The Republican National Committee has a solution to the standoff at the World War II Memorial: We’ll keep it open.
This afternoon RNC Chairman Reince Priebus visited the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC to announce that the Republican National Committee would cover the cost of keeping it open for the next 30 days. Blaming the government shutdown, the Obama administration ordered the memorial barricaded, keeping out World War II veterans who traveled to Washington from across the country. When the House Republicans proposed legislation to keep open the nation’s parks and monuments, President Obama promised to veto it.
“The Obama administration has decided they want to make the government shutdown as painful as possible, even taking the unnecessary step of keeping the Greatest Generation away from a monument built in their honor,” said Chairman Priebus.
“That’s not right, and it’s not fair. So the RNC has put aside enough money to hire five security personnel to keep this memorial open to veterans and visitors for the next 30 days. Ideally, I’d hope to hire furloughed employees for this job.”
Priebus’ flourish is full of nice touches. Offering to hire furloughed federal workers is one. Additionally, while the RNC is flush with cash and can afford to hire the workers, the Democratic National Committee is running away from the creditors it still owes from the 2012 campaign. If it hired any furloughed workers, it would probably have to pay them with leftover Obama campaign store swag and IOUs.
Then, there’s this:
“If the White House complains that such action is not permitted, I’d simply remind them that their unilateral action to give exemptions from Obamacare to big business and their political allies wouldn’t seem permissible either. If they can go to such lengths to protect their political interests, surely they can do something to support the interests of those who fought in World War II.”
The memorial itself was built with private funds and requires no full-time staff.
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