Not Exactly Holding My Breath

 

US Senate Democratic leaders (Schumer et al.) promised two days ago that they would not provide the votes to get to the needed 60 to pass the Republicans’ stopgap spending plan needed to fund the government past Sept. 30, because the Republicans never involved them in negotiating and writing it. Democratic phones did not ring. Meanwhile, the House is sure to pass the plan, maybe today, with a majority margin of 3 probably, but if the Senate balks -- if Schumer actually follows through and leads a revolt against a thoroughly corrupt system, then we got ourselves an interesting moment in history. My folklore on corporatism sez that high-ranking Democrats always end up supporting the status quo, and they have high-minded goals to justify the vote: It's for the common good. It's to save government itself. It's also the embarrassing weakness of going-along-on-a-bad-sleigh-ride to a shindig where you and your values are irrelevant -- in fact, insulted and stomped on. 

I'm watching this standoff to see if Democrats hang together and actually buck this time.

Schumer offered the Republicans a compromise, hilarious on its face: You'll get Democrats' votes after you add $1 trillion (you read that right!) to the spending plan -- so that we can permanently extend Obamacare subsidies (set to expire at the end of the year) and repair the breach to Medicaid and other health programs inflicted on the public by the BBB (NYTimes). Negotiation counter-punch. And why not start with a very big number? And apply it to programs that Republicans absolutely hate for their proximity to socialism? I'm assuming that Schumer has that caucus unified. It would take only 8 Democratic senators to break ranks to pass the Republican CA.

If there's a government shutdown because Senate Democrats for once refuse to go along and help the Republicans get to 60 -- what's the fallout? Your guess counts with mine. Do Democrats get blamed and booed for wrecking the economy, like the Freedom Caucus did in the government shutdown of 2013? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they'll be celebrated for being strong, and for throwing a wrench into a system that has already been effectively subverted, corrupted, and wrecked, where people are targeted for elimination, where there is growing chill over the freedom of speech, and the highest court is an enabler of arbitrary power, which is not allowed in our Republic (but is).