The Schumer Shutdown has now entered its 28th day, with no clear resolution in sight.
Democrats have offered few explanations for their continued refusal to vote to reopen the government. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) admitted earlier in the standoff that her party was using the shutdown as “leverage” to advance its political agenda, a remark that has fueled Republican criticism and underscored the deep partisan divide preventing a deal.
Talk about a terrible look — and a total lack of self-awareness. Democrats have made it painfully clear that they don’t care who gets hurt by the Schumer Shutdown. Federal workers, families, small businesses — they’re all collateral damage in the left’s endless power games. The priority isn’t helping Americans; it’s using the shutdown as “leverage” to squeeze out political wins and advance their far-left agenda.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) appears to be pandering to his party’s far-left base, desperate to fend off a potential primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Democrats are trying to look “tough” for the radicals while painting Republicans as the villains — a tired strategy they’ve used before.
But this time, it’s blowing up in their faces. Even CNN’s own senior data analyst, Harry Enten, admits the numbers aren’t on their side.
CNN anchor John Berman asked what level of “political pain” it would take to end the shutdown — and the answer wasn’t what Democrats wanted to hear. Enten admitted the numbers were surprising: Republicans aren’t taking the hit. In fact, the Schumer Shutdown appears to be helping them politically:
According to CNN’s Harry Enten, the shutdown appears to be boosting Republican approval ratings rather than hurting them. He reported that the GOP’s overall brand has increased by two points, while approval for the Congressional GOP has climbed five points.
Enten noted that support has risen most sharply among Republicans, up 12 points within their base, reflecting approval of the party’s firm stance on key issues. More surprising, he said, is that GOP approval has also increased among independent voters — by eight points — suggesting broader public frustration with Democrats’ handling of the shutdown.
Will this bring more Senate Democrats to their senses? Only time will tell, but the longer Democrats hurt poor and working class Americans for sport, they’re gonna pay for it politically, and that’s good.