How Democrats threw a government shutdown and no one cared

Imagine if you had a party and no one came. Very insulting, isn’t it?

Well, imagine if you represented a big-government party, lost the presidency and both houses of Congress, and then demanded… Federal shutdown To impose your welfare state agenda on the nation – and no one seems to care much.

In this scenario, you become your own worst enemy: you inadvertently advance your opponents’ argument that there is no meaningful constituency for big government.

the Obamacare The premium subsidies you made the central issue in your lockdown situation are not as popular as you thought they would be.

You are raised with your petard.

This is what the Democrats did themselves.

the AP-NORC poll reported last week that 54% of voters either had no opinion about extending support or were completely against it, and the Kaiser Family Foundation recently announced reconnaissance Found it 61% of voters know little or nothing About them.

There is no organic street energy in this case.

Markets have rallied since the lockdown began.

The average voter seems quite bewildered by the whole Washington drama.

Ironically for Democrats, the shutdown actually exposes how the welfare state’s Ponzi scheme works — and actually helps justify the need for smaller government.

“Give us a temporary Increase in health care subsidies, incl Very richTo help us overcome the Corona virus! Democrats cried in 2021.

But now it’s clear that was just a bait and switch.

The moment Republicans allowed the coronavirus “bonuses” to expire in 2025, as Democrats promised they would, Democrats called the GOP “authoritarian” for doing exactly what the law the Democrats wrote was originally intended.

And that’s how a big government Ponzi scheme always works: Find a crisis, finance it heavily at taxpayer expense in hopes of gaining a new base of patron voters, and then call the other side bad names for not giving your new patrons any more free stuff.

When they resist, you’ll have your next campaign problem. Voila!

This “feed the cronyism monster” mentality may keep liberals in office, but it is fundamentally unpatriotic.

The United States has $38 trillion in debt, 123% of annual GDP, and our entitlement programs are improving rapidly. Heading towards bankruptcy.

Nearly two million Americans Incorrectly registered In both Medicaid and Obamacare, or in government health care programs in Multiple countries.

Paragon Institute It is estimated that about 6.4 million people They were incorrectly enrolled in Obamacare itself.

Americans make a dollar500,000 per year Get Obamacare support now.

Moreover, Obamacare’s goal, when it was first passed, was to control rising health care premiums — but premiums have continued to rise dramatically.

Welfare state commissioners are never held accountable for failure or abuse.

For them, it’s never about pitching in to save taxpayer money for those truly in need; It is always about expansion to grow the voter base at the expense of others.

Americans have a healthy spider sense when they snooker, and polls consistently show voters We want smaller government In the face of rising public debt.

The collective yawn over the lockdown proves how much power Ponzi’s political game has lost.

“Health care hasn’t been front and center for many years,” says pollster Nate Cohen. More than 1% of voters Report it as their most important issue.

All of this means that taming the unruly welfare state seems less politically dangerous today than in previous eras.

Democrats had their heads handed to them in the last election because the public believes the party did it There is no economic program to speak of It is also unbearable Far left of the average voter On almost every major cultural issue.

The GOP continues to hold double digits on these matters Main issuesVoters trust Republicans more on key issues Cost of livingthe economy And achieve a great life Objectives (Getting a good job, being able to retire, creating wealth for the children).

There is no stop left that can remedy this problem.

What the Democratic Party needs is a leader with the courage to say that progressive socialism may have appeal in urban areas and with the mobile podcast class, but it’s a brand that’s deeply unpopular nationally.

A leader with enough charisma and courage to challenge the progressive socialist left as President Bill Clinton did in 1992.

The government’s modest, pro-growth, culturally centrist message may save a party that seems stuck on “Awakening Island” for as long as the eye can see.

Julian Epstein is the former senior counsel for Democrats on the House Judiciary and former director of staff for the House Oversight Committee.