Donald Trump and the Republican Party couldn’t get it together and behave like grown-ups, so the United States government is shutting down.
Republicans have spent the day trying to spin the shutdown as the “Schumer Shutdown,” or the shutdown that Democrats wanted, but their messaging has fallen flat as most Americans are well aware that Republicans are in control of Congress and occupy the White House.
Democrats tried to get a deal done. They have negotiated in good faith. It has been Donald Trump and his fear of the wrath of his far-right base that has derailed a deal at every turn. As long as Trump continues to live in fear of his support declining even more, the government shutdown will continue. It is difficult to see how the shutdown ends if Trump won’t commit to an agreement to keep the Dreamers in the country.
This is the shutdown that was totally avoidable and never had to happen, but thanks to Trump it has happened, and there is no obvious way out. Democrats aren’t going forget about the Dreamers, and Trump’s immigration hardliners are never going to support protections for the Dreamers.
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The government shutdown is another moment that should crystallize in the minds of voters the idea that Republicans must be thrown out of Congress. A shutdown alone won’t lose the midterm election, but the shutdown has reinforced what the majority of the electorate already knew.
Trump and his Republicans have got to go.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
