Up North Progressive

If Republicans have learned one thing this election cycle, the more they talk the worse things get for them. Just last Friday Rick Snyder was broiled over direct questions on taxes, education, and right to work during an interview on Michigan Radio. It’s not easy to find any Republicans willing to talk about what they will do just like in this video, where a journalist attempts to ask Congressman Benishek if he plans on voting for a new government shut down when he goes back to work on September 8.

As you can see, Republicans are not really interested in talking these days. That’s fine, because even if Congressman Benishek doesn’t want to talk about what he plans to do in the future, we can get an idea of what he will do by looking at the past.

On September 20, 2013, Congressman Benishek along with 229 of his fellow U.S. Representatives voted Aye on a short-term spending bill that required a complete defunding of the Affordable Care Act. Knowing that the Democratic-controlled Senate would vote the bill down, it would trigger a shut down of the federal government. To add insult to injury, Congressman Benishek accused the Democratic Party of playing partisan politics in Washington by not voting in favor of defunding Obamacare.

Congressman Benishek and other Republicans could hope that a year has been enough time for memories to fade on the last government shutdown and what a dismal failure it was for the Republican Party. They may also be thinking ahead to the elections that are less than two months away and how making the country mad at them for constantly kicking the can a little further down the road as an excuse for petty partisanship and obstruction isn’t working out so well for them. It might motivate people to get out and vote this November 4, and when more people vote, Republicans lose.

We can think about what might be, or be done with this once and for all and vote do-nothing Republicans like Dan Benishek out of office. Michigan’s 1st congressional district has an excellent choice to send to Washington by electing Jerry Cannon as their representative this November 4.