In 1996, the government closed twice for a total of 24 days, costing taxpayers $2.1 billion. At that point in history, America was as close to full employment as we’ve been in decades, as productivity soared.
The New York Daily News celebrated the main personality behind that shutdown — former House Speaker Newt Gingrich — by depicting him as a baby after reports came out that Gingrich was acting out of spite over a seat he was not given on Air Force One.
The main personality behind this latest standoff is the honorary Speaker of the House, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). However, the Daily News chose to focus on current Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) for its cover marking 2013’s shutdown. Purposely or unconsciously, they made a crucial point. Boehner could end the shutdown today by simply putting the continuing resolution that passed the Senate up for a vote in the House.
Hence, the News used an allusion to the Netflix hit series House Of Cards to make a point about the Speaker.
If you enjoyed that, you might like this House of Cards parody Democrats put together based on the misadventures of Boehner’s House.
