The "no deals" edict came out after a certain date. Sorry, can't recall the date, but badhats were given a period of time to out themselves. After that - no deals.
Can they really be that stupid?
I suppose they can. But more likely they are just trying to keep their sheep asleep.
Could've been either, I suppose. But my (vague) recollection is that the "no deals" edict came out shortly after that long list of "retirements" by congress members, business CEO's etc. At the very least, it "felt" to me like everyone was eligible for some time.