If Democrats Cave on the Shutdown Now, What Was It All For?

Tuesday night’s mellow was harshed before the elections even started. Damn you, CNN.

There is still no official agreement within a group of Senate centrists that have been privately meeting to discuss a shutdown exit ramp. But multiple sources involved in discussions told CNN that a deal could be reached as soon as this week to pass a temporary stopgap bill to reopen the government alongside several full-year spending bills—with a promise of a future vote to extend billions in enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Roughly a dozen Senate Democrats have privately signaled that they are willing to support a stopgap funding deal to reopen the government in exchange for a future vote on health care, two Democratic sources familiar with the discussions told CNN Tuesday.

I don’t believe there are 12 Democrats willing to fling a decided political advantage into the Potomac in exchange for a bag of magic beans.

“If the Democrats cave on this, I think it would be a betrayal to millions and millions of working families who want them to stand up and protect their health care benefits,” a furious Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent told reporters on Tuesday when asked what message the centrist-led talks would send to voters. “I think we’re suckers to believe that a party that is opposed to extending the subsidies now is all of a sudden going to be supportive of that a month from now,” Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut put it plainly, referring to the billions of dollars in enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire next month.

Murphy’s analysis is the only valid one for the party to adopt going forward, especially since the cult seems to be coming apart and the GOP generally is on the back foot on the shutdown and most other issues. The simple fact is there isn’t an ounce of truth in what the Republican party says or an ounce of good faith in any deal they propose. You’re drawing dead against them every time.