It's their fucking budget. [View all]

[bigtree]

Last edited Thu Oct 23, 2025, 10:18 AM - Edit history (1)

...I know we care about govt services & workers, but I'd bet republicans will start caring about their stalled budget before Democrats become beside themselves over re-opening a government completely under the thumb of Donald Trump.

The most relevant and important issue before us is the republican budget which contains devastating cuts to health care and other social obligations; a partisan endeavor that is entirely their party's own creation and ambition.

Democrats have no interest in speeding their destructive package of nebulous cuts to vital benefits to the White House for Donald Trump's signature; no interest in hurrying along republicans' continued and enhanced tax giveaways to theirs and their rich friends' bank accounts.

I understand the responsible stance of our party remaining in town ready to negotiate while republicans duck in and out, but that Kabuki dance of concern is much more in earnest among republicans than in our party, as Democrats aren't actually in control of any of this process that we don't enable, and unable as we also are to legislate a successful conclusion to this impasse on our own initiative.

If you look a little closer at the players, avoiding the deliberately clouded lens the media is offering us to equalize concern between parties, they've advantaged republicans with a veneer of victimization, despite their complete control of all branches of government including the Supreme Court; unwittingly advantaging Democrats by supposing they hold something more in their hand than their very potent, and increasingly successful bluff.

Republicans have effectively stalled their own budget. They have no way of advancing it unless they change the filibuster rules and put future budgets on partisan fast tracks for Democratic majorities. They and their president keep reminding us how cruel they can be, and how willing they are to kill the hostages and shoot their way out, but there's very little on the other side of that promised melee that they haven't already massacred and buried.

If they're going to shoot up the rest of the place, they'd better get to it, but with very few but their own sweet selves left standing in the halls of government, they'll need to be especially careful of ricochets and friendly fire.

It won't be long before the republicans who go to work each day to accomplish something or the other, remind themselves that their solid majority in every branch is more than just a political feint for Donald's Trump's self-interested political theater.

If and when they're ready to enact their budget, republicans come to Democrats to negotiate a way forward. Or, they'll just settle into a pantomime of governing without any pretense that they care about the country beyond their own interests, no more than Trump.