By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Following the recent elections, Democrats are debating their next move in the ongoing shutdown, with some centrists open to a deal while others, like Senator Sanders, urge against yielding without significant gains in healthcare. Democrats are leveraging the election results, including wins in states with furloughed federal workers, to pressure Republicans and secure a commitment on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. Despite internal divisions, discussions persist among Senate Democrats and Republicans, aiming to reopen the government, though the specifics of any agreement remain uncertain. The pressure is mounting on both parties to find a resolution, and the influence of the election’s outcome, along with Trump’s reactions, continue to shape the negotiation landscape.
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Democrats emboldened by election results mobilize against centrists’ emerging shutdown deal.
The election results are in, and the message is clear: Democrats have no reason to back down. The resounding victories across the board have given them a powerful mandate. The Republicans own this shutdown; the election results proved that. Even the former president, with all his shortcomings, must see that this is hurting the GOP.
The ideal scenario is for Democrats to demand that the House be called back into session to provide a clean Continuing Resolution (CR) that includes full funding for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The GOP needs to understand that every week this shutdown continues, they’re handing the Democrats another point in the upcoming election cycle. If the Democrats are up by ten points now, the House is easily within their grasp. If that number goes up to fifteen, the Senate is also in play. At twenty, the GOP faces a potential wipeout across the nation. Folding now, after all that’s transpired, makes no sense. Holding firm and securing a real compromise is the only thing that gives this shutdown any meaning. Capitulating to the Republicans just reinforces the narrative they’ve been pushing, the one that caters to the far-right base. The Democrats need to stay strong and make the Republicans own this self-inflicted crisis.
Senator Bernie Sanders, just hours before the initial election results came in, warned Democrats in no uncertain terms about the ongoing closed-door negotiations to end the shutdown. At a tense, hours-long meeting on Capitol Hill, Sanders urged his colleagues to demand real concessions on health care before agreeing to anything. He was armed with polling data that showed voters would punish the party if they conceded without significant gains, according to sources.
By the next day, the landslide victories were evident. Sanders and his allies in Congress pointed to these results, including in Virginia, a state with a large federal workforce, as undeniable evidence of the need to keep fighting. As Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut put it, “It would be very strange if on the heels of the American people rewarding Democrats for standing up and fighting, we surrendered without getting anything. I think we are in an enormously strong position right now.”
During a private call with House Democrats, lawmakers like Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut urged their centrist Senate colleagues to directly oppose the emerging deal. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled on the call that he was keeping pressure on his counterparts in the Senate, according to sources. Outside groups are also mobilizing to pressure the centrist Democrats and ensure they stay firm. Restoring the food bank shipments and SNAP funding cut in the previous Republican bills is a critical demand that the Democrats should take.
This nation is unlikely to be this focused on food security again. The Democrats should call out the GOP’s heartless cuts and provide food to Americans in the process.
Centrists cozying up to the Republicans while progressives fight for genuine healthcare feels like a repeat of past failures. The voters have spoken, and the Democrats need to seize this moment. There’s a real danger that Americans will start feeling the pain of the Republican’s shutdown and, more specifically, the impending loss of insurance subsidies the Republicans caused. Republicans will never be able to spin this around and blame the Democrats. The situation gives the Democrats the high ground to make some serious demands. The Republicans are just the messenger, they caused this, and they need to be held accountable for it. There is no reason to back down now.
It’s time to call the shutdown what it is: the Trump Shutdown! Centrists, often referred to as conservatives in other democratic countries, must learn from history. Our current political leader blames everyone but himself and refuses to lead.
It’s tempting to apply the political playbook, the one that says to deny culpability, blame others, and claim it was an accident. It would be an act of breathtaking stupidity to agree to any deal that isn’t a real deal. There’s no need to compromise. They should hold their ground. Some Democratic leadership needs to go, replaced by new voices and new strategies. Never interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake. The fear is that the leadership may sell out. Centrists are just Republicans who aren’t quite extreme enough to fit into the MAGA mold.
The bare minimum is not acceptable. Getting nothing done, but getting all the benefits. Completely indifferent to accountability. The answer is not “both sides.” The Democrats need to unite against the Republicans and they’ll likely win. Some of the Democratic leadership has the charisma of wet cardboard. It is time to primary them with people who are authentic and have a vision, push a top vs. bottom message and point the finger at billionaires and foreign adversaries. The only thing compromising with this administration will do is allow them to continue to attack us bit by bit while manipulating the narrative. If they cave and get nothing, then some voters won’t vote for them.
The Democratic Party needs to work out their issues and focus on the current crisis.