Outdated Politics

Well, I don't know about you, but I was one of the few who predicted that the Democratic party would cave. I just didn't think it would be a week after multiple Democratic election wins, which had the Republican party worried, which had Trump worried.

Of course they would squander it the following week- it's part of the Democratic brand. The fact that they would do so this fast after finally getting some momentum, after a lot of the public, not usually into politics, but due to the suffering that comes with not knowing if people are going to have enough, due to the suffering that people are going to have to spend as much as finally seeing the current Republican party for who they are and what they are for.

It actually says a lot and maybe I'm making assumptions, maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there. Or maybe the party knows they are about to be replaced with a new generation, or the fear of knowing their own mortality– that the replacement is coming sooner than later. Better to burn it all down than let anyone have a go at it. That is the boomer way, after all. And current leadership, well, let's just say they are not as young as they used to be. Again, maybe it's just me making assumptions.

It's either that or their finger is so far from the pulse that they actually did think they were failing. Did no one mention the wins, or the now- wasted momentum to the Democrats?

I touched on it a few times already, heck, the last thing I wrote about was said Democratic wins which mentions that we needed a new breed to lead the future and that the current one and its leadership has become stale and irrelevant.

My point has been made.

So what happened? It seems that the current Democratic leadership or lack of, made it so that eight Democratic Senators "defected" into ending the shutdown.

Here are the eight defectors and when they are up for reelection.

Tim Kaine (2030)
Jeanne Shaheen (Retiring)
Maggie Hasan (2028)
John Fetterman (2028)
Dick Durbin (Retiring)
Catherine Cortez Masto (2028)
Jacky Rosen (2030)
Angus King (2030)

Notice anything? It's easy to fall on a sword when not as close to its tip or when it might be considered dull when it's your turn or when you don't have to face it at all. Voters forget, after all.

What's worse, Schumer, who would rather shoot a 15 second video telling the American people that "he's still fighting for you!" , who would rather do that and get as far as he can away from the decision than take responsibility for his failure. A failure to match the one that happened in March. Those eight senators, prior to making the decision to end the shut down, had at least been having conversation with Schumer, before the decision was made. Apparently not enough convincing from leadership to not do so.

The fight itself was– enacting the shutdown- was for a greater good, with the one central goal, their whole point: an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. A worthy cause with 15 million people projected to lose health coverage due to not being able to afford said coverage otherwise. Of course, they could have asked for more, or could have had an actual agenda, but I guess they didn't want to be seen as greedy.

So because the cause itself was noble, what was the reason to cut the fight short? What was actually gained for essentially squandering the opportunity?

The continuing resolution to fund the government until January, for one. Reversing any federal layoffs that happened during the shutdown, as well as protections against layoffs for the rest of the year, as well as back pay, which would have happened regardless, because it's the law.

The chance for another vote? A chance for another no from the Senate? If it gets passed to the house, another chance at a no there? If for some reason, it passes there, a chance at a no from Trump? Surely he'll do anything but veto anything to do with what he considers Obamacare.

So what was it all for? Why did those eight cave and why did leadership let them do so, if not for the chance for another "no"? If not because they saw the writing on the wall and knew their time was up and they would rather go down with a sinking ship? Or because they thought it was a fight that couldn't be won? Or do they really do think this is a chance at bipartisanship? Are they that deluded?

So what was all the unease and suffering from the shutdown– the loss of benefits for those who need them, the lack of payment for government workers, the people who actually might have to go without healthcare–unease and suffering to those who actually have to go through it– what was that unease and suffering for the last 40+ days for then? This shutdown was fueled by sacrifice those people had to make, so what would these Democrats make of that sacrifice?

Did they even care?

Or did the shut down end for something as frivolous as wanting an easier time to travel during the holidays? After all, the Federal Aviation Administration was forced to delay flights across the country due to staffing shortages at dozens of facilities during the shut down. The airspace was about to be further restricted if the shutdown continued. Was this in consideration when these eight made their decision? The continuing resolution to fund the government until January, was this why the eight defected? So it would be easier to travel during the holiday season? When those with the money to travel might feel some hurt? One would hope not, but one never knows. This shutdown was about sacrifice for a greater good– god forbid if they couldn't even make the sacrifice.

One things for sure: the time of bipartisanship, that time where both the left and the right can come to a conclusion that could benefit both is over– there is no use negotiating with the current right. And yet, the Democrats use that as reasoning to give in. They would use their outdated politics, that contain no fight because they don't know any better or don't care.

The only thing that seems to come out of this is that everyone is starting to see how outdated those bipartisan politics are– how outdated and out of touch the leadership is. Fellow democrats are not happy.

The right– and Trump, meanwhile, now know they can out-chicken the democrats. All this did was embolden the right, even with the mounting pressure, they can avoid their role in the mayhem they can and will continue to cause until they no longer have to. The damage has been done.

The Simpson reference from above is from 1994 ( one of my favorite episodes, by the way). And so maybe it's always been that way– maybe the Democratic Party in this form, the form it has been since then and even before, has always been this out of touch and outdated. There's an argument for that, and like everything else, there's a starting point to it, but that's for another time.

One things for certain: Nothing was gained here.