These Useless Weenies
What are Democrats doing?
The government shutdown is over, thanks to eight Democrats who allied with Republicans in the Senate. In exchange for exactly nothing, these Democrats (and Democrat-allied independents) broke ranks, ceded the party’s only bargaining power, handed Trump a huge win, and got absolutely nothing for the American people.
Congratulations to all eight of them: John Fetterman, Maggie Hassan, Angus King, Jacky Rosen, Dick Durban, Jeanne Shaheen, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Tim Kaine. A round of applause goes to leader Chuck Schumer as well, who has one job — keep the troops in line — and utterly failed at it.
“Standing up to Donald Trump didn’t work,” Angus King of Maine, said. “It actually gave him more power.”
The problem is that these senators didn’t stand up. When the going got tough, they stood down.
No, Trump didn’t end the shutdown — instead, he’s been tearing down the East Wing, replacing the White House bathrooms with marble and gold, and hosting an extravagant Gatsby-themed party at Mar-a-Lago while money for food stamps runs out. His approval ratings have predictably tanked to their lowest point in his term so far. Polls showed that voters supported Democrats holding the line on health care subsidies, a totally reasonable demand. Democrats won big in off-year elections just last week. In other words, all signs pointed to the conclusion that voters are angry at Trump and the GOP, and happy to see Democrats fighting back.
Instead, these eight caved. They did not get the one thing Democrats were demanding, which was an extension of health care subsidies that would keep Americans’ premiums from skyrocketing. They got an empty promise from Sen. John Thune that he would schedule a vote on the ACA tax credit at the end of the year. But everyone knows this is meaningless: The Republican majority in the Senate won’t vote for it, and even if they did, House Majority Leader Mike Johnson won’t send it for a vote in his chamber.
So the government has been shut down for 40 days for absolutely nothing. Democrats have, again, chickened out and voluntarily ceded power to the Trump administration. None of the Democratic senators who surrendered are up for reelection this year — and two of them are elderly and set to retire at the end of their term. They simply gave up, gave in, and utterly betrayed their constituents.
Don’t get me wrong: The shutdown was a disaster. No one, or at least no one decent, wanted to see food stamps cut off or airports barely functioning or federal workers going without pay (Russ Vought and other far-right Trump administration officials certainly did want to see all of this). Shutdowns are not things to be taken lightly. But it’s hard to overstate just how devastating the coming ACA premium hike is going to be. Some 20 million Americans are going to see their insurance rates go up by hundreds of dollars. Some will wind up owing more than double what they currently pay.
Virtually no one wants this. Three-quarters of Americans want Congress to extend the ACA credits. And not that it should matter, but most Americans who rely on the ACA for healthcare live in states that went for Trump in 2024.
In the Times, Ezra Klein argues that this isn’t really a loss for Democrats, because “They elevated their best issue — health care — and set the stage for voters to connect higher premiums with Republican rule.” I disagree. They had set the stage for voters to connect higher premiums with Republican rule. But now, voters are going to see that Democrats gave up. Those premium hikes? They’re going to blow back on Democrats and Republicans alike. Truly superb work all around.
It’s time for a change. I personally think Chuck Schumer is a smart and decent guy, but he’s clearly outlived his utility as leader. And at the very least, Democrats need to understand that there are some consequences for being utterly useless weenies. We of course can’t blame the whole party for this fiasco, given that most Democratic senators did stay the course and did refuse to fold. But Schumer lost control of his party in a big way. I hope any voter who lives in Maine, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Virginia spends a few minutes today blowing up their senator’s phone lines. I hope Senate Democrats publicly criticize and shame their cowardly colleagues who sold out the party and the American people. And I hope Schumer’s days are done, and Democrats can find a leader who is actually capable of leading the party.
xx Jill
PRIMARY ALL OF THEM!!!!
Honest question here: Does anyone think there was a real chance to get those insurance premiums reinstated under this administration, under the budget direction Russell Vought? I don’t think that was a possibility, but I still wanted to see strength and solidarity.
Too many leaders, across many industries, have shown themselves unable to navigate these times.