THE BRAINS BEHIND THE OBAMA SHUTDOWN STRATEGY

◼ Who talked Barack Obama into shutting down the government and pulling up the curtain on Shutdown Theater? (For those still clinging to “Republican shutdown” mythology, Matt Vespa at PJ Media reminds us that Republicans in the House voted 11 times to re-open the government, listing the bills by number. All of these bills were killed by Senate Democrats, while the media tucked its hands in its pockets and looked the other way.) - John Hayward/Human Events @Doc_o

...according to Ed Klein, author of “The Amateur,” the true architect of the shutdown strategy was top Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. From the New York Post:

Klein, who is conducting a research for a new Obama tome scheduled for next spring, called Jarrett the “architect” of Obama’s take-no- prisoners approach when it comes to his signature domestic policy initiative.

It was Jarrett who advised Obama that voters would mostly blame Republicans if the federal government ground to a halt, providing a golden opportunity to swing back control of the House to Democrats in the 2014 mid-term elections, according to Klein.

A Democratic House would give Obama an opportunity to pass immigration and other legislation blocked by the current Republican majority.

Golly, that all sounds like exactly the sort of “hostage taking” these Democrats love to accuse Republicans of. A deliberate strategy to provoke public misery and anger for political gain? These people look down their noses at their countrymen and see nothing but pawns to be shoved and sacrificed in an endless power game.

According to Klein, Jarrett is the one who “came up with the idea of using the words ‘hostage’ and ‘ransom’ and ‘terrorists’ against the Republicans.” The same media that spent months after the Tucson shootings having a nervous breakdown about incendiary rhetoric and a “Climate of Hate” yawns and picks some dust from its eyelashes.

The Hill report says Obama’s political team was planning for this crisis for months, which may rattle some of the people who still buy into their “Republican shutdown” mythology. (On the other hand, and to their cost, it seems like the Republicans didn’t prepare for any of this at all.) Maybe Valerie Jarrett isn’t the best person to have on speed dial when actual terrorists are lobbing mortar shells at Americans on foreign soil, but she sure knows how to demonize the hell out of domestic political opponents, and they’re the real enemy, right?

◼ How Harry Reid Caused the Debt Limit Crisis - Conn Carroll/Townhall

◼ After Democrats Blow Up Budget Deal, NBC's Guthrie Insists GOP Get Blame for Shutdown - MRC



◼ THE SEQUESTER: THE HAMMER REPUBLICANS HOLD - George Will/Human Events