@laliga_vids @kaysrma That’s not true. It was half empty in the first half because freeway exits were closed and traffic was a nightmare getting in. We were among the crowd that finally arrived at halftime, they were still checking tickets and thousands of people were behind us still arriving
It’s not necessary to define a perfect strategy or game out every possible scenario in order to understand that what Schumer is doing is foolish. All you need to understand is that literally any other strategy could not possibly be less effective at influencing the CR.
To succeed in any negotiation, you need to be willing to walk away without a deal. Once you signal to the other side that you can’t walk away, they have no incentive to offer you anything because they know you will accept whatever terms they dictate. It amounts to total surrender
"Schumer broke two prime rules of politics for leaders. First, don’t defy your own troops. More importantly, when you have the votes, as Schumer did, don’t capitulate without getting something in return."
That’s the key point. It is literally impossible to do worse in a negotiation than Schumer is doing here. He is hitting rock bottom, surrendering all of the (admittedly limited) power he has and getting absolutely nothing in exchange.
I'd probably oppose the Continuing Resolution if, for some extremely misguided reason, you appointed me to be a D senator. Both sides would get blamed for a shutdown, but it would put Trump in the awkward position of having to defend government services he's trying to dismantle.
@joshtpm@TPM Agree with this analysis. Democrats have nothing to lose by voting against CR, worst case scenario is already happening. Even if they get blamed by some for a shutdown they are already unpopular with those voters, others will blame Trump and it jams up his agenda
FWIW, regardless of what you think on Schumer's strategies, I don't think it would be a terrible idea for Democrats to just throw him overboard. He's old, unpopular and one of the "old guard" leaders of what is currently a very unpopular party.
@mattyglesias The CR offers zero concessions to Democrats. It is not possible for Dems to get less than zero for their vote. Therefore it is not possible to get less than what Dems are getting now by caving and literally any other strategy has potential upside in comparison. What am I missing?
@mattyglesias It’s not about expressive engagement, it’s about using the power that Democrats do have, even in the minority, to extract concessions and check Trump. They don’t have to hold out for total victory, but they also shouldn’t surrender for absolutely nothing.
@RepJimmyGomez But what is the likelihood Rubio would object if Trump unilaterally announced withdrawal from NATO tomorrow? Democrats need to have a plan for how they respond when this happens, beyond just complaining it’s illegal. Trump has already demonstrated he doesn’t care if it’s illegal.
@DavidKlion An unfortunate side effect of polarization by education is that the Democratic Party is dominated by risk-averse careerists and front row kids who have spent their entire lives making cautious, pragmatic choices, with no capacity for the bold, daring leadership needed in a crisis
The most useless idiots in US politics are people who argue the “Resistance” failed because Trump is back. It was a success, saved the ACA & defeated MAGA in 2017-2020. The failure was on the part of elected Dems who refused to exercise power post-2020. They are why Trump is back
I think many smart and honest people can believe that fascism in particular is not the best analogy, that's fine, it's an interesting and generative debate, but I'm sorry if you insisted Trump and his movement were not authoritarian and illiberal, you're just kind of stupid
We spent all of December and January telling every Dem who would listen that their "we'll work with Trump" posture was badly out of touch with people on the ground, that they were burning trust, and that there would be a reaction.
Now it's here! Maybe next time listen earlier!
please do not make me write a whole piece about this, I've got shit to do, but a lot of people never understood the Trump resistance in the first term and continue to not understand what's happening now
The utter fiasco of the last 48 hours is just a taste of the chaos Russ Vought would unleash.
It is clear that no responsible Senator of any party should vote to confirm Vought to OMB.
☎️ Contact your Senator and tell them to vote NO on his confirmation: https://t.co/1sElGCgJ9I
Schiff is useless and inaccessible to constituents, his website only has one phone number for the DC office which goes straight to voicemail, but you can reach @SenAlexPadilla staff at the LA office at 310-231-4494
Just called @SenAlexPadilla and @SenAdamSchiff to ask them why they aren’t on this list of No votes for Duffy at DOT. Why are CA Senators voting to confirm Trump’s Cabinet picks, especially on a day when Trump put an illegal, unconstitutional freeze on federal spending?