Shutting down our government was a terrible strategy for both political parties, and those who endorsed the action should be casualties in the next national election. The harm inflicted on needy Americans and essential government workers was very damaging.
During this era of cut-throat rhetoric and garbage politics, the major impediment to efficient and timely governance is the filibuster in the Senate. This antiquated tool of the standing minority has created many problems over the last few years. Effectively, the minority in the Senate can halt most aspects of law making if it controls 41 seats. This means that the Senate is incapable of enacting laws in conjunction with the House unless it convinces some minority members to vote with it.
The strategy of Democrats during this hurtful moment of government stagnation was to force Republicans to make concessions concerning health care that made no sense. A senatorial standoff prevented the US government from being able to borrow money to pay for social programs, military salaries, air traffic controllers and government subsidies that reduce medical costs.
The largest and strongest country in the world was temporarily bankrupt and unable to pay expenses affiliated with government programs that prevent hunger in our country.
It was sinful to watch the government grovel for money to pay its employees. We as Americans just stood by as babies were unfed and airport services were jeopardizing the safety of Americans flying on airplanes.
Why did this come about? It was all a play to make Trump look bad. Democrats have only one issue as we enter the next race for the presidency- Donald Trump. Meanwhile Trump is addressing our nation’s problems.
Democrats will not have a chance to win the next election unless they surface issues and propose ways to deal with them. Using Trump as a target going into 2028 is a waste of time and money because he cannot compete for the White House.
To make matters worse, the same old washed up individuals are lining up to compete/influence the campaigned for president. Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom are attempting to gain traction with their party. Bernie Sanders, Zohran Mamdani and AOC are pushing for more progressive candidates, which will play into the hands of conservatives.
If I were running the for president as a Democrat, I would zero in on the likes of Vance and Rubio.
The Democratic Party is in tatters. One segment of it is trying to bully their way into power represented by the most progressive side of the party. The American people don’t want radical leaders. Notwithstanding some lost support among voters during the past few weeks, the Republicans stand in good position to fully dominate the next presidential campaign.
One last word on the filibuster issue. It can be abolished by a simple majority vote in the Senate. The minority party in the Senate will always object to eliminating the filibuster.