General Discussion

I thought O'Donnell was spot-on as to what really happened with negotiations since day one of the shutdown, Shumer convincing the 5 to hold out until after last week's elections, and Tim Caine being the final vote.

I also appreciated his insight on what the minority might expect to achieve by holding out in a shutdown.

His major fault (and it's a big one) was his constant referral to the "6% of Americans who pay Obamacare premiums" -- which implied only a small percent would be affected.

First of all, does that 6% refer only to the heads of households with ACA accounts, leaving out family members who also depend on the subsidies? He also failed to mention that health insurance premiums are likely to skyrocket across the board.

Given all that, the biggest unanswered question is whether the Republicans would ever budge on restoring the ACA subsidies.

He frequently stated that even for seasoned politicians, what the minority party might gain in negotiations to end a shutdown is "only a guess."

My guess is that Republicans in Congress were extremely unlikely to budge on the ACA. They've been trying to kill it ever since Obama signed it into law. They've demonstrated time and time again they don't care if poor people suffer and die.

If Republicans were somehow persuaded or coerced into passing legislation to restore ACA funding in both the Senate and the House, would Trump sign it?

For him, cruelty is the point, and his ego rules whatever bounces around in his head (that, and Stephen Miller whispering in his ear). To sign that bill would be to admit defeat. To actually restore the ACA subsidies would almost certainly require overriding a veto with 13 Republican senators defying Trump.