Again, the Republicans have control of the White House, both chambers of Congress and the Supreme Court. The currently unfolding catastrophe is entirely the fault of Republicans. The only meager power the Democratic minority has is through the Senate filibuster, ensuring that the most unpopular Republican bullsh-t needs 60 votes in the Senate, meaning the Republicans need seven Democratic “defectors” to pass something without a filibuster. This has been literally the only thing stopping Republicans from gutting the ACA and taking away healthcare from tens of millions of Americans – the threat of a filibuster on the Continuing Resolution to end the government shutdown. Just last week, Democrats proposed passing a clean CR with status quo ACA funding, and Republicans balked. The American people, in poll after poll, blame the shutdown on Republicans as well. Not to mention, Republicans just got their asses handed to them in last week’s elections. Now is not the moment for Democrats to capitulate on anything. Well, guess what they’re doing?
The Senate on Sunday night took the first step toward ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history, after a group of Democrats broke their party’s blockade and voted with Republicans to advance legislation to reopen the government.
The 60-to-40 vote paved the way for the spending agreement to begin making its way through Congress, where it would still need to be debated and passed by the Senate, win approval in the House and be signed by President Trump to bring the shutdown to a close.
Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted to advance the measure, which would fund most federal agencies through January. That indicated there were enough votes to end weeks of gridlock that has shuttered the government for 40 days, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed, millions of Americans at risk of losing food assistance and millions more facing air travel disruptions.
But the deal prompted a quick and fierce backlash among Democrats, many of whom were livid that their colleagues had backed down from the party’s central demand in the shutdown fight: the extension of health insurance subsidies that are slated to expire at the end of the year, sending premiums soaring for millions of Americans.
The compromise measure included a provision that many Democrats had sought to reverse layoffs of federal workers made during the shutdown. It also came with a commitment from Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, to allow a vote in December on extending the expiring health insurance tax credits for a year. Many Democrats have said for weeks that such a pledge would be insufficient to win them over, since such a bill has appeared all but certain to die in the Republican-led Congress.
The Democratic defectors’ decision allowed Republicans, who have been unable to push through a temporary spending bill over Democratic opposition, to finally cobble together the 60 votes needed to do so, though reopening the government could still take some time.
I’m not someone who bad-mouths Democrats over every little thing – I feel like that’s what got the country into this mess during the Biden administration – but these eight Democratic defectors are f–king morons, holy sh-t. They are not getting ANYTHING in return, just a “promise” of an ACA vote next month. If the vote even happens (lol) I know exactly how it will go as well. This is absolute horses-t, one of the dumbest political capitulations I’ve ever seen. Dozy Dementia Don has never been more unpopular! The public blames Trump and the GOP for the shutdown! FIGHT BACK, g–ddamn it.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
