In a stunning turn of events, Senate Democrats have thrown in the towel on their efforts to force President Trump to cave on his demands during the ongoing government shutdown. Eight Democratic senators joined Republicans in advancing a deal to reopen the government, despite no significant concessions from the GOP or the president.
The decision marks a significant defeat for the party's base, which had been highly engaged and vocal in support of a prolonged shutdown fight. Many are now apoplectic, urging a continued battle against Trump's administration. However, this was always a poor turf on which to battle, as Democrats never had a plausible strategy to achieve their goals.
The only ways in which the shutdown could have plausibly ended were for the GOP to abolish the filibuster or for Democrats to cave. In reality, neither party had any incentive to back down, as the other would simply use it as an excuse to do so again in the future.
Trump has been keenly aware of this dynamic and has used it to his advantage. He has pressed Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster, which would remove a crucial constraint on what he can do. However, many Republicans seem hesitant to follow through, likely due to concerns about how it would impact their party's ability to pass legislation in the future.
The strain of thinking among progressive commentators is that forcing Republicans to abolish the filibuster could have been a winning strategy. The argument goes that ending the filibuster would be good for democratic accountability and allow Democrats to pass their agenda more easily. However, this view neglects the fact that progressives tend to be more opposed to the filibuster than Republicans are.
In reality, the shutdown is not an abstract political game but rather real hardship for many Americans. As such, the Democratic caucus was not hardline enough to keep it going indefinitely. By ultimately cutting a deal, Democrats were able to avoid inflicting further pain on ordinary Americans and reopen the government without any significant concessions from Trump or Republicans.
In hindsight, it's clear that Senate Democrats never had a plausible strategy to win the shutdown fight. However, they felt they had no other option but to try to please their base by giving them a taste of what they wanted – even if it meant potentially handing over policymaking authority to the GOP in the future.
The decision marks a significant defeat for the party's base, which had been highly engaged and vocal in support of a prolonged shutdown fight. Many are now apoplectic, urging a continued battle against Trump's administration. However, this was always a poor turf on which to battle, as Democrats never had a plausible strategy to achieve their goals.
The only ways in which the shutdown could have plausibly ended were for the GOP to abolish the filibuster or for Democrats to cave. In reality, neither party had any incentive to back down, as the other would simply use it as an excuse to do so again in the future.
Trump has been keenly aware of this dynamic and has used it to his advantage. He has pressed Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster, which would remove a crucial constraint on what he can do. However, many Republicans seem hesitant to follow through, likely due to concerns about how it would impact their party's ability to pass legislation in the future.
The strain of thinking among progressive commentators is that forcing Republicans to abolish the filibuster could have been a winning strategy. The argument goes that ending the filibuster would be good for democratic accountability and allow Democrats to pass their agenda more easily. However, this view neglects the fact that progressives tend to be more opposed to the filibuster than Republicans are.
In reality, the shutdown is not an abstract political game but rather real hardship for many Americans. As such, the Democratic caucus was not hardline enough to keep it going indefinitely. By ultimately cutting a deal, Democrats were able to avoid inflicting further pain on ordinary Americans and reopen the government without any significant concessions from Trump or Republicans.
In hindsight, it's clear that Senate Democrats never had a plausible strategy to win the shutdown fight. However, they felt they had no other option but to try to please their base by giving them a taste of what they wanted – even if it meant potentially handing over policymaking authority to the GOP in the future.
this whole thing is so complicated I feel like I need a flowchart to understand how it all went down 
. The democrats were playing a tough game and trying to stick to their base, but they never had a clear plan B, right? It's crazy that they thought they could force Republicans to abolish the filibuster, when really it was just going to give Trump even more power 
. I think what's interesting is how many people are already calling for another battle, but let's be real, what's the plan this time around? 
. It feels like they got played by their own base, you know? They were so hyped about this shutdown fight, but really, it was just a losing battle from the start 
. Trump knew exactly how to use the system against them, and it's pretty smart on his part.
, but let's be real – they were never in a strong position to begin with. The filibuster is actually their best friend when it comes to protecting democracy, so for them to say that getting rid of it would improve democratic accountability just doesn't add up 
.
. It's like they were playing into Trump's hands, and it doesn't bode well for their chances in 2026 
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. Both sides were being super unreasonable and it's crazy how it all came down 
. Democrats knew they didn't have a solid plan to win, so yeah, caving in was probably the best move 
. Now we're back to business as usual and people are actually hurting due to this nonsense 
. It's all about finding common ground and doing what's best for everyone involved, not just trying to outsmart the other side 
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... and meanwhile Trump gets to continue doing whatever he wants and the Democrats are left looking all whiny and entitled 
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. Like, I get it, it's supposed to be this great equalizer and all that jazz, but honestly it just feels like a fancy way of saying "we're not gonna let you do what you want". And now everyone's acting like it's some kinda tragedy that the Democrats lost this battle 
. I mean, can't we all just try to find some middle ground and work together for once? 
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And now everyone's acting like this is some huge loss for them when really it just means they got out of a potentially disastrous situation with the country taking a hit 
. It's like they played into Trump's hands by trying to give their base everything they wanted without thinking about what would be realistic and achievable. 
. It's gonna be interesting to see how this plays out in future shutdowns 
he knew the filibuster was a weak link and used it against them. now we're back to normal, and who knows what's next? 
.