A month has shuttered by, sluffing away as the We the People keep moving and shaking, working and winning. In stark contrast, Washington isn’t working. The government shutdown is still the showdown in the Beltway.
The Democrats are invested in this shakedown because they know they will go down for good with their progressive base if they give way.
All rhyming aside, the American public is witnessing a clash of political futures because the Democratic U.S. senators refuse to approve basic funding for the government.
Lots of people have written about what’s happening and why. Now, let’s consider who will end up getting his way, or caving.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has already lost. The Democratic Party’s polling numbers are sinking, and the Democratic leadership is feeling the heat. Party leaders exist to stand their ground for the party’s principles, and if they give ground, then the rest of team loses with them.
But … the leaders have to win elections to stay in leadership, or even stay in office. When former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepped down as minority leader, I wondered why she gave up the gig. After all, the speaker is the face of the party, commands the most respect, gets lots of accolades in the press, the better office and lots of money (plus the power to pick winners and losers).
She quit because she feared the left-wing base. Reports proliferated on Capitol Hill that she faced repeated frustrations with the growing Squad/Jihad/Progressive wing of the Democratic Party. From AOC to Summer Lee, and Maxwell Frost in between, the left-wing flank was riling up the leadership and roaring for aggressive results.
Pelosi had had enough, and she stepped aside with the Emeritus title as a consolation prize.
Now, Hakeem Jeffries is facing the same trouble. Notice how he just endorsed Zohran Mamdani for NYC Mayor! It’s not about uniting the party, but about shoring up his reelection chances next year.
The same for Cryin’, Lyin’, Sighin’ Chuck. He is facing heavy left-wing headwinds, specifically from AOC, who announced that she would work with Republicans to end the shutdown. Already flexing her own leadership muscle, the bartender from the Bronx is ready to stomp the long-time Democratic stalwart.
Schumer’s number one priority is … Schumer. He needs to protect his reelection chances, and he suffered a severe blow in popularity and polling when he went along with the first Continuing Resolution in March. He is digging in his heels, because he has everything to lose if this shutdown gamble fails.
As for the Republicans, they continue riding high. For the first time in American history, the Republicans’ favorables have increased during a shutdown, and Trump’s prestige improved dramatically. The cessation of funds allows the Chief Executive to cut spending, waste, government bloat, bureaucratic overreach, and shrink the administrative state.
Win, win, win.
Trump can still govern, still make great deals, increase America’s standing with global trading partners, and U.S. senators can approve his appointments, all while the government welfare and bureaucratic largesse grind to a halt.
But what about our military? A lone billionaire from Wyoming has stepped in, offering to cover their costs. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is finding ways to divert funding to ensure that her staff receives pay, as well.
Republicans are in a strong position to stand their ground, not give an inch. And they should not.
So, how does this Shutdown Showdown wind down for good?
The Democrats are the problem, and the corporate media are not covering for them anymore. Jake Tapper interviewed Katherine Clark, the progressive leftist who replaced Ed Markey in the House of Representatives, about what she and her caucus plan to do, since they are the ones frustrating the budget deal. They made excuses, and Tapper tapped them with the responsibility, not the GOP.
Jonathan Karl, the Washington Post, and other establishment media outlets have also changed their tune. Gone are the days of the Republican Revolution of the mid-1990s, when Big Media controlled the minds and narrative from TVs and radio, and the American public quickly blamed the GOP. Republicans are increasingly immune to the prying, pushing, and bullying of reporters, mostly because of President Trump’s firm resolve, and resounding success in 2024.
Major labor unions, including the largest federal employee union, as well as the postal workers, are demanding that Democrats give up, find another way to fund Obamacare, and just approve the continuing resolution. Democratic constituencies, i.e., the ones on foods stamps and government-funded healthcare, are chafing over the wait. Any prolonged deprivation will force them into independence, and therefore, off the Democratic plantation for good!
Feeling the pinch, Democrat U.S. Senators have admitted that they are leveraging Americans’ pain, and it’s not working. U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin recently announced that she’s a big girl, and she can see when her side just doesn’t have the cards—or the votes—to get her way. She’s leaning toward voting to approve the budget. Democrats like her have been receiving slow but steady praise from the Bill Mahers of the world: liberals who hate the woke, who are eager for a somewhat sane Democrat to carry the party mantle into 2028. Expect to see some Democratic U.S. senators with national ambitions position themselves as the Common Sense Caucus, hoping to hook some positive spotlight for a presidential run.
They will lean on Schumer to give up the fight, take some of the slings, but depend on corporate media to lionize them for being the “better people” to fund the government, and thus ends the shutdown.
Will Schumer maintain any goodwill after the funding is restored? Most likely not, since the left-wing base in New York State will claw at him for not keeping the Democratic caucus in line. One can imagine that he will either resign as Minority Leader (just like Pelosi), facing a revolt among his caucus, or, just to save what political face remains, he will announce his retirement.
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