JD FOSTER: Five Essential Lessons From Shutdown

Many lessons appear from the longest government shutdown on record, some obvious, some subtle. The most obvious is that the party with the strongest hand always wins unless the hand is badly misplayed. Republicans had by far the stronger hand, and they played it perfectly.

The Republican hand was initially weak as their thin majorities are made thinner by members who dance to their own music.

The Republican hand greatly strengthened with the decision to seek a “clean” Continuing Resolution (CR). Democrats wanted a clean CR plus something extra — a huge change in policy from current law. The Republican position was much easier to communicate.

The Republican hand further strengthened when the House voted to keep the government open. Senate Republicans, backed by President Trump, tried repeatedly to pass the CR only to be blocked by Democrats. Even some in the legacy media struggled to explain why Republicans were at fault for the shutdown when they voted repeatedly to keep the government open.

Lesson 1: The stronger hand wins. This lesson is repeated with every shutdown, but some legislators never seem to learn.

Lesson 2: The winner gets politically stronger and the loser gets weaker. This one is playing out now in real time.

Further, as the stronger hand is apparent as a possible shutdown draws nigh, shutdowns gain the losers nothing of substance.

Lessons 1 and 2 lead to Lesson 3: Shutdowns are stupid, and, in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, “stupid is as stupid does.”

Lesson 4: Leadership matters. The Democrats’ play could have worked, but only if Republican leadership faltered. Instead, Senate Leader Thune and House Speaker Johnson understood their advantages and held firm, demonstrating an admirable stoutness.

Democrats? Not so much, though Senate Democratic Leader Schumer gave it his best while House Leader Jeffries came along for the ride.