Like many of you I’ve been phoning my Senators and Representatives. I just got off the phone passing along a suggestion that I picked up from Josh Marshall at TPM.
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This is the one area where it isn’t a matter of yelling as loud as you can when no one actually has to listen, or working through a decidedly hostile judiciary. Trump needs this. It’s not a matter of working out a deal with Mike Johnson. Trump needs this help and there’s only one place to get it. It’s a not a discussion with John Thune or Mike Johnson. Only with Trump.
I had been somewhat pessimistic about what I was seeing from congressional Democrats on this front. But starting yesterday they began to change their tune and started saying explicitly that the budget and debt ceiling were a key lever for them in handling the situation. That’s real progress. But I think the terms need to be sharpened a lot. The standard should be no help on the budget or the debt ceiling until the lawbreaking stops. Period. End of story. No wilding gangs marauding through the federal government. End the criminal conduct. Period.
That’s it. No nuance.
*actually I kind of like the wilding gangs.
There are many terrible things Trump and his supporters can do by passing new laws. They can shut down USAID, the Department of Education, FEMA. Whatever. They can do a ton of other horrible things. They can try to take away everyone’s health care to fund tax cuts for his billionaire friends, as they are in fact intending to do. All of that is terrible but legal if they can put together the votes. They are in the majority. Joe Biden passed big legislation with tighter margins. What they are doing now, on the contrary, is not only brazenly illegal but an overt and undeniable violation of the federal constitution. When that stops then Democrats will consider helping on the budget and the debt ceiling. And they can negotiate on particulars. But nothing until the lawbreaking stops
talkingpointsmemo.com/…
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(Sorry I don’t know how to format this)
At first I was skeptical of the suggestion, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized:
1. how much worse could it get to shut down the government compared to what’s going on? Just a little bit of snark there.
2. There are reports that DOGE is burning through $7 million a week in, I guess, operating expenses. If the government is shut down they should be shut down too. Or Elon might have to pay for it himself at least.
The staffers I spoke to seemed to like that last part. I have changed my calling agenda from demanding they do something to passing along suggestions I read about. It’s much nicer that way and who knows, maybe something will work. I tell the staffers first that I have the same concerns as everybody else but I don’t want to take up their time with it. Then I cite the article and read a short piece from it. They’re usually really nice and polite no matter what I say, even if I’m doing my demanding, but they seem to especially appreciate this approach.
I’m like Goody—so glad that if I have to be in this, I’m grateful, grateful, grateful that it’s with all of you.
