General Discussion

1. TRY to FORCE Republicans to extend the ACA subsidies. This was always doubtful, given that their long-term goal embodied in Project 2025 is to destroy the "Welfare State." The shutdown serves that goal, which is why Trump was gleeful about it.

2. PIN the PAIN on Republicans, with an eye towards the midterm elections. The loss of ACA subsidies will cause a lot of pain, and even death, when people pay a lot more for health insurance or go without healthcare entirely. If Democrats had rubber-stamped the CR at the end of September, public perception on who to blame for the pain would be much different. The Democratic Party made a very visible PRINCIPLED STAND to save ACA subsidies during the longest government shutdown in US history.

When it became apparent that #1 above could not succeed, another PRINCIPLE persuaded eight senators to change their votes: as much as possible, stop the suffering. Millions of people, including children, are going hungry. Federal workers are losing their jobs, or working without pay. Flights are being canceled as Thanksgiving approaches.

For those of us (such as myself) not much impacted by the shutdown, it's easy to demand Democrats remain firm on the ACA subsidies -- despite almost zero chance of three things happening: Republicans pass it in the Senate; Republicans in the House pass it; and Trump signs it.

While the suffering and destruction of our government continues even worse with the shutdown, advancing the Project 2025 agenda.

It may have taken more political courage for eight Democratic senators to break ranks, than to maintain a principled stand almost certainly doomed to failure.

The question is whether Democrats will succeed in #2 above. Family budgets will be squeezed by skyrocketing health insurance costs, and some without will die.

So much depends on the 2026 midterms. Political calculations are no sure thing. I have no crystal ball, but I think it should not be too difficult to pin the pain on Republicans. Aside from health insurance costs, inflation is getting worse. Stagflation is here, and AI speculation (which could crash) is just about the only thing propping up the stock market. Increasing numbers of voters don't like ICE and military in our cities, or Trump alienating our closest allies. Millions are taking to the streets in protest.

Things will get worse over the next 12 months, and voters tend to blame the president and party in power. My greatest fear is martial law rendering our elections as meaningless as in Putin's Russia.