But, if we can’t come up with some inspiring legislative push going into midterms with after this, then maybe we need a rebrand or something.

I think we've got to be talking about big goals -- where we want to get to -- and connect those big goals to a specific step in the right direction.

Like universal health care funded by our tax dollars. Making the case that it is both a moral imperative and an economic necessity. We are so far behind other major economies on this it is nuts. And the bottom line is that health care is not a commodity. You don't wake up one day and say "Gee, I'd love to start injecting myself with this expensive Rheumatoid Arthritis drug. All my friends are doing it!" We all need a certain level of preventative care. And after that we need the health care we need when we need it. Having for profit insurance in the mix is nuts. Anyway, build a picture of the big goal and pledge step one as adding a public option.

But never let up on the big goals in ways that inspire people to step up and help make them happen. The thing is, when you build a picture of where we SHOULD be, you begin to build the political will to ultimately get there. And in the meantime, you have changed the boundaries of the possible and made it more likely that you can actually take meaningful steps forward.

For no reason for 40 days when we could have just done the same thing without the shutdown?

Federal workers are only without pay and getting fired because we pushed a shutdown to make a point only change our mind the minute it got tough like this being hard and complicated was a complete mystery.

Another way is that we came together as a party and held firm for 40 days in a fight to extend the subsidies so millions of American households wouldn't have to face the catastrophic premium increases they are seeing today.

The Republicans refused even the most reasonable compromise. Like playground bullies, they drew a line in the sand and refused to budge, too scared of upsetting Donald Trump.

They said they wouldn't even talk about holding a vote until we voted on the House version of the Continuing Resolution, with no other bills for funding the government for 2026.

We were fighting for American families. They were fighting to keep Americans in fear for the future because Donald Trump told them not to budge from their line in the sand.

Fortunately, with the leverage of the shutdown, we were able to negotiate agreements on 2026 funding for our military, SNAP, WIC, and other USDA programs -- bills that do not include the cuts to SNAP and some of the other harmful provisions that were in the MAGA Murder Budget.

And, they finally agreed to promise to hold a vote on a bill to extend the ACA subsidies that the Senate Democrats draft and negotiate.

Now we need Americans to make sure this bill gets passed. If you have a Republican Senator, call them, and keep calling, until they agree that they will vote to yes to extend the subsides and cut the cost of your ACA premiums.

The shutdown was our only leverage. I do not support any agreement that does not include the extension of the ACA subsidies

That was supposed to be the point of this shutdown fight.

Not SNAP. Not anything other than the subsidies and we got nothing.

would you consider that a win?

What they got by holding out was SNAP and other benefits fully funded for all of FY26 and VA funded for all of FY26. The new CR contains language that requires back pay for federal civil servants and requires that all federal employees who were laid off or "RIF'd" be rehired as well as putting some restraints on Vought's unilateral actions wrt the federal government.

None of that would have happened had the shutdown continued to be focused only on the ACA.

Yes. Because that was, very literally, the whole point of pushing the issue to a shutdown that cost those people pay and in some cases their jobs.

All that other stuff is the normal stuff people expect out of negotiations.

Plus the back pay and restoring the employment of RIFed employees is already required by law after a shutdown is over.

We put people through hell to get the exact same outcome if we had let the CR pass 40 days ago.

But remember these 3 appropriation bills were agreed to before the shutdown and the House left for it's 7 or 8 week vacation. Exactly when do you think they'd have gotten votes?

You think Trump's DoJ wouldn't have gone to court to keep from paying and rehiring federal workers? He sued to stop Americans from getting food, then after USDA obeyed a court order to release the funds, told states that had distributed the funds to claw it back!

I'm not a, as you say, "one issue voter", I'm going to what was told to the American people. They told the American people, repeatedly, that the shutdown was necessary to protect healthcare. That was the reason and not any of this other stuff. If it was about that stuff then they should have said as much but they never did. Not once.

We need to see the Repugs in Congress start working for the American people.

Meanwhile, We the People need to keep up the pressure...and stay in the streets.

Pushing for specific actions. Like how about a joint Declaration signed by EVERY member of the House and Senate who is appalled by what the felon is doing to our country. A clear statement of grievances. A clear statement the American values we share. A sort of Declaration of Independence for our times.

And never forget to drop notes of thanks too when they do a good thing too.

Senate passed a revised House bill so they now have to vote to agree and pass the bill. Trump seems ro think this ia a win for him, so the Rs won't buck him and vote against it.

Thank you for your excellent OP.

and Republicans have no reason to believe that Dems will not cave 100% of the time.

Ooh, they're getting a vote on the ACA subsidies....that is guaranteed to fail because they have the majority and they know that they have 8 Dems who will vote with them if they make vague, but meaningless, "promises".

They got a handful of magic beans...but there is no magic.

Until the cuts and harmful changes in the Murder Budget are implemented in an appropriations bill, they have no real effect.

The MAGA Murder Budget remains one of the most despised pieces of legislation in my memory -- and perhaps ever.

Democrats have a chance to fight like hell -- and to stick it out this time -- again in January.

Job One Right Now is pushing the Democrats in the House and Senate -- not just our own electeds, but the leadership too -- to define a set of demands to mitigate the most hated and harmful of the cuts and destructive changes to the rules in the MAGA Murder Budget "blueprint" that are scheduled for 2026. Along with declarations to fight as hard in 2027 against the cuts in Medicaid and SNAP.

Trumpublicans must be forced to defend the indefensible. And if they refuse to change course and step back on the worst things in that bill scheduled for 2026, we must bring all the pressure we can muster to convince the Senate Democratic caucus to shut down the government again.

Then it will be up to us to keep the pressure on to make sure the February shutdown ends in ONLY
one of two ways:

- Trumpublicans meet our demands.

- Trumpublicans invoke the nuclear option. If they won't change course and deviate from the "blueprint" let them take 100% responsibility for it by passing it with only their own votes.

In this coming fight, it is time for DEMOCRATS to FINALLY demonstrate the strength it takes to draw firm lines in the sand (STFU about negotiating): The demands are met, or the Republicans can get rid of the filibuster.

We need them to declare their refusal to be accomplices in these evils (the list of terrible MAGA Murder Budget rules changes and cuts -- and the evils we KNOW the felon will commit if not stopped by Congress).

The message in this second shutdown: We are not obstructing. They can move forward right now. We just refuse to be accomplices in these evils. Period. End of story.

The diversity within our party may be a point of pride and a moral strength, but politically speaking, disunity is a glaring liability. I do take your point, but I'm going to quibble with you just a bit.

To defeat the highly disciplined GOP, loyalty and functional unity are paramount. Our 'diversity' often manifests as counterproductive emotionalism: voters heavily influenced by feelings or pride who demand perfection and punish the party for being 'less than ideal.'

The mistaken belief that abstaining or voting third-party pulls the party leftward, when in reality it often forces the party rightward to recover votes from other demographics, is politically naive. None of these self-defeating behaviors can be considered a strength.

I constantly hear demands for 'leadership to lead' and for the party to 'do something NOW' (even when we aren't in power, these unrealistic calls persist.) Yet, I rarely hear calls for more unity, loyalty, realism, and a better understanding of political reality. Tantrums and disloyalty do not win elections. Politics is ugly and frustrating, but we need functional cohesion to achieve our goals. Disunity and abandonment are not winning strategies.

-- that is, Democrats capable of winning in diverse districts -- the key to inspiring voters is strength.

Over, and over, and over voters send a message that couldn't be clearer: Strong and Wrong beats Weak and Right.

If our party could find unity in demonstrating the sort of strength needed to be willing to draw lines and sacrifice for fundamental moral principles, come hell or high water, win or lose, we would have the truly winning combination of STRONG AND RIGHT.

I don't think I need to recount all the junctures that Democratic electeds who claimed to stand strong for principles like the Geneva conventions, free and fair elections, and on and on, have turned into wet noodles out of fear of "backlash" when the circumstances demanded actions like impeaching bush/cheney, objecting to the unlawfully appointed Florida electors, and so much else.

All that said, I think more and more of them are learning. And I think those old dogs who never seem to get it will suffer the wrath of voters -- and hopefully be replaced with more powerful voices who understand their duty to stand up when it is a moral imperative to do so, whatever the odds; who understand that their failure to do so sends a single message: I am weak.

I guess the point that may be lost in my post is the main thing I object to are the global statements that all Democrats are shit. To me, yes, some who identify as Democrats are doing the party great harm. There is no doubt about that.

It is up to us to make accurate judgments, and lobby those who are failing to demonstrate the strength of their convictions -- to keep asking them pointed questions, and jump all over their shameful rationalizations for the wrongheaded things they do.

Carrots and sticks. Praise and support to those that get it, and a clear message on the nature of their failures and how wrongheaded and shameful their rationalizations for those failures are.

I'd like to see more of us to attempt to refrain fror global assessments of doom and gloom that sap hope and immobilize, and instead, be more targeted with our anger, keep hope alive, and focus on specific actions in response. It will ultimately be a positive feedback loop of hope and action that turns the tide.

Let's see what he does. I'm not really very optimisitic. I don't think he has the stomach for this. He still thinks things are like they were 20 years ago.

What she said about her failure to support the articles of impeachment against Bush for war crimes was: I would support them if I weren't the speaker

I can't imagine a message that demonstrates a greater level of weakness than effectively saying "these acts are war crimes and a violation of essential moral and legal principles, but I won't get on board because, well, fuck convictions if you don't think you can win.

The balance of moral principles from the perspective of the defectors/negotiators of the minibus were a little less clear cut. Tragically, they ultimately sent a clear message of weakness ("Trumpublicans are stronger and more willing to sacrifice Americans than we are" ).

Another in a long list of failure that say "we are weak." Great harm, but not insurmountable. And global messages of condemnation of the entire party as being shit are NOT helpful.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20793018