Majority of House GOP caucus wants to shut government down over Obamacare

John Boehner has good reason to cry, and Harry Reid to smile. Yes, you read that headline right. Thirty-three futile repeal votes and $50 million (and counting) down the drain, and House Republicans are so obsessed with the Affordable Care Act that they're clamoring to their leadership to shut the government down in October over funding the law.

In a letter (PDF) dated July 18, some 127 House GOP lawmakers urged Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) not to permit 'any legislation' to come to the floor that includes Affordable Care Act implementation funds. The implied message: shut down the government unless Democrats agree to defund President Obama's signature law.

'Since much of the implementation of ObamaCare is a function of the discretionary appropriations process, and since most of the citizens we represent believe that ObamaCare should never go into effect, we urge you not to bring to the House floor in the 112th Congress any legislation that provides or allows funds to implement ObamaCare through the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Health and Human Services, or any other federal entity,' the 127 lawmakers wrote (emphasis in original).

So far Boehner seems to not be taking the bait. He's got an uneasy truce right now with the Senate, a basic agreement to just fund the government through continuing resolutions, and says "our goal would be to make sure the government is funded and any political talk of a government shutdown is put to rest.'

Too bad for him that the majority of his extreme, insane Republican caucus wants exactly the opposite. Which could mean Boehner has to go to Democrats in order to pass a continuing resolution over the express objections of the majority of his caucus. Which further means Boehner's speakership is in grave danger. If he bucks his majority and passes a continuing resolution that funds the ACA with Democrats, he could make his caucus so pissed off they could dethrone him as leader. If he goes along with their shutdown and makes the Republican House even more unpopular (if that's possible), he faces losing the gavel because Republicans will lose the House.

Worst. Congress. Ever. Led by the Worst. Speaker. Ever. Let's make Boehner's predicament even more uncomfortable.

Let's help Democrats take back the House and get that gavel back to Nancy Pelosi. Chip in $3 or whatever you can to elect House Democrats.