People like fighters. They like those who they think will go to bat for them. Donald Trump has the lowest poll numbers of any president in office. But they are very high from those in his base. Why? Because they believe that he is fighting for them.
Evangelicals are willing to defy their morals and give Trump, a misogynistic homophobic xenophobic racist, their unqualified support. Why? They believe he will fight for them. Donald Trump, a man that does not have an ounce of Conservative blood in his veins, is the lord of the Conservatives.
After the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the Republican Senate did not even give President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court’s pick a hearing. They held up the nomination until the expiration of the Obama term. Throughout the Obama administration, Republicans held up his judge assignments until then-Majority Leader Harry Reid changed the Senate rules reducing the threshold to confirm Judges to the bench.
Republicans push the envelope. They make the right calculations. They understand polling, narrative, people’s perceptions, and most of the time when to hold and when to cave. Hating Republicans for their callousness is okay. Not respecting their modus operandi is politically fatal. Reality proves that. It is the reason that even with terrible policies they are in total control of most states and the federal government.
Democrats get spoofed too easily. They never seem to go for the jugular. Too often they forget that a poll is but a snapshot in time, something Republicans are very cognizant of and exploit every single time.
Republicans were down by double digits in the generic poll a few weeks ago. It is now five points. This after passing a tax cut scam that the vast majority of Americans were against and attempting to pass Trumpcare, a bill that would have taken away health insurance from millions of Americans. That is so in the past right now, and Republicans are doing just fine. The Blue Wave that Democrats think they can coast towards, is in danger of becoming a ripple.
Democrats caving after a three-day government shutdown does little to inspire confidence that they are willing to fight for the common person. Many say that they had no choice. The numbers just were not there. It would have been detrimental to the potential 2018 Blue Wave.
Hogwash. Democrats showed the timidity that is normally associated with the Party. Republicans give the impression that they will burn the house down because they know Democrats won’t call their bluff. Democrats will be there, like a parent protecting the reckless child. Republicans play better poker.
Here is the reality. The Democrats are in the minority almost everywhere. They have nothing to lose. The Blue Wave isn’t guaranteed. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
It is time to go for broke. Democrats should not have caved and voted for reopening the government. For once they should have shown some spine. Yes, many poor Americans and middle-class Americans would suffer in the short term but it would alleviate much harsher long-term suffering not only for DACA recipients, CHIP recipients, but other programs that Republicans would then think twice about cutting for fear of an effective shutdown.
Some say Republicans would find a way to change the rules of the Senate and effect the nuclear action. To which others say, let them. They then lose the cover of the protection of the Democrats. And America would know that Republican policies are all Republican. No more, “We had to do it satiate Democrats.”
The suffering of the poor and the middle-class is not what would bring Republicans back to the table. When the shutdown begins to have a material effect on business and their wealthy benefactors, their tune would change. But they must know that Democrats are willing to take it there. As it stands today, Republicans know Democrats are always a poll-drop-number away from caving.
Viewers are encouraged to subscribe and join the conversation for more insightful commentary and to support progressive messages. Together, we can populate the internet with progressive messages that represent the true aspirations of most Americans.
