Prominent GOP Senators Caught on Hot Mic

Prominent GOP Senators Caught on Hot Mic Regarding Winning Govt. Shutdown

The US federal government is in the midst of its first government shutdown since 1996. When the newly elected GOP first threatened then President Clinton with a government shutdown, it was Vice-President Al Gore who urged him not to give in to GOP demands stating that the public would turn on the GOP. That is exactly what happened.

Fast forward to 2013, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged President Obama to not negotiate with the House GOP under the belief that the public would blame the GOP for a shutdown. It doesn’t appear to be working out so well for the democrats this time around.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was wired up to speak at WPSD-TV’s Channel 6 when the hot mic recorded Senator Paul Rand telling him that he believes the GOP is winning the government shutdown. Following that remark, McConnell concurred.

The House GOP changed their demands from defunding Obamacare entirely to asking for a one year delay on the individual mandate to achieve parity with the White House’s unilateral one-year delay of the employer mandate. Senator Rand believes this shift in tactics resonated with the American public and shows good will on the part of the GOP to negotiate. The lingering defiance of Senator Reid and President Obama to make any compromise is now being seen increasingly as recalcitrance.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) were caught on a hot mic Wednesday discussing talking-points for the shutdown by local news station WPSD 6.

“I just did CNN and I just go over and over again ‘We’re willing to compromise. We’re willing to negotiate.’ I think… I don’t think they poll tested we won’t negotiate. I think it’s awful for [Democrats] to say that over and over again,” Paul said.
“Yeah, I do too and I, and I just came back from that two hour meeting with them and that, and that was basically the same view privately as it was publicly,” McConnell agreed.

Paul added, “I think if we keep saying, ‘We wanted to defund it. We fought for that and that we’re willing to compromise on this’, I think they can’t, we’re gonna, I think… well, I know we don’t want to be here, but we’re gonna win this, I think.”

Source:
http://thehill.com/video/in-the-news/326359-mcconnell-and-paul-on-hot-mic-we-will-win