Republicans and Democrats are all playing with fire – while people suffer

At a time like this in Australia, such images would be political poison; It is much less effective in the US. Still, Trump is vulnerable to attacks from Democrats for partying with billionaires while the home front burns.

“People are not as stupid as Trump thinks they are,” Democratic senator Chris Murphy said overnight. “They know he’s busy making ego-stroking world tours and building his ballroom. Anything but trying to end the shutdown.”

Trump’s unpopularity may partly explain why this shutdown has not yet followed the usual trajectory, to which the requesting party (Democrats) eventually caved.

Democrats are insisting that Republicans extend health benefits that expire at the end of this year. Republicans accuse their opponents of holding the country to ransom over an issue they say should be addressed separately.

Many Republicans believe Democrats will fold after Tuesday’s elections, which also include the New York City mayoral contest and governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey. The wisdom here is that Democrats appeal to their base and want them to fight Trump to the bitter end.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said it was actually fear. “[Democrat leaders] “They fear political retribution from far-left activists in their party more than they fear the consequences of keeping the government shut down for weeks,” he told reporters on Monday (Tuesday AEDT). “The direct cause of America’s suffering right now is extremism on the left.”

Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of Democrats in the House of Representatives, said health care recipients want the party to continue fighting and that Democrats’ stance will not change in November after the election.

But the prolonged closure is testing the loyalty of both parties. Three Democratic senators agreed to accept the Republican proposal to end the shutdown now; Five more are needed. in the night, Top reported that eight Democratic senators were in talks with Republicans about a potential deal.

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And firebrand Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has become an unlikely face of resistance to the party leadership; He particularly criticized Johnson for failing to come up with ideas to resolve the impasse on health and keeping the House of Representatives in a prolonged recess.

After all, this is a high-risk game in every respect. So far, it appears Democrats have managed to rally their political base without alienating the rest of the country. Trump is betting that normalcy will eventually prevail and Democrats will have to yield.

Meanwhile, average people are forced to face the consequences.

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