Initially I was of the opinion that filibustering the CR was the correct course of action. However, upon further reflection I came to the conclusion that allowing the CR to pass was the better way to go.
Since the election I have felt that we were in for a real sh.t show. Following Trump’s accession to power things have proven to be even worse than I expected. It is clear that Trump’s mental disease is such that he cannot help but follow his worst instincts and that none of his chosen syncophants will be restraining him. He is going to do whatever his demons instruct him to do, and damn the consequences. Whether the government shut down or not he was going to do whatever he wanted and things are only going to get worse for everyone as he proceeds to shut down more of the government and wreck the economy.
By not having a hand in shutting down the government the Democrats can make it clear that the terrible state of affairs is the result of Republican/Trump actions. Had the Democrats shut down the government with their filibuster no doubt Trump would have blamed the mess on them. Now all the blame will rest solely on the Republicans.
The wisdom of avoiding a shut down is now being shown by the recent court orders directing the reinstatement of many of the discharged civil servants. Had the government been shut down, Trump could have easily taken the position that none of them were essential so he did not need to reinstate them. That argument hs been taken away from him. Indeed, had the government shut down he would have had a free hand to determine that a major part of the government was nonessential. At least now he is forced to justify his actions in the court of public opinion.
Things are going to get worse before they get better so we need to face the reality that this is going to be long and difficult fight. Circumstances will continue to undermine Trump’s popularity and power. Democrats need to do all they can to foment and ride the public’s outrage. We are in a marathon, not a race. Trump and company have raced out ahead of the Dems, but the public is rapidly souring on them and there is time to catch up. Dems have no legislative options so we need to treat this like a guerrilla war and patience has now become a virtue. As advised in Cloris Creator’s todays piece on Sheldon WhiteHouse the most important thing now is that we all stick together as we move forward.
