LOL, like I said we are looking at
but to do so he needs to “run the country without all these people”. So seems we agree.
Indeed. It doesn’t seem smart to push for a shutdown when one’s party doesn’t control the White House. Presidents get to decide what qualifies as “essential services” and what does not.
DB2
The guys who control house, senate and WH are not responsible for shutdown but the minority party?? The minority party has only few leverage and they have to use that.
We have an unusual situation where the POTUS doesn’t even want to attempt to have a dialogue. Rather he sees this as an opportunity to fire American citizens and make them unemployed.
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The electeds of the minority party look to be about to use their very limited leverage to signal its own members especially, but the electorate as a whole, that
their extremely valulable health care is about to VANISH due to GOP/Trump malevolence and sloppiness, and that the Dems have chosen to fight at least to protect that.
A good clear message, maybe. But given the social breakdown of the nation into polarized religio-politico factions in states of rage, the message will likely prove to be in vain.
Next possible stop on the “dictatorship for USA” train are the constitutionally crucial midterm elections, with early signals to brakemen given via primary campaigning beginning now and climaxing in June.
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That strategy seems like maneuvering into a box canyon. There are reasons for Schumer’s actions back in March. At the time he argued that a shutdown would be a gift to the Trump administration.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/03/13/congress/chuck-schumer-shutdown-vote-00230000
DB2
…and there are other reasons to do something very different now.
In March the point was “It ain’t us Democrats who are screwing this up,” and I supported Schumer in doing that. Since then soybean market collapse, Kimmel, and ICE raids, etc., have made it far clearer “who is screwing this up” to all but the 20% of the prez electorate who are religio-MAGAsters.
Ramming home the facts of GOP ignorance, heedlessness, and malevolence about health care for normal USAians would now be both powerful and useful. I hope they punch that big red button, so that either the Dems fight for and deliver the recovery of now widely loved “Obamacare” from the GOPster destruction, or that the GOPsters show they really do not give a fork and by election time the electorate learns….
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If someone believes the shutdown is due to Democrats, they are just blind to facts. You have a president who is unleashing chaos on everything. None of his position has any consistency, one day he shames Ukraine President and embaraces himself and the US in front of TV cameras, demands he needs Ukraine resources to support them, to you have to concede land to get peace, to, “do whatever you guys want, because I am not getting nobel peace prize”…
Even GOP congress can legitimately say, we have a completely unhinged POTUS who is upending everything and we are riding this roller coaster just like everyone. I will have some sympathy, not much, but little sympathy to that argument.
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It still seems to me like an own goal by the D’s, but we will find out.
DB2
R’s have complete control of the government. But sure, blame this on the D’s. For crying out loud.
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A couple of points. a) There is a CR passed by the House and all the Senate D’s have to do is pass it to avoid a shutdown. b) However the blame game works out, my ‘own goal’ comment was directed not at that but at the D’s giving the White House even more power.
I think Schumer’s political instincts were correct the first time around in March.
DB2
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He’s consistently chaotic. It’s an effective and well known technique that keeps people off balance, confused, fearful, and manipulable. The GOP and 2025ers are capitalizing off his chaos. No pity to them.
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The R’s sought no input from the D’s on the CR bill, the D’s reject what is in the bill, but yet you expect them to vote for it and to “own” the shutdown if they don’t? Your logic is truly baffling.
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A couple of points. a) There is a deed of transfer of all your possessions to an ex-lover signed by your ex-spouse and all you have to do is sign it to avoid having a bucket of cheap wine poured over your head.
Such a very very difficult choice, no?
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Yes, it sucks being out of power. Using your analogy, the Ds have lost the power to write a deed (legislation) and so are opting for the wine dunk.
This gives more power to the White House in hopes that that will convince more independents to vote for the Ds next year. Who knows, it may work but it certainly is risky.
DB2
What incentive do Ds have to vote for anything? If they vote for the CR, more people will get fired. If they don’t vote for the CR, more people will get fired. If they vote for the CR, funding will get impounded. If they don’t vote for the CR, funding is not available.
This is a classic “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario. However, the Ds are betting on things getting so bad that they won’t have much convincing to do. Given the current state of affairs, seems like a pretty good bet.
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OK… so what you are arguing is…
- Republicans managed to pass the bill that gave/ continued massive tax cuts to the billionaires
- But republicans need democrats to accept cutting healthcare for US citizens; if not we will shutdown the government and fire all federal employees.
We have seen this movie in the past. For US-Mexico wall US government was shutdown for a very long time in history. At least then some of the appropriations bill passed, this time entire government goes dark.
Last time the market went down 19%. The hedges are cheap, if you are not buying hedges it is on you. Because after all, tank the market, buy the stocks then bring the government back and the market rebounds, reap 100’s of billion in profits… is not something that is beyond the schemes of this administration.
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No, I’m not focusing on the details. I’m just saying the D’s have no power, and for some reason they are willing to give the White House even more power. Seems counterintuitive to me.
DB2
How so? How does refusing to vote for the CR give the White House more power? The White House is already running roughshod over everything.
Saying the Ds have no power overlooks the fact that the slim majority in the House and Senate cannot function without support from some Ds. Yet, they refuse to compromise.
It won’t be long before they’re pressured to get rid of the fillibuster.
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I could be wrong, but it seems that presidents run shutdowns. Presidents get to decide what qualifies as “essential services,” and what does not. Currently we have a president who wants to “drain the swamp” and reduce federal bureaucracies. What do Schumer and Jeffries think Trump will do with a shutdown? He can shut down and shutter offices that provide union support to Democrats. He can suspend subsidies to Democrat-allied groups and localities.
The danger to the R’s is that if a recession occurs in the next few months then they could be blamed.
DB2
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I don’t know what they think. For anyone who’s been following the situation, it’s clear. TFG will continue doing what’s he’s already been doing, but at an accelerated pace.
How can the Ds be blamed when TFG has said they’ll do it on their own? Seems silly.
"Instead, Trump suggested that Republicans would keep the government open themselves, claiming GOP leaders “have to get Republican votes. That’s all.”
However, any spending deal will be subject to the 60-vote filibuster requirement in the Senate, meaning at least seven Democrats will need to side with Republicans to advance the measure. But Trump brushed off that math — without explaining how he could avoid a shutdown absent the needed Democratic support."
Officially, the Ds have used healthcare extensions for their reasoning. Many make a more broad argument for a shutdown. When an administration is doing dangerous things, cutting off funding limits how much destruction they can cause.
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