Democrats can end the shutdown with 20 Republicans on board ( if no Dem defections) by Ezra Klein

[Are_grits_groceries]

So here’s Plan B, which would temporarily solve both the funding and the looming debt ceiling crises without requiring Boehner or the Republican caucus to do anything other than abide by the rules of the House:

House Democratic leaders should immediately file a bill with two simple provisions: one, providing for short-term funding for the government until Jan. 1, 2015, and a second lifting the debt sufficient to comfortably get the government past New Year’s (with the shutdown, the two issues are now effectively joined at the hip). The deadline should provide for plenty of time to negotiate a grand bargain while keeping pressure on everyone to negotiate.

Then the Democrats should circulate what is called a discharge petition for a special rule to bring it to the floor for an immediate vote. All it would take is about 20 responsible Republicans to sign the discharge petition, along with nearly the entire Democratic caucus, to create a majority that could force the vote and pass the bill. There are said to be at least that many Republicans willing to support such a bill, and as the shutdown proceeds there will likely be more.

Under House rules, once the discharge petition, with the requisite 218 signatures, is filed with the clerk, it immediately goes on what’s called the “Discharge Calendar.” And once the newly filed “clean” funding-cum-debt ceiling bill has sat in committee for seven days, petition discharging the committee from further consideration can be called up by any member of the House on the second and fourth Monday of any month. As a “privileged motion,” it would interrupt almost all other business pending before the House.

This is a well-established way for a majority House members to get around a recalcitrant speaker or majority caucus — it’s been used successfully dozens of times in the modern era, including the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. The question isn’t whether it would work. The real question is why House Democrats didn’t think to set the process in motion last week, when the shutdown was already a real possibility.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/02/democrats-can-use-this-one-weird-trick-to-end-the-government-shutdown/

Try it NOW!

[DCBob]

1. Interesting. I hope they go this route.

Surely there are at least 20 Rs who would go along with this.

[sharp_stick]

2. I can think of two reasons they didn't try

well maybe three.

1) They need to make damned sure they get enough pukes with the stones to ignore the wacko brigade running the show. If they go this route and fail it would be hard to try again.

2) The pukes look totally idiotic and the Dem's aren't above playing politics for awhile to allow them to twist in the wind. A tighter rope is a better rope in this case, they'll want to use this for 2014.

3) They may now have the votes but I'll put money on the table that no puke would have gone along last week.

[Are_grits_groceries]

4. I thought about the possibility of them waiting for the optimum moment to play this card.

I hope that's it. It will be a shame if they don't try it.

[yodermon]

3. I knew about discharge petitions but i didn't know about the 2nd and 4th Mondays. lol.

Well the 2nd Monday would be the 14th, 3 days before Debt Ceiling D-day.

[Puzzledtraveller]

5. Won't happen.

[Are_grits_groceries]

6. Why not? nt

[Puzzledtraveller]

7. I doubt they can get the 20 republicans on board.

[Are_grits_groceries]

8. Wall Street is going to put the big foot down at some point.

The markets will not remain stable. They didn't pay those mooks to crash their companies.

[Puzzledtraveller]

9. good point