SCHUMER WAS RIGHT TO AVOID A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

It was a terrible bill; a shutdown would have been gift to Musk & Trump

The Trump Administration, with dubious authority, is shuttering USAID and the Voice of America, a 19 year old who goes by "Big Balls" is rummaging through State Department and Homeland Security files, the Justice Department is turning into a MAGA subsidiary, the immigration enforcers gloat about ignoring court orders, a crackdown on abortion access is likely and the lives and health of millions of kids are being put at risk.

Yet more than a few Democrats, especially on the left, seem more interested in denouncing Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer for voting to avoid a government shutdown.

   America faces an existential threat from an Administration that views the rule of law as a nuisance, an inconvenience.  It is utterly foolish for Democrats to spend time on fringe issues or worrying about an agenda for elections years away. All their resources and energies should be devoted to the Trump threat.

    The Republican-passed measure that continues funding the government through the fiscal year, is flawed. House Democrats smartly opposed it making the GOP own it.  

  Senate Democrats, by waging a filibuster, could have forced  a government shutdown. Schumer, after initially vowing to do that, reconsidered and said he'd vote for a bad bill to avoid a shutdown.

 Some Democrats went ballistic , accusing him of a cowardly sell out to Donald Trump. New York Democratic Rep. Richie Torres, who heretofore I considered relatively thoughtful, charged by not getting anything in return Schumer engaged in "political malpractice" that the party "might live to regret." Protestors are picketing Schumer's office and Brooklyn home, others are calling for a primary challenge though he's not up until 2028, and he had to cancel a book tour.  

    Actually Schumer, as badly as he handled getting there, avoided handing Trump a gift.

  Government shutdowns generally hurt Republicans more; Democrats are seen as the party of government, I fear  the odds changed this time. Trump would have effectively demagogued the Senate Democrats as the obstructionists.  

  Elon Musk and his gang would have been salivating. The misnamed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) oblivious to legal authority would have seized the opportunity to close more agencies and lay off many more employees.  By the time the courts resolve a number of these issues, much of the damage is already done.  

  With Trump's on again-off again tariffs and erratic behavior, the excellent economy he inherited faces headwinds. A shutdown would have been a political life raft if it keeps going south: Trump would blame it all on the Democrats shutting down the government.

  The notion this was the best time for Democrats to use any leverage is simply wrong.

 There are two far better opportunities increasing the debt ceiling and the reconciliation measure where Republicans will try to enact massive tax cuts, primarily benefiting the wealthy while slashing spending that helps the working class. They may be combined.

  In a rare moment Donald Trump is right the debt ceiling should be eliminated; it's an anachronism that doesn't much affect federal debt and is used as a political weapon but it's not going to be. Right wing Republicans will demand major concessions to support it. 

  If combined with the reconciliation measure, the Republicans will use gimmicks and accounting games to disguise the massive red ink ahead. The question is whether financial markets will buy this gambit.

  With the huge costs of extending tax cuts they will have to slash spending, the biggest target will be Medicaid, enormously important and popular with tens of millions of voters.

  This is when the Democrats have leverage, pull out all stops, not give an inch. The Democrats' base, still angry about the botched 2024 campaign, demand vehement opposition, resistance. The loudest critics forget the Democrats are in the minority so they have to be smart,  pick the most propitious policies and moments.

   Schumer never should have claimed right after the House passed the funding bill his Democrats would stop it.  But one of the Senators who did vote to shut down the government tells me she and more than a few other colleagues were relieved the Leader bailed them out.

   The New York Democrat is a superb indoor politician with good instincts and understanding of substance, the legislative process and his own caucus, However, he's not so good outdoors, public appearances or television, and especially bad at leading public protests. There are some really good outdoor politicians in his caucus, witness freshman Elissa Slotkin's response to Trump's address to Congress. Turn to them, Chuck.

For all the heat he's taking, Schumer saved his party from a potential political disaster. It'll be better appreciated as the big ones arise ... if he stays indoors.