Victor Davis Hanson: Democrats' Shutdown Strategy and the Consequences

The Mechanics of Government Shutdowns

• 🏛️ Government shutdowns typically occur when the out-party loses power in the House and Senate and lacks the leverage to push through their agenda.
• 📌 In such cases, the minority party may refuse to vote on budgets as their only recourse, especially when they cannot override a filibuster in the Senate.
• ⏳ Historically, initial justifications for shutdowns, like lack of negotiation or excessive spending, lose credibility as the public experiences direct impacts like delayed paychecks or disrupted services.

Democratic Party's "Doom Loop"

• 📉 Victor Davis Hanson argues the Democratic Party is in a "doom loop" as their core issues—such as open borders, defunding the police, and pro-Palestine stances—are on the losing side of public opinion.
• 🚫 The party lacks charismatic leaders like Bill Clinton or Barack Obama to champion these unpopular positions nationwide.
• ⏳ This situation is exacerbated by an aging establishment (Pelosi, Schumer) whose policies and rhetoric are out of touch with broader national sentiment, leading to internal party conflict.

The Pretext and Real Reasons for the Shutdown

• 🏥 The stated pretext for the shutdown is the refusal to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which Democrats argue is necessary for affordability, while Republicans criticize it as "non-affordable health care."
• 🎯 A primary real reason is the belief that creating chaos and turmoil will hurt the incumbent party and specifically Donald Trump, by making voters seek a return to normalcy.
• 💥 Another significant factor is the internal struggle within the Democratic Party, where a radicalized base is pushing for extreme positions that the establishment fears will lead to general election losses, similar to past candidates like McGovern.

Consequences of the Shutdown Strategy

• 🎭 The shutdown is framed as Democrats signaling to their base that they are as radical as possible, even if it means pulling down the entire system, akin to Samson.
• 🇺🇸 The ultimate loser in this strategy is the American people, who suffer the consequences of the government being held hostage.
• 📈 Democrats may be seeing a diminishing return on their investment in shutting down the government as public opinion begins to turn against them.