By Benjamin Cross
Less than a day into the shutdown, the talking points are already flying faster than votes can be counted. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he has a path forward. Chuck Schumer says Republicans are to blame. And in between, the American people are once again left paying the price for politicians who think brinkmanship is governance.
Let’s break this down.
Thune is playing the long game. His message to Democrats is simple: when you’ve got enough defectors to matter, come talk. He’s dangling the possibility of future negotiations on Obamacare subsidies — but only after the government reopens under the GOP’s continuing resolution. That’s not stubbornness, it’s strategy. He knows if Republicans cave while the government is closed, they hand Schumer a permanent weapon: hostage politics.
Democrats, led by Schumer, are doubling down on emotional framing. They’re saying unless subsidies for Obamacare are locked into the stopgap, they won’t budge. This is classic rhetorical sleight of hand. Tie a must-pass bill to a permanent policy change, and then accuse the other side of being heartless when they refuse. It’s not negotiation — it’s political theater.
The cracks in Schumer’s wall are already showing. Some Democrats admit they’re willing to talk about an “off-ramp” short of their red line. Why? Because they know the shutdown hurts them too. Federal workers in blue states don’t suddenly stop calling their senators because the spin machine says “Republicans shut it down.” Pressure cuts both ways.
What’s most revealing is the quiet divide inside the GOP itself. Conservatives want the Obamacare subsidies gone entirely. Others are floating modifications — income caps, fraud prevention, higher minimum premiums. That’s not weakness, it’s reality. Republicans have the majority, but they also know they can’t govern by scorched earth alone.
Thune’s move is calculated patience. Keep the government shut down just long enough for Democrats to sweat, then reopen it on Republican terms — with a promise, not a guarantee, of future talks on subsidies. Schumer’s move is calculated defiance. Keep pounding the narrative that the GOP is holding health care hostage, and hope rank-and-file Republicans blink first.
The truth is, both parties know how this ends: a continuing resolution passes, the government reopens, and the “big fight” over Obamacare subsidies is punted down the road. That’s Washington in a nutshell — posture, stall, and delay until the cameras move on.
But here’s the takeaway Vermonters should see through: Democrats are using health care as a rhetorical shield, pretending this shutdown is about compassion, when it’s really about leverage. Thune is at least honest enough to say negotiations are on the table — later. Schumer would rather keep the country in gridlock today so he can posture as the savior tomorrow.
Shutdown chess is ugly. But at least we know who’s moving which pieces.
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