What are ya going on about? Talking about menstruation is fun!
Wouldn't that fly in the face of what's happened? Remember, the GOP leadership was originally going to have two votes: one for a clean CR, the other with one with defunding ACA attached to it. They had to back down because of a revolt.
This is what I'm thinking too, actually. It looks to me like Boehner has just given up on trying to rein in his crazies, so letting them get it out of their system now and facing the backlash might give them enough incentive to behave when he has to pull out the stick next time.
I doubt it, Cruz and the Tea Party in the House likely won't play along, but we can always hope that it's the case.
Sure it is...
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
My least favorite thing isn't them turning the founding fathers into deities, it's misrepresenting them so much. These guys are absolutely hostile to the Father's intellectual and reason-oriented stance toward things.
The fact that they were going to have the vote doesn't mean that they were expecting it to become law. I don't think it's accidental that Boehner wanted to hold the debt ceiling vote more than two weeks before the debt ceiling actually needed to be raised! He obviously expected a lot of debate and brinksmanship, and wanted to get started on it early so that he could get any possible concessions out of it without risking an actual default. (Whether he could get any concessions is a matter of debate, but he'd certainly try.)
Obviously, though, if even that debt ceiling bill can't get through, Boehner needs to come up with a backup plan to actually prevent default. This could represent that plan -- have the shutdown and plan to raise the ceiling at the same time as pushing through the CR.
PhoenixDark
Banned
Depends on his end goal. Is it to save his job, or to prevent default? I'd be more apt to believe the former, because he tipped his hand on the latter weeks ago. He knows the GOP cannot win a government shutdown fight, and he knows he won't allow a default. So in order to save his job, he has allowed the far right to run the asylum on the CR. When this plan fails (govt shuts down, people blame republicans, Obama refuses to budge) he will be able to say "hey, I tried but it's just not going to work" and thus bring up a clean CR. The far right of his caucus won't be happy...but they may be more willing to accept defeat on the grounds of trying, than on the grounds of completely folding (for instance: if Boehner had put the senate CR on the floor instead of allowing the House to create their own).
In short it's all about controlling the manner of defeat. Losing a "tough" hard fought government shutdown fight/quickly folding on the debt ceiling fight seems more likely to save his job than quickly folding on the government shutdown fight/quickly folding on the debt ceiling fight.
The Librarian
Banned
Damn, I'm legit confused at this point and have no idea what's going on. I thought the debt ceiling was going to be reached Oct 1st, corresponding with the new fiscal year. Guess not? Why the hell is a shutdown imminent if the ceiling isn't reached for 2 weeks? Also, my impression was Congress was against being put on the individual exchanges because they are intended for people without coverage from their employers. Sorry for my ignorance in advance.
I hope this goes down in history as the shittiest House of Representatives in history and I hope every single Tea Party Republican gets dragged through the mud over the next few years.
Their crrbaby and idiotic actions are fucking repulsive and they deserved to be slapped with their own bibles that they thump.
Their crrbaby and idiotic actions are fucking repulsive and they deserved to be slapped with their own bibles that they thump.
PhoenixDark
Banned
Debt ceiling=October 17th. I think Boehner is going to hold out until around October 10th before giving up and calling Pelosi.
The Librarian
Banned
Robert Costa on the dynamic that's causing this mess.
But we already knew that.
https://twitter.com/robertcostaNRO/status/384115586449420289
But we already knew that.
What are they thinking? They don't want a compromise.
I love how conservatives are spinning this as public opinion is on the GOP's side. Public opinion will also blame the House GOP for a government shut down, sometime that the public is vehemently opposed to. It's not a hard concept to understand.
The real fear is that Obamacare is successfully implemented and people realize the world won't end and the lies they've been told are nothing more than boogeyman stories.
Also:
Yes, I'm sure that's exactly who will be blamed.
I...don't think so? The Tea Party is forcing Boehner to engage in increasingly dangerous and idiotic behavior to both keep the country running and save his job. I didn't go into that much detail in OT, that's all.
Two different shutdowns -- the government shutdown happens when funding runs out; the debt ceiling crisis happens when the mandated limit on borrowing runs out. With a shutdown, we can stop spending and start again when they pass the continuing resolution. With the debt ceiling, once we stop borrowing, we'll start defaulting on our loans very rapidly, with permanent catastrophic consequences for America.
Congress is explicitly forced to use the exchanges by the Grassley amendment instead of the government health care programs. This probably isn't intrinsically a bad thing; however, the amendment didn't replace the health care compensation with wage compensation, so it's essentially a huge pay cut for everybody who works for Congress. The OPM has been compensating for this by paying the same amount that they used to pay for the government program to offset premiums on the exchanges; basically, they're preventing that pay cut through executive action. The Vitter amendment will make that executive action illegal and force a $5-11,000 effective pay cut on every Congressional employee.
The Librarian
Banned
Well, it can't be three-dimensional checkers if the fringe is running the show. Besides, Robert Costa has said that the leadership is being reactive here, not active.
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