Why the Democrats Can’t Afford to Shut the Government Down
Political capital does not exist in a vaccum, this important resource is earned. For a political party or a President to have the support neccessary to advance most bills, the support of the public needs to be earned. When Trump won the popular vote and an electoral landslide against Kamala Harris, he earned a mandate from Americans. The President and the MAGA movement have the clear support of the citizens of this country to advance Trump’s preferred policy option on the border, taxes, and foreign policy.
The left is lost. The Democratic Party has no clear agenda and they lack significant public support for most the policy proposals these individuals want to advance. The signature piece of legislation that the Biden administration passed was the so-called inflation reduction act which focused on what the left refers to as climate change, the party did nothing for middle and working class people for four years.. While some Democrats like John Fetterman have shown a willingness to work with the President and his agenda, most Democrats remain committed to opposing anything and everything Trump proposes.
The President’s win gives him a clear mandate and political capital to advance his agenda. Current polls also show that Trump’s approval rating is high and the public supports his policy proposals. The Democratic party is also not viewed favorably by most Americans, the Democrats stand for nothing and no one. This is why the Democratic party cannot afford to be viewed as obstructionists to the President’s agenda right now with the left not making any realistic or substantive proposals to the many issues that Trump is focused on right now.
If the first major action the Democrats take since Trump won both the popular vote and and an electoral college landslide is to shut down the government, the left will correctly be viewed as simply the anti-Trump party not capable of getting serious work done on behalf of the American people. Trump and the Republicans will look like the adults in the room, and the left will look, correctly, like they are refusing to accept the will of the American people. The Democrats also don’t have credible leaders who can attempt to convey the failing party’s message either. The left has no individual who has significant support from the public, Senator Schumer is correctly viewed as an out-of-touch East Coast Liberal by most, and Hakeem Jeffries is a younger politician who also struggles to lead or speak well.
The Democrats are a party without leaders or a message, and the left also has little to no support with the public right now. Trump has the political capital to advance the agenda he is currently pursuing, and the President also has the support of the country. The polls all show this fact to be true. While most Democrats obviously despise Trump and his MAGA agenda, the left simply doesn’t have the political capital to successfully shut down the government without taking a significant political hit.
