Shut Down the Government!

            Donald Trump continues to sag in the polls as his authoritarian overreach alarms more and more Americans. His declining popularity has not, however, translated into a bump for Democrats. To many people, they simply appear weak and ineffectual in their opposition.

            In truth, Democrats don’t have a lot of leverage right now, so it’s all the more important that they make the most of whatever they have. If that means shutting down the government, so be it. Senate Republicans will need a few Democratic votes to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government open. The last time this happened, Chuck Schumer convinced enough of his colleagues to capitulate, and a shutdown was avoided. They should not be so docile again.

            Push comes to shove next week, and it will be important for Democrats to have a clear and effective message about why the drastic step of shutting down the government is necessary. The key demand should be a restoration of funding for health care. Most immediately, if Obamacare subsidies go away as planned, it's estimated that monthly premiums will increase by $196 in CD7. Health insurance will quickly become unaffordable for many families. Those cuts should be immediately rescinded. In addition, the Medicaid cuts in the big, ugly bill are expected to result in 140,000 Minnesotans losing care. Cutting health care is deeply unpopular, and Democrats have a winning issue in pressuring Republicans to back off.

            Some of the funds to pay for preserving Americans’ health care could come from rolling back the massive increases fueling Trump’s war on immigrants. The tactics that have been adopted by ICE make them look like fascist brownshirts and have turned many people against the crackdown. Democrats should make it clear that they won’t stand by quietly while agents round up law-abiding, hard-working immigrants and lock them away in a hugely expanding network of detention centers.

            Granted, this strategy carries risk. Shutting down the government causes hardship for many. On the other hand, it might serve as a kind of shock therapy to remind people that the government serves important functions and that you can’t go around gutting agencies without doing real harm. At the very least, the administration is causing so much mischief at such a frightening pace that there is something to be said for simply hitting the brakes.

            There is also the danger that people will curse both parties for failing to work something out. Congress will just look even more ineffectual, and people will get turned off by politics in general. Democrats will need effective messengers to help people understand the course they have chosen, and it’s not clear they have messengers who can break through the noise. But I'm writing this to try and do my part.

            Finally, there is the very real possibility that they will fail to gain any concessions from the Republicans, and after a period of chaos, we’ll end up in the same mess. One thing will have changed, though. Democrats will have shown some fight. People will see that we’re on their side. That alone makes it worth the risk.

            I urge you to call Sens. Klobuchar and Smith and let them know we have their backs if they withhold their votes from the stinking pile of crap that Republicans are trying to pass.

Paul Harris