vichie81 / Depositphotos.com
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Republicans need to get the legislation to end the government shutdown written and passed and onto Donald Trump’s desk. Today would not be too soon.
The way the shutdown ended is an unequivocal unspinnable win for Republicans, means the Democrats could back out of the deal. They’ve been lambasted by their own side ever since the Sunday 60-40 test vote.
One of the problems with the shutdown for Democrats have been unrealistic expectations. Democrats don’t have the votes in either the house or the senate to pass any of their own proposals. The minority party does not dictate terms. So, for instance, getting more money for Obamacare was always a political impossibility. Obamacare is a democrat political program, passed without a single republican vote. The program’s shortcomings and ever-increasing needs for more funding, are the democrats’ problem. Even the vote the Dems have been promised won’t result in an extension of subsidies. The best they can hope for is an issue to campaign on for the 2026 midterms.
The issue of the filibuster is more complicated and more interesting. Every democrat in the Senate has already voted for doing away with it. They were stymied by two of their own – Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema – who are no longer in the Senate. So there is little doubt what the donkeys will do should they get control of the Senate again. Perhaps the elephants should make the change now, while they can still pass large parts of their agenda. “They wouldn’t dare” doesn’t seem like a winning strategy.
I doubt that voters on the political left will come to the conclusion that their politicians forced the foodshare crisis and the air travel meltdown on the American public. What they do know is that their side caved. Rarely in politics is there such a clear-cut result. We won. They lost.
Chris Conley
Comments