Enough Senate Democrats caved last night to the Republicans, making it likely that the government shutdown will end—but without the Democrats achieving their goal of restoring Obamacare subsidies. This was an astounding display of Democratic disunity in the face of total Republican discipline. It exposed Chuck Schumer’s inability to keep Senate Democrats united, while highlighting Trump’s ability to maintain cohesion among Senate Republicans. Frankly, I’ll be surprised if Schumer survives as Senate Minority Leader after this.
Overall, the Democrats’ cave is a huge mistake for several reasons.
First, Democrats hold all the cards. As even Trump admitted after last Tuesday’s blowout, voters chose Democrats across the board because of the shutdown. It’s clear that voters blame the Republicans. Given this, why on earth should Democrats cave?
Second, Senate Democrats never voted for Trump’s “Big Ugly” bill that removed the Obamacare subsidies—among many other travesties—because Republicans used a process called “reconciliation” that allowed them to pass the bill with a bare Senate majority and no Democratic votes. So now that Democrats finally have some bargaining leverage, why would they give it up?
Third, while it’s obvious that some Americans are hurting right now because of the shutdown, caving to Republicans won’t end the pain. Trump and his lapdogs continue to assert they have the power to slash whatever programs they dislike. Republican leader John Thune assured Senate Democrats that he would give them a vote on Obamacare subsidies sometime in December, but this is a near-worthless promise. Even if the Senate voted to continue the subsidies, the Republican-controlled House is unlikely to allow a vote. Worse yet, there is no guarantee the White House will cooperate. In fact, it’s clear that the White House will dig in on all sorts of programs Democrats support.
Do Senate Democrats really believe that Americans will suffer any less when the government reopens but Trump and his sycophants continue to hack away at the programs they oppose?
Finally, because of the Democrats’ cave, premiums under the Affordable Care Act are likely to soar starting in January. This increase may cause many young, healthier people to drop out of the program, forcing those who remain to pay even higher premiums or lose coverage altogether. In other words, Trump and his Republicans have found a backdoor way to erode or even end a program they’ve targeted since Trump came to power in 2016.
I admire Senate Democrats’ soft hearts but not their soft heads. I hope there is still time for them to regain their mettle.
https://www.rawstory.com/chuck-schumer-2674282138/
