T.S. Karen formed in the Caribbean and was on track to reach the mouth of the river perhaps as a category 1 hurricane in the wee hours of Saturday 10/5/2013.
As it crossed the Gulf it slowed and drifted a bit west. Shades of 1985 Hurricane Juan. The Loop Current barely entered the Gulf and the clockwise eddies were far to the west of New Orleans. Mid-Gulf water temperatures were in the low 80's and coastal temps from Pensacola to Lake Charles were in the 70's so there was not much fuel for Karen. It never made landfall, dissipating as a tropical wave. Got some fast moving clouds but not enough to disrupt outdoor activities.
Once again Republicans would fund the government only if they got their way. Democrats refused to budge. The U.S. Government shut down at midnight October 1st. On the first day of the shutdown stocks rose anticipating quick resolution. As positions hardened, fear began to creep in. People expected a quick deal. The government was shutdown, but for most that was an inconvenience. The real deadline was the 17th when the financial markets would be affected. The debt ceiling was going to have to be raised. More posturing ensued, Fitch put U.S. Treasury bonds on Rating Watch Negative, then Congress voted on the 16th to raise the ceiling and fund the government for two to three more months while they worked on a deal. Then everyone went home. This is brinkmanship at its worst. Will the American people tire of these repeated self-inflicted injuries?
Republicans remember the political damage Newt Gingrich’s shutdowns caused their party. Most agree that it assured Clinton’s reelection in 1996. In 2013 disgust with the whole Washington scene is high, but that hasn’t stopped voters from returning 90% of the incumbents to office in the past. Rush Limbaugh continues to point out that this, like everything else, is Obama's fault.
Would Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District vote Steve Scalise out of office for some no name even though he sided with the Tea Party Republicans up to and including the final vote when he voted in the House along with 143 other Republicans to let the government default on its obligations? Will David Vitter be returned to the Senate after he was one of 14 senators to vote Nay on the deal? If the American people return these 143 Congressmen and 14 Senators to Washington aren't they asking for more of the same?