Democrats seem ready to dig in for the long haul regarding the government shutdown, just as they did when Obama was in office, when the government was shut down for 16 days to keep funding for Obamacare.
Thus far, public sentiment appears to be on the GOP side, but that could change rather quickly the longer this goes.
Senator Schumer (D-N.Y.), however, appears to be showing a bit of panic, invoking the Epstein files in making his case to the American people that this is all the GOP’s fault.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is thinking along the same lines as me in that Democrats have more or less back themselves into a corner over this healthcare stand.
Thune stated, "There are conversations ongoing where Democrats, who I think realize this is a losing strategy for them… want to find an off-ramp here and are talking to Republicans.”
He further stated that these left-wing extremist groups have their hooks in the Democrats, adding, "[These] groups are so adamant in their desire to fight President Trump. It's sort of this blind Trump derangement syndrome, if you will. They don't want to give the president victory on anything.”
He is absolutely right in that anything that Trump says, these leftists automatically take the opposite stance. I have stated before that if Trump announced a cure to cancer, these people would run in the opposite direction out of sheer spite.
I have also stated that I believe Schumer is doing this to raise his profile and try to regain the support he lost from the first continuing resolution (CR) being passed, as well as the threat of AOC taking his seat from him in 2028.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) touched on this very subject over the weekend, stating, “The real reason we’re having the shutdown is Chuck Schumer is in a political crisis. A couple of months ago, he agreed to allow the government to stay open, and his left-wing base got furious with him.
“He is looking over his left shoulder, terrified that AOC is going to primary him, and so this is a temper tantrum. This is Chuck Schumer and the Democrats saying we hate Donald Trump, and we hate Donald Trump so much we are going to shut the government down.
“The government will reopen when Schumer’s temper tantrum ends, but this is pure political theater trying to guard his left base.”
I doubt Schumer thought he would take a hit over this, but that is what seems to be happening right now.
So, when Schumer was discussing the shutdown, he dug deep into the well to make it about the Epstein files, stating, “Look, Johnson’s not serious about this. He sent all his congressmen home last week and home this week. How are you going to negotiate?
“The reason he sent them home is because he’s more interested in protecting the Epstein files than protecting the American people from the health care crisis. We’ve been trying for months and months to sit down with them and have a serious conversation addressing America’s health care needs. And they’ve refused and refused and refused.”
This is not about the Epstein files, but all about the fact that Democrats are being dishonest about the money for healthcare and where it will go. Technically, they are not funding “illegal” immigrants, but some of that money will go to pay for benefits for “non-citizens,” so this is really about semantics, and the GOP is pounding that message. So far, it’s working.
