Democrats were energized this week after sweeping election wins on Tuesday night.
I would, however, ask whether they are putting way too much faith in a couple of wins to persist in digging in further on the current government shutdown.
Democrats clearly think they have the right approach, as the optimism about an imminent resolution that was present earlier in the week has since dissipated, and the common narrative now is that liberals plan to keep holding out on the stalemate, believing they hold the hammer.
Democrats have regularly accused the GOP of not negotiating with them to resolve the shutdown, but that is just complete and utter nonsense.
Going back to early October, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SC) offered Democrats a standalone bill to address sunsetting Obamacare subsidies, but it was rejected.
Democrats wanted Thune to guarantee the outcome of the vote, which he obviously could not do.
After Democrats rejected the offer, Thune responded, “At some point, Democrats have to take ‘yes’ for an answer.” He then added, “Can I guarantee an outcome? No. I can’t guarantee it’s going to pass.”
As I am writing this report, the Senate is preparing for its 15th vote to fund the government, but I am not feeling positive in any way that the measure will pass.
While prepping the Senate for yet another attempt to pass the continuing resolution (CR), Thune stated, “Democrats instigated this shutdown by rejecting a clean, non-partisan funding resolution."
He continued, “Republicans weren’t asking them to swallow a bunch of new conservative policies. There isn’t a single partisan policy in the bill. And yet Democrats couldn’t bring themselves to take yes for an answer.”
The sad reality of this is that while Democrats are the party voting “no,” and even though the mainstream media has blamed them for it, voters are siding with the left, and that is all that counts in the Democrats' eyes, so they are holding firm.
There was clearly movement toward potential resolution earlier in the week, as some Senate Democrats appeared to be looking for an off-ramp. I likened this to knowing when to get up at the poker table to make sure you walk away with a profit.
Well, Democrats just won a big hand on Tuesday, but they now appear ready to grind it out to try to take everyone at the table. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) came out of his luncheon meeting with Democrat senators with a big smirk on his face, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) confirmed that her side is going to hold out, adding, "We fight for access to healthcare for millions of people across this country. Affordability is a giant issue for American families. They told us that at the polls on Tuesday, but they tell us that every day of their lives."
Thune responded, "I think the clear path forward here with regard to the [Obamacare] issue, open up the government, and we head down to the White House and sit down with the president and talk about it. But I just, right now there is hostage taking, as you all know. The consequences are getting more pronounced."
The Democrat narrative is a complete and utter joke, in my opinion. If they got crushed on Tuesday, they would have already folded. They are holding out because they think it will help them win elections and take power back in Congress. At some point, sentiment will change if the GOP keeps putting up the funding bill for a vote and Democrats keep voting no. If you stay in a hand too long, you will see your stack move across the table. For the GOP, it cannot get any worse, so I would just ride things out at this point, but I would continue to put legislation on the floor, including standalone legislation to fund the subsidies, to force Democrats to keep saying “no.” It may take a minute, but eventually, people will wake up as to who is really responsible.
