Seven Minutes of Hell

        

    January’s congressional game-playing resulted in a brief government shutdown followed by an extension of funding only to February 8^th. A second shutdown was averted at the last minute and now the U. S. is facing a March 23^rd deadline.  Here we go again.

      As usual, it starts out with a game of “chicken” with each party daring the other to pull the plug on government financing. Usually one party blinks before the deadline and the money issue is resolved. This time, however, the only thing clear is that all sides will be playing even more games. Games like:  

Pin the blame on the Democrats (Republicans)

     This one’s a favorite game at and for parties, in this case the Democrats and the Republicans. Watch as leaders like Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and Chuck Schumer try to recast this whole mess and blame it on each other.

Broken telephone

     The Republican Congressional leadership and selected Cabinet members are lined up in a room with President Trump. One leader whispers a legislative solution to another leader who then passes it on to one or more Cabinet members and the White House Chief of Staff. It finally reaches the ear of the President who manages to completely misunderstand the original solution.

Spin the media

     Members of both parties sit in a circle with assorted media reporters and take turns spinning tales of how theirs is the best funding plan. A party member may select one of the reporters to join him in a separate room for “seven minutes of hell” followed by a rowdy session of “fake news.”

Twenty questions

     Traditionally a game requiring creativity and deductive reasoning, “twenty questions” as played by politicians is a whole different animal particularly when the person answering the questions doesn’t know the rules of the game. That person is President Trump who often forgets that you’re not supposed to lie.

Musical seats

     Patterned on the old game of musical chairs, “musical seats” includes the entire Congressional membership circling their assigned seats until the music stops. Depending on an incumbent’s electoral chances this coming November, he may withdraw from his seat and join the likes of Bob Corker and Jeff Flake on the sidelines.

Donald says

     This modern version of the children’s game “Simon says” has legislators from both sides trying to reach a bipartisan goal by taking cooperative steps. The problem is that they can only take those steps if “Donald says” and it turns out he rarely does.