A few days ago, I opined that the Democrats should, if possible, work for a limited shutdown in order to maximize their leverage and minimize their potential liabilities. Assume, for purposes of argument, that the limited shutdown isn’t practically possible. What should the Democrats consider as they ponder a full shutdown?
- WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE SHUTDOWN? Ezra Klein thinks it would educate the public about how dire our condition really is. I don’t agree; a large percentage of America gets its information from right-wing influencers and Fox News, neither of which will be sending the right message. In addition, the shutdown would give Trump a reliable talking point at a time when the economy is starting to wobble. No, the only good reason to shut it down is to create leverage to prevent Trump from doing even more damage.
- HAVE CONDITIONS CHANGED SINCE THE ISSUE LAST AROSE: Yes. A few months ago, Trump’s emphasis was on bringing the bureaucracy to heel through firings. That accomplished, he now wants to turn the “Deep State” to his advantage against his adversaries. Shutting down a government that he controls makes more sense than shutting it down when he is simply brutalizing it.
- IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AS A WHOLE, A FORCE FOR GOOD OR EVIL? The verdict here is mixed; the National Park Service, for example, is unequivocally good, while ICE is mostly evil. If the government as a whole is mostly evil, it should be shut down; you wouldn’t keep the Third Reich functioning just because it ran the trains and delivered the mail. In my opinion, we haven’t reached that stage yet, but we are getting close.
- WHAT SHOULD THE DEMOCRATS DEMAND IN EXCHANGE FOR KEEPING THE GOVERNMENT OPEN? The ask should be something constitutionally consequential and relatively popular with the American people. I would suggest an end to the unauthorized use of the military and impoundment.
- ON BALANCE, SHOULD THE BLUE TEAM SHUT IT DOWN? I don’t think the timing is good, because it would change the subject just as the economic impacts of the deportations and the tariffs are starting to show. It would be a mistake to give Trump a straw man argument to defend his misbegotten policies. The question is close, though, and the case for a shutdown will only improve over time.