Let's take a moment to reflect on the ways Democrat leadership has benefited our national discourse: the Russia Collusion Hoax, the Brett Kavanaugh SCOTUS hearings, the Mueller Report, the Schumer threats to Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, the year-long lawfare and election interference against President Donald Trump, the Special Prosecutor Jack Smith investigation, and recently, the Schumer Shutdown--I want to add the word "Hoax" to the last one, though I know it was all too real. But some Democrats acted as though the republic would have collapsed if the shutdown weren't prolonged!
Let's examine the reasons behind the Schumer Shutdown. Some say it was because Sen. Chuck Schumer wanted to appear tougher and smarter with President Trump and Republicans, insisting that Republicans don't care about Americans' healthcare, regardless of the truth. But was that the real issue? Both Democrats and Republicans had initially approved the main bill, which was a "clean" Continuing Resolution (CR), that is without any extraneous provisions.
The problem was that Democrats didn't like what they had initially agreed to, finding it too bitter a pill to swallow. I'm irked by the cavalier attitude of many Democrat legislators, which seems to say, "We'll stick it to you again if we feel like it." Is their anger a response to the majority of Americans voting MAGA for Trump last November? The shutdown affected SNAP programs, airline travel, and the military, with some still awaiting relief. They’re so desperate to make an impact somewhere, somehow.
The Republican House and Senate voted to reopen the government multiple times, but vital Democrat legislators to arrive at the necessary 60 Senate votes were absent. Eighteen Democrat representatives and eight senators crossed party lines, and I thank them for doing their job. The 222-209 vote shows the remaining resentment among some Democrats. That’s a hospital floor and maybe two of TDS Stage 4 sufferers!
Democrat House Minority Leader Jeffries stated that the original bill failed to renew ACA (the now unaffordable hospitalization care act) Covid-era temporary subsidies, which Democrats deemed essential. A hidden essential was healthcare for illegal aliens. Sen. John Fetterman (D, PA) criticized the shutdown, “Well, you know, Bernie (Sanders, D,CT) should answer why he's OK with putting 42 million Americans to face mass food insecurity, or he can explain to the military why it's OK not to pay them and the tens of millions of Americans that are going to be flying," Sen. John Fetterman declared.
The Democrat Senator was unrepentant. “Tonight, eight Democrats voted with the Republicans to allow them to go forward on this continuing resolution," Sanders said. "And to my mind, this was a very, very bad vote."
To prevent future shutdowns, lawmakers should adopt a resolution stopping their payroll during shutdowns or apply the rule exclusively to those who refuse to report and vote.
Space forbids my mention of other prominent leaders like Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D, CA), Democrat Advisor James Carville, and a few more profiles in infamy. I’m certain that the new Marxist wing of the Democrat Party, present now increased numbers in two of our major cities, will contribute immeasurably to the discourse in the coming year, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York City and Mayor Katie Wilson, Seattle. The latter two make AOC (D, NY) and Jasmine Crockett (D, TX) seem almost normal.
Robert Penny is a Northsider.
