The Elephants Make an "Ass" of Themselves

For the past few weeks tensions in Congress have been escalating not only between parties but within parties. The government was facing a major economic crisis, threatening to default on its loans. While many within the House and Senate wished to reach a deal, there were a few members, mainly Tea Party extremists, who refused to approve any bill without some form of damage being done to the Health Care Act. The rift that was created between members within the Republican Party allowed Timothy Bishop and the Democrats to gain support for their cause, as they stayed firm and true to their cause under a united front. Using data obtained from non-partisan economists, the Democrats put major pressure on Republicans to pass a deal and avoid default. “It is reckless and irresponsible for the House GOP to threaten the full faith and credit of the United States and our economic recovery with political gamesmanship,” said Congressman Bishop. “They are threatening the future by pushing for default despite the enormous financial strain it would place on New York families, from higher interest rates for mortgages and credit cards to evaporating retirement savings and delayed Social Security payments.” This quote was accompanied by a website which showed what would happen if a deal wasn't completed in time. In calling out the GOP, he is telling people that it is strictly their fault for the mess the country was in and that the GOP did not care for the individual waiting for his SS check, but rather just wanted to make a point.
Fortunately for the United States, a deal was reached before the deadline. Timothy Bishop and the Democrats of the House voted unanimously along with 87 Republicans to pass the bill, and bipartisan support occurred in the Senate as well. The bill passed extended the debt limit through Feb. 7, back pays for federal workers, and reimburses States who paid for government functions during the shutdown, along with various other points. The passing of the bill and extension of the debt limit is a major win for the Democrats, as it was achieved without any damage being done to "Obama Care." At the same time it gave them a stable base on which they were united. On the other hand the Republicans clearly lost, as not only did they not delay Obama Care, but they showed they were divided within their own party, and that the extreme Tea Party must either be willing to work together or face alienation from more moderate party members. Now that a Bill has been passed, Timothy Bishop took shots not just at the Republicans, but mainly at the Tea Party for their unwillingness to work together. "...The Tea Party faction running the House GOP recklessly decided to take the American economy hostage for 16 days. As a result of their opposition to reasonable solutions and failure to negotiate in good faith, the unanimous support of Democrats in the House was necessary to enact this agreement." In attacking the Tea Party specifically, Timothy Bishop hopes a "villain" can be blamed for this crisis, and ultimately be removed. "The Tea Party have shown themselves incapable of cooperating not only with Democrats but also moderates in their own party to find common sense solutions."
In attacking the Republicans and ultimately the Tea Party, Timothy Bishop is directing blame toward them and away from he and his fellow Democrats. They will continue to show how they stood firm and untied against the unreasonable Republicans, and how they fought to keep this nation afloat amidst major crisis. No doubt Timothy Bishops continued assault against the Republicans is due to the election he faces next year, having narrowly won the past few times, he will use this as another cog in his Congressional campaign.

 http://timbishop.house.gov/latest-news/bishop-helps-pass-bipartisan-agreement-to-end-shutdown-and-prevent-default/
 http://timbishop.house.gov/latest-news/bishop-calls-for-reasonable-solution-to-avoid-harmful-debt-default/