Democrats Lost the Shutdown Fight, Exposing Their Real Priorities
After 41 days, enough Senate Democrats blinked. After blocking more than a dozen efforts to pass a clean continuing resolution, eight acknowledged reality and voted to get the gears of government moving again. As a former member of Congress who’s seen my share of political standoffs, here’s my take.
Democrats Were Looking For A Fight
Since the re-election of President Donald Trump, Democrats have wandered aimlessly in the political wilderness. After four years of denying there even was a border crisis and demanding “immigration reform” (amnesty laws) to solve the problem, Trump demonstrated that this was never the case.
In a few short months, the border was secure, and over one million criminal aliens were sent packing. The Democrats got rolled on tax cuts and energy policy. Politically correct policies like biological males in women’s locker rooms were jettisoned. Inflation has been cut from 9% to below 3%. The contrast was stark. Republicans were delivering growth and security. Democrats offered woke lectures and lame excuses. The Democratic Party’s base was deflated, and heading into the off-year elections, the Democrats desperately needed something to anger their base. The shutdown offered just the ticket to manufacture outrage.
The Shutdown Was Never About Obamacare
The “Affordable” Care Act-Obamacare is the Left’s Holy Grail of legislation. Despite more than a decade of evidence that the law has driven up costs dramatically while enriching health insurance companies and undermining the quality of healthcare, they will defend the law as if it were handed down from the Almighty on Mount Horeb.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries drew their line in the sand, demanding that Republicans commit to additional health-care spending as a condition for reopening the government. They knew Republicans would never agree to such a thing. So the shutdown was never so much about healthcare. It was about getting their voters off the couch and into the voting booths.
Schumer’s Dilemma
After four decades in Washington, intuitively, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York knew better. He knew that the party that overplays its hand and forces a shutdown always loses. He rejected calls for a shutdown earlier this year. But this time, the pressure broke him. Now the long knives are out.
The hard Left is now calling for Schumer to be ousted. He faces a possible primary opponent, according to Bluesky and the resistance media. He is clearly in a weaker position today than he was 50 days ago.
The Democratic Socialists Are In The Driver’s Seat
The election of socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City has emboldened the socialist wing of the Democratic Party. They’re not interested in reaching out to the middle. Democratic activists see his election not as an outlier; it’s their new model. Many observers expect Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York to challenge Schumer next year. She might actually win.
Healthcare Is Broken-By Design?
Obamacare’s more cynical critics always believed that the legislation was less about fixing our healthcare system than about breaking it. All to make a government-run system inevitable. It took less than 15 years to get us there. A system that outlaws lower-priced catastrophic health savings plans and forces people into plans with high premiums and even higher deductibles is not sustainable. Democrats understood this.
It’s The Economy, Stupid
President Trump deserves credit for quickly implementing critical, fundamental changes that have benefited the economy. For Republicans heading into the 2026 elections, however, more changes must be made. Costs from the Biden years are still too high. Republicans must offer a clear economic plan that will benefit average Americans. Voters have seen what competent leadership can deliver. They need to be reminded that prosperity isn’t guaranteed; it requires sound policies.
The Real Lessons
This extended shutdown exposed that Washington’s battles are more about power struggles than principles. Schumer and the Democrats gambled that a shutdown could paint Republicans as reckless, but instead, they may have reminded voters why they were voted out of power in the first place.
Americans want results. They want a secure border, affordable energy, and a government that lives within its means, not more wasteful Washington bureaucracy and handouts, particularly for those who are not here legally. It’s not clear that Congressional Democrats learned anything from their dumb fight. Hopefully, Republicans know that they must stay focused on pocketbook issues and the things that matter most to average Americans.
Former Congressman Gutknecht (R-MN) served 12 years (95-07) in the House.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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