Democrats Should Not Give In

Democrats should not surrender the only leverage they have

There's a lot of pressure building in Washington to find a solution to the current month-long government shutdown. People are hurting. The public’s safety is at risk. Republicans have been trying to pin the blame on the Democrats, despite the fact that they already have the necessary votes to break the impasse. As Democrats view the pain of many of their constituents, it's only natural for them to feel empathy and to consider further compromising with the Republicans. The question at hand: Is a time for the Democrats to fold their tents had to pass The Republican budget?

Hell, no.

Why on earth should the Democrats surrender the only leverage they have? As I have noted, the Republicans already have the necessary votes to pass their "big beautiful budget." All they have to do is to use the "nuclear option." That would mean lowering the threshold for passage of the budget from the current 60 votes to a simple majority of 50. However, doing so would create a situation where the Democrats could accuse certain Republicans of "flip-flopping" on the issue. Or, if their votes remain against the very popular subsidies, they will face the wrath of their voters. Nearly two-thirds of the people taking advantage of the Obamacare subsidies voted for Trump.

There's another really good reason Democrats should hold tight on their strategy. Republicans say, "Vote on the budget now and we will vote on a separate Medicare subsidy bill next." Once again, why God's name should Democrats give up the only leverage they have? We're not even sure we can trust the Republicans to do what they say. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve lied to the American people. And even if they do pass a bill extending the subsidies, it's not likely that it will be a permanent solution. More likely, it will be a short-term extension. Then we will be back where we started. The Republicans are desperate to kill Obamacare. Why give them the club to do so?

The GOP is desperate to figure out a way to say face. Sure, the kind thing to do would be for Democrats to allow them some compromise. However, that would be the exact opposite of the way the Republicans have treated the Democrats over the past 10 months. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. For once, it's the Democrats’ turn to gloat about Republican evidence and incompetence.

Democrats: You've got them where you want them. Don't screw it up by compromising.