The Oklahoman: Republicans stand to lose if government shutdown occurs

The Oklahoman Editorial

As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives voted last week for a bill to defund the Affordable Care Act. The vote was mostly symbolic, as it stands zero chance of passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate and the president would never agree to such a plan anyway.

All five members of Oklahoma's House delegation voted for the bill, which would deny money to implement Obamacare but would keep government funded through mid-December. They all noted afterward that the intent of the bill was to keep government operating.

That distinction was made because House Republicans might soon have to decide whether they want to vote to shut down government. The Senate is likely to remove the House language regarding Obamacare and force the GOP-controlled House to decide whether to pass a spending bill that keeps government operating while funding Obamacare.

Some tea party-backed Republicans have argued that a shutdown ultimately would backfire on President Obama. That's a stretch. Indeed it wouldn't take much effort on the president's part to effectively blame Republicans for the fallout from a shutdown, such as military members not getting paid and veterans not receiving benefits.

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, a solid conservative by any measure and staunch opponent of the health care law, is on target with a column he wrote this week that said allowing the government to shut down would be a disaster for the country and a loser for his party. It's “a faulty, irresponsible strategy that will have grave consequences if not averted,” Cole wrote.

A shutdown would cost U.S. workers their jobs — not just federal employees — and would affect national security, Cole said. He said he'll continue looking for ways to ease the effects of Obamacare. “But I will certainly not support tactics that sacrifice the livelihood of millions of Americans to do so. It is unwise, creates false hope and will only end in failure.”

Cole's colleagues should follow his sensible lead.

Online: The Oklahoman