SHOT: Bill Cassidy’s latest excuse for helping shut down the government and blocking a vote to end his government shut down last week: “House Republicans voted to request a conference committee and have appointed eight conferees to wait at the negotiating table for Senate Democrats to show up.”

Five Times, Cassidy Voted For Plans That Would Shut Down Government. [HJ Res 59, Vote #478, 9/20/13; CNN, 9/20/13; CNN, 9/29/13; Vote #498, 9/29/13; Vote 502, 9/30/13; Vote 504, 9/30/13; Vote 505, 10/1/13]

10/2/13: Bill Cassidy Blocked The House From Voting To Fund The Government And End The Shutdown. [HJ Res 70, Vote #512, 10/2/13]

Cassidy Opposed A Clean CR Spending Bill And Blamed Senate Democrats For Not Appointing Conferees For A Budget Conference With House Republicans. “Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, defended the House GOP position against passing a ‘clean’ spending bill to reopen the government. ‘There is a process to negotiate disagreement between the House and Senate. When the Chambers can’t agree we appoint a conference committee with representatives from each body and they hammer out an agreement,’ Cassidy said. ‘House Republicans voted to request a conference committee and have appointed eight conferees to wait at the negotiating table for Senate Democrats to show up. The question now is when will the Senate Democrats make the same commitment?’” [Times-Picayune, 10/2/13]

CHASER: National Journal: “19 Times Democrats Tried to Negotiate With Republicans,” dating back more than six months.

National Journal: Senate Democrats Have Tried To Initiate A Bicameral Budget Conference Since April, But Republicans Have Blocked Such A Move Nineteen Times. “But, in context, the GOP’s biggest talking point of the shutdown falls apart when you consider that Democrats only started refusing to negotiate after Republicans stopped, the hour before the government shut down a week ago. For instance, through a Senate Democratic aide, here are all [19] times since this spring Senate Democrats tried to negotiate with Republicans by sending their budget to a bicameral conference committee. Every time, Republicans blocked the move” [National Journal, 10/7/13]