The five who wrongheadedly refused to hold out have done the party harm. And as we make it clear how angry we are about it, I think we need to be crystal clear that they failed us, not by failing to get their demands met; they failed us because in this fight we had faith that they would (1) make their demand, (2) hold out until either

(a) MAGA R's met the demand, or
(b) MAGA R's went nuclear and ended the shutdown on their own, without the complicity or capitulation of the Democrats.

More in this post.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220797307

Robert Arnold expresses my feeling far better than I can.

...
They'll tell us it was necessary;
that it was the responsible thing to do.
But responsibility without conviction
isn't leadership. It's survival.
And survival is not the same as purpose.
...



Defiance 'til Death

Republicans will have plenty of opportunities to shoot themselves in the feet again between now and next November.

Trump will be helping them go down.