Rodney Davis Defund-Or-Shutdown Drive Draws Ire Of Conservative Wall Street Journal

September 17, 2013

Washington, D.C. – For weeks, Rep. Rodney Davis has been ringing the defund Obamacare bell. Davis even joined in signing a letter to Speaker Boehner, calling for, as the Associated Press described it, “trigger[ing] a government shutdown rather than fund[ing] the implementation of the health care overhaul they call ‘Obamacare.’”

But today, no less a conservative house organ than the Wall Street Journal editorial board called Davis and like-minded Republicans on the carpet for the absurdity of their approach:

“Their demand is that the House pair the ‘must pass’ CR or the debt limit with defunding the health-care bill. Kamikaze missions rarely turn out well, least of all for the pilots.
[…]
“Some Republicans think they are sure to hold the House in 2014 no matter what happens because of gerrymandering, but even those levees won’t hold if there’s a wave of revulsion against the GOP. Marginal seats still matter for controlling Congress. The kamikazes could end up ensuring the return of all-Democratic rule.”

“When even the Wall Street Journal calls Rodney Davis’s plan a kamikaze mission, it’s obvious that Davis is embracing his true extremism,” said Andy Stone, Communications Director for House Majority PAC.