Griffin, Crawford dance around shutdown threat | Arkansas Blog

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Friday, August 23, 2013

Arkansas Politics Griffin, Crawford dance around shutdown threat

Posted By on Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 7:15 AM

click to enlarge DODGING: Tim Griffin in shot from video in which he avoids direct question on government shutdown.
  • DODGING: Tim Griffin in shot from video in which he avoids direct question on government shutdown.
I wrote yesterday at some length about the appearance of the names of Republican Reps. Rick Crawford and Tim Griffin on a letter signed by 80 House members that news organizations left, right and center (AP) have construed as a threat to vote against continuing federal spending if it includes money for Obamacare. Government shutdown, in other words.

Griffin's office sent me a brief statement yesterday that said he opposed a government shutdown, but his office wouldn't elaborate on the reports that suggested he'd taken a position to the contrary.

Stephens Media got a further comment from him and also from Crawford, whose office didn't respond to my requests for information.

Said Griffin:
“The letter does not advocate for a government shutdown: You won’t find those words anywhere in the letter, just like you can’t find any of the lower costs or economic benefits President Obama and Nancy Pelosi attribute to Obamacare,” Griffin said.

Said Crawford:
“I believe that rushing ahead with $1.3 trillion in new entitlement spending in the middle of a debt crisis is irresponsible and the letter I signed expresses my desire for House leadership to consider using the appropriations process as a mechanism to move toward stopping this madness,” Crawford said.

So we are back to square one with Tim Griffin. He STILL has not issued a definitive statement on whether he'd vote for a shutdown if Obamacare is part of the spending bill. His refusal to say so — and his signature on this letter — is strong circumstantial evidence that he's in the shutdown crowd. As Crawford clearly is as well.
Sheep and goat time is coming. Vote to serve the sick and hungry or not.

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