Democrats Have The Upper Hand In Government Shutdown Standoff Thanks To Trump’s Clueless Arrogance

Republicans are warning that Democrats have been given the upper hand in the government shutdown standoff because Trump has inaccurately claimed that Democrats will be blamed if the government shuts down.

Politico reported:
President Donald Trump has already started framing a potential government shutdown as the singular fault of Democrats demanding liberal immigration policies at the expense of border security. But Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, as well as veterans of past budget battles and campaigns, say that argument isn’t likely to fly — not while the GOP runs the House, Senate and White House and a deeply unpopular president sits in the Oval Office.

“The perception of most Republicans is that a shutdown does not accrue to Republican benefit. It’s a relatively tough sale,” Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) said in an interview. “It makes it that much harder for Democrats to acquiesce on a deal because they feel like they have the upper hand.”

The mentality that Republican can just blame Democrats, even though they control the entire federal government, was created by Trump out of thin air. There is zero data or a hint of public perception that suggests that the American people will side with the least popular first-year president in history if the government shuts down. The logical and more likely outcome is that voters will look at Republicans and blame the party in power for not keeping the government open.

The DACA solution is popular with majorities of Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The only stumbling blocks are that Trump is trying to pull some of his Art Of The Deal flim-flam to get funding for the border wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for, and also there is the small detail that Trump does want to deport the Dreamers.

Thanks to epic presidential incompetence, Democrats have the upper hand, and if the government shuts down, it is going to cost Republicans more than can imagine to get the Democratic votes they need to open the government back up.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Follow Me

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

Follow Me

Latest posts by Jason Easley (see all)

• Jimmy Carter Outlived One Of His Obituary Writers - Mon, Dec 30th, 2024
• Barack And Michelle Obama Perfectly Pay Tribute To Jimmy Carter - Sun, Dec 29th, 2024
• Trump And House GOP’s Promise To Not Cut Social Security Is Total Nonsense - Fri, Dec 20th, 2024