NBC misses half the story in long-winded attempt to pin blame for shutdown on GOP

Yeah, yeah, keep saying there's no liberal media bias. 

Explain this little gem from NBC News today about who has the power to end the government shutdown:

NBC News | Can GOP end the shutdown now? Maybe not

If you don't want to read the 1,300+ words from political reporter Michael O'Brien, the article firmly places the responsibility and power to end the shutdown with the Republicans, except for the lamentable reason that "they have refused to break ranks and join with Democrats to reopen the government."

Oh? That's all that's needed? The Republicans need to break ranks and join the Democrats who want to stop the shutdown? Those meanie Republicans! Why won't they just be reasonable?!

But, wait, what's this?

Breitbart | 57 House Dems have abandoned Pelosi, Obama to keep parts of government open

Since the government shutdown on Tuesday, House Republicans have pushed legislation to reopen selected parts of the federal government. They have proposed legislation to reopen National Parks, the Veterans Administration and fully fund the National Guard, among other measures. To date, 57 House Democrats, almost a third of the caucus, have broken ranks with Leader Pelosi and President Obama to support the GOP refunding efforts.

...[T]he federal government is ordinarily funded by specific appropriations bills covering one or two agencies at a time. There is nothing unusual about the House, or Senate, moving bills to fund individual agencies. Apparently, 57 House Democrats agree with this approach. 

Oh, snap!

So there are some House Democrats who are willing to cooperate with Republicans to find solutions to the shutdown with targeted appropriations bills? But Democratic leadership in the Senate won't let these bills even be heard?

As Senator John Cornyn asked yesterday, "who are the real extremists here?"

Democrats are not just forcing ObamaCare down the throats of the American people–they’re actively working to maximize the pain of a shutdown. They’re targeting our heroes, our families, and our livelihoods, and they’re doing it on purpose. Knowing all this, we can’t help but ask–who are the real extremists here?

But in the eyes of NBC and so many other media outlets, it's only the Republicans who aren't willing to take action to alleviate the pain of the shutdown. Over thirteen hundred words and not one mention of the Democrats who have voted with Republicans to restore funding to any of these programs benefiting active service military personnel, veterans, pediatric cancer patients, and keeping national parks like the WWII Memorial open.

Oh yeah, sure. OK then. No liberal media bias here. 

See also: my posts earlier this week for more on Senator Cornyn's remarks about how Obama's shutdown strategy is to "maximize the pain" of the American people, and about the barricading of the WWII Memorial.

UPDATE: See this blog post from GOP House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, detailing the 57 Democrats who have "broken ranks" with Democratic Leadership.

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