The current scenario makes it likely there will be a government shutdown. I’ll edit this if it ends up being averted, but if it is, it will be because the Republicans buckled to Chuck Schumer’s demands in whole or in part. Either way, this article is relevant.
In one set of scenarios, Republicans will be given all the ammunition they need to coast to major victories in the 2018 midterm elections. Instead of simply retaining their majorities, as is the hope for most in the GOP, they may actually end up making gains. The President called for such an event today:
Government Funding Bill past last night in the House of Representatives. Now Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate – but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming? We need more Republican victories in 2018!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018
It should be noted that I am not a Republican who is simply cheering them on. I’m a Federalist, so my analysis is not guided by hope or propaganda. Both parties promote big government policies. The only difference is which topics they focus upon, which means the ebb and flow of control by the two-party system will incessantly grow DC’s overreach… but that’s all for another article.
Assuming there’s a shutdown, both sides will continue to point fingers at the other in hopes of making their version of the narrative stick. The reality should be crystal clear to anyone other than the liberally indoctrinated or mainstream media: this is 100% on the Democrats. We’re talking about a spending bill. The fact that they’re holding it up to score points with Dreamers and their supporters is despicable.
Let’s look at the two types of people affected the most by this. The first are obviously those working for the government. They will not be getting paid. Some will have to work despite not getting paid for it. The effects of the Democrats’ actions will impact them immediately. These are American citizens.
The second people “affected” by this would be the Dreamers. They will almost certainly have some form of amnesty before March 5 when the DACA executive order officially runs out. If Schumer’s Shutdown is averted without a DACA protection element, what will happen to these people? Exactly what would happen to them with a DACA protection element included. Their lives will not be affected by the outcome of the continuing resolution, but even if there were small differences, those wouldn’t be felt until March. These are not American citizens.
The Democrats are posturing for one reason and one reason only: They want the credit for saving Dreamers. As it stands, they will not get that credit if a bipartisan bill is signed by the President in February or March. Today, they have the opportunity to stamp a big letter “D” on the DACA fight and they’re willing to harm American citizens to do it.
I am opposed to a government shutdown because Americans will get hurt by it. We need to curtail spending dramatically, but shutting down the government is not the “wakeup call” many conservatives are promoting it as. Address budgets, reform entitlements, and cut the billions in wasteful spending that gets pumped out of our wallets and into the ether, but keep the government running in the meantime.
To do this, the Republicans may buckle. By the time you’re reading this, they may have done so already. However, their path to victory in 2018 will be paved by first keeping DACA out of the CR and then fixing DACA before March 5. If they do this, they can point to the fact the President and Republican leaders promised a fix and delivered, but the Democrats shut down the government in an effort to claim credit. That message is true and can resonate if they blast it out there loud enough during election season. That means they can’t buckle now and they must deliver later.
I’m not a proponent for “fixing” DACA, but since it’s almost certainly going to happen, this is the path the GOP must take in order to keep their majorities.
This whole shutdown debacle is a parade of conflicting buffoonery. Democrats are marching down the street clothed in false righteousness. Republicans are following behind them wearing the clown outfits of incompetence. America may deserve a government shutdown for keeping the two-party system intact for so long.
Update – The Democrats do not have the people on their side and even CNN is forced to report it:
CNN poll: DACA not worth a shutdown, except to Democrats
Washington (CNN)With hours to go before a midnight deadline for Congress to fund the government or shut it down, most Americans say avoiding a shutdown is more important than passing a bill to maintain the program allowing people brought to the US illegally as children to stay, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
