Why Democrats didn't blink first in the shutdown stare-down
Democrats aren't exactly known for party unity. So why did they stick together this time?
If you want to know the score in Washington, you could do worse than checking with the scorekeepers at Politico. Here's how they judged the end of the government shutdown and debt ceiling brinksmanship:
Or, to put that another way:
It's hard to argue with the conventional wisdom. President Obama said he wouldn't negotiate over the debt limit or funding the government, and he "achieved both goals, with minuscule concessions," says John Dickerson at Slate. "In the crude analogy of two cars playing chicken, the president's opponents pulled over." Obama was helped by the civil war raging in the Republican Party, but "the president and his fellow Democrats benefited in this round largely because they were united," also.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That's no small feat. "Democrats in Congress don't have a great reputation for party unity," says Jonathan Cohn at The New Republic. But there they were: "Obama held his ground — in public and in private. On Capitol Hill, Democrats from both chambers and both wings of the party said the same things and, behind the scenes, coordinated their actions." What was different this time?
Part of it has to do with how the party's congressional makeup has changed in the past few years. A lot of conservative House Democrats were unseated in the 2010 election, says Cohn, and "the Senate Democratic caucus has bid farewell to Blanche Lincoln, Kent Conrad, Ben Nelson, and Joe Lieberman — all more conservative and all (but particularly Lieberman) inclined to make trouble for party leadership." The remaining conservatives, like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) got "plenty of political cover" from moderate GOP colleagues criticizing the shutdown.
Still, in this case, Democrats may not have been able to stay together without the help of an unlikely ally, Sen. Ted Cruz (R- Texas), says Ezra Klein at The Washington Post. Not only did Cruz's tactical push to link ObamaCare to the federal budget fracture the GOP, but it was also "so suicidal that Democrats felt comfortable forcing Republicans to cave completely." In fact, Democrats got way more in the deal than they thought possible before the shutdown.
Cruz has been so helpful, Klein says, that "a true cynic about American politics" might have to conclude that he's "a Democratic sleeper agent."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Cruz's assumption that Obama and the Democrats would bend wasn't crazy, says Jonathan Chait at New York. It was the "widespread, world-weary conventional wisdom." And Republicans "spent weeks prodding for every weakness" in the Democratic caucus. To no avail. The GOP's single biggest mistake, Chait adds, was "failing to understand the way its behavior would create unity in the opposing party."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
UAW scores historic win in South at VW plant
Speed Read Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join the United Auto Workers union
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 22, 2024
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - dystopian laughs, WNBA salaries, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published