Speaker of the House John Boehner denied this weekend there are enough votes in the House of Representatives to pass what is called a "clean" bill to fund the Federal government. A "clean bill," in the context of the current shutdown, would be a bill that authorizes funding of the Federal government without any extraneous provisions, i.e. provisions to de-fund the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. President Obama addressed the Speaker's statement and asked the Speaker send such a bill to the House floor for a vote. 

   Implicit in the Speaker's statement is exasperation over mere mention of a "clean bill." Boehner made it sound like a waste of time to submit the matter for a vote---like those 40-some votes the Republicans in the House have staged to repeal Obamacare. I am glad those votes were not examples of time wasted. Word has it that enough Republicans would vote on the a "clean bill" that it would pass. Then cool, Mr. Speaker, place the matter on the floor for a vote. Prove to the American people you are right. 

   What is the worst thing that could happen? The bill would fail and Republicans could continue to blame Senate Democrats for the present shutdown. Of course, from tea baggers' perspectives, the bill could pass and the United States would go back to work. With the GOP dropping in polls, Republican leadership might want to re-think the party's ties to the fringe element. When Senator Ted Cruz traveled to Virginia last weekend and tried to do a photo opp with Republican gubernatorial candidate Cuccinelli, the latter ducked out. A lot of voters in northern Virginia are Federal employees or people who are friends or family of Federal employees. Some businesses in northern Virginia obtain depend upon Federal employees who spend their paychecks in the suburbs of DC, where those employees reside. Reuters' headline a few hours ago: "Federal Shutdown Hits Close Virginia Governor's Race." Politico describes a "backlash" against the GOP nominee. The Democratic Party candidate now enjoys a five-point lead.

   There are other other reasons for the lead. Women and African-American voters have polled more heavily "D" than "R." Many voters perform the following exercise: GOP = vaginal ultrasounds and voter restrictions. The math may seem simplistic, but then so is the GOP.

   To return to the point, Speaker Boehner should send a "clean bill" to the House for a vote. If he does not, one could infer there is support for such a measure sufficient for passage (218 votes). If that is the case, then a minority of one party has been able to jeopardize the United States economy. Boehner should have more courage than to buckle under to that minority.

   Bring the matter to a vote!