What Was the Point of the Shutdown?
Democrats asked voters to weather short term pain from the shutdown to get long term gains in extending the ACA health insurance subsidies. Then they threw it all away.
So, what was the point of all that?
This morning we find ourselves on the cusp of the end to the longest government shutdown in US history. It went longer than anything the Tea Party did under Obama, longer than the one in the first Trump term, all because Democrats wanted to extend Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.
However, we woke up today, and Democrats are getting nothing, but a promise of a future vote on ACA subsidies. So federal employees took 40 days of pain, more than any other shutdown, for nothing? In the midst of that stoppage, President Trump's approval rating hit an all time low for any president and– earlier this week–Democrats made history with one of the most lopsided off-year elections in this country's history.
Never before has a political party had a more powerful mandate during a shutdown. In 2011, the Tea Party shut down the government and while they didn't get the exact concessions they asked for, they did get spending caps on a wide range of government expenditures. In 2013, the Tea Party, led by Ted Cruz, got nothing, and were widely seen as losing the shutdown battle. In 2018, Democrats shut down the government in Trump's first term and got broad spending increases in education, infrastructure, and drug prevention programs. Coming off Tuesday’s election, Democrats were in a dominant political position, today they have nothing anymore.
Human Rights Campaign Director of Communications Laurel Powell posted on BlueSky about her own family's struggles as a one fed-income family, and how frustrated she will be if all of that would be for nothing.
I have my own personal stakes in this as well. As a self employed journalist, I have had an ACA plan since 2017 and my income is on the borderline to qualify for a subsidy. In years when I make more money, I do not get it, but in leaner years, I get a huge reduction in my tax liability thanks to the retroactive activation of ACA subsidies.
In one of those lean years, that tax break represents about $6000, which I sorely need. Expiration of that subsidy threatens my life and career. (Today would be an amazing day to become a paid subscriber of mine!) I greatly appreciate Powell's sacrifice so that people like me can continue to make our own living, but apparently some Senate Democrats couldn't be bothered to continue leveraging their political advantage.
Poll after poll blamed Republicans and their refusal to compromise for the shutdown. In Virginia, where federal workers dominate the electorate, Republicans got virtually wiped out in state elections. That's as much of an endorsement of the Democratic party position as you will ever see
Five days later, a small group of Senate Democrats caved. Kaine, King, Hassan, Durbin, Cortez Masto, Rosen, and Fetterman. It's no coincidence that the Senators who fell on the sword to vote for ending the shutdown happened to be a couple of soon to be retirees from the chamber, along with people who are not up for re-election next year.
It all feels carefully calculated to insulate some vulnerable Democrats, along with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, from the inevitable anger of the party’s base.
I've said it before, but Schumer is absolutely useless. His instincts towards spineless politics are the exact opposite of what Democrats need in the second Trump era and it's long past time for him to be run out of his position as Minority Leader. If the Senate Democrats who voted no last night really meant it, they would be calling for his head right now.
I can't help but notice the silence this morning.
The allegedly savvy centrist pundits and those who cut the deal are out this morning saying that an extension of the subsidies was never going to happen, that Republicans weren't ever going to agree to it. Fine, let them choke on that. They already lost an election and drove the president's approval rating to an all time low, who knows how much worse it could have gotten for Republicans.
This time they got nothing but empty promises.
It's hard to see how this capitulation could be considered a win for Democrats. They took a stand, shut down the government, caused a ton of pain across the country, and got nothing in the end?
Voters will forget the shutdown in a couple weeks, this future vote will pass without much notice from the general electorate. Maybe Senate Democrats are hoping their base will forget quickly.
But every time I pay my taxes going forward, I will be reminded of this betrayal, and I will never forget. The next time a Democrat texts or emails you asking for funds, or the next time someone on social media says “vote blue no matter who,” or the next time you step into a voting booth, I hope you won’t forget either.
I really need your help. I know times are tough for everyone, so it's okay if you can't, but if you appreciate my work, I desperately need you to become a paid subscriber. Everything is getting more expensive, my health insurance premium is going way up, and now I'm losing my subsidy. Become a paid subscriber and help me out.
Best,
-Katelyn
