Shortly after the GOP shutdown collapsed under the weight of its own stupidity, Mike Rounds tried to distance himself from the effort. But don’t be fooled: Mike Rounds supported the GOP shutdown before he was against it. Let’s follow his tracks:

1. Rounds & Fellow Republicans Support Shutdown & Debt Default

Rhoden and fellow Republicans Stace Nelson and Mike Rounds said they all see the Affordable Care Act as so catastrophic that stern measures are called for to oppose it – including refusing to pass a government funding bill unless it defunds, delays or otherwise weakens the Democrat-backed health care reform law. (Argus Leader, Oct. 1 2013)

While Rounds said it was “unfortunate that it came to this,” he said House Republicans did the right thing in holding their ground. It was Democrats who provoked the shutdown by not compromising over the Affordable Care Act, he said. (Argus Leader, Oct 1 2013)

2. Who started the Shutdown? Mike Rounds can’t decide. He first blamed the Democrats and then at the end of the crisis blamed Republicans!

Mike Rounds also said Republicans had started the shutdown. He said it was a good idea at first, but that the party persisted too long after “it became clear it wasn’t going to work.” (Political Smokeout Blog, Oct 17 2013)

3. Rounds Calls Vote for Shutdown and Default Threat “Symbolic”, the same vote that cost the economy $26 billion, kicked kids out of Head Start and shut down FSA offices during the Cattle-Killing October blizzard.

Rounds said Republicans held out too long even after they realized they couldn’t win. “I don’t think that Republicans helped themselves when they went beyond a reasonable symbolic vote on Obamacare and continued to contend they could eliminate Obamacare (through the funding bill),” Rounds said. “There was no money, or very little money in the (bill) for Obamacare, but some members insisted that once they made the threat, they had to follow through, even though it became clear it wasn’t going to work.” (Argus Leader, Oct. 17 2013)

Rounds says the GOP should have backed down after the “symbolic” shutdown; yet he said nothing for 16 days until after the final vote Rounds said he would have “very reluctantly” voted for the measure if he were in Congress. Republicans, he said, should have ended the government shutdown once they realized they didn’t have enough votes to defund the Affordable Care Act. (Argus Leader Oct 17, 2013)

Mike Rounds is hoping you forget all of this by November 2014. Let him know that you won’t. Pledge to be a volunteer this election cycle or make a contribution of whatever amount you can afford, so we can protect Senator Tim Johnson’s seat from Mike Rounds and elect strong Democrats up and down the ballot.

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