I am kind of looking forward to March 4, 2011. That’s the date that the Republicans and Democrats in Washington must come to an agreement on a new spending plan or the Federal Government will cease most operations.

The spending by Washington is out of control and that is a fact. The two sides (Republicans and Democrats) have different ideas on how much to cut and how much to spend.

The biggest question is can the Republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate handle this shutdown better than they did in 1995 and 1996 when they lost the public opinion game big time. Back then the Federal Government shutdown November 14-19, 1995, and December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996.

During that time, President Bill Clinton came out the winner and House Speaker Newt Gingrich lost his mojo. Some reports say that Speaker Gingrich was miffed at Clinton for making him sit in the back of Air Force One and decided to take his toys and go home. Clinton’s approval rating climbed and he easily beat Bob Dole for President in 1996 (379 electoral votes to 159).

Gingrich never had much power after that. Continue reading →