It wasn’t close. Republicans needed 60 votes to get the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) through the Senate, but reeled in only 5 Democrats (4 facing re-election in red states, plus recently-elected Doug Jones from Alabama), and 4 of their own defected; the final vote was 50-49. Read story here.
The Democratic line held more firmly than an analysis posted on Nate Silver’s blog just 2 days ago had predicted, although that writer revised the odds upward yesterday when it became apparent that more Democrats than previously, under pressure from their base, would hold out for an immigration deal that protects “Dreamers.”
The finger-pointing began immediately. The White House ripped into Democrats, but according to Sen. Schumer, he and Trump were close to a deal until Trump reneged at the last minute. Read that story here.
It remains to be seen how long the shutdown will last, how financial markets will react, and who the public will blame or how this will affect next fall’s midterm elections, which are already expected to favor Democrats. But given bipartisan opposition in the Senate to the CR passed by the House on Thursday, it will be hard to make stick the White House’s charge of Democratic obstructionism. Conversely, the public will need little convincing this happened because of Trump fumbled the ball.
Photo: Why not blame these guys? After all, they’re in charge, and they control the agenda. They can’t expect Democrats to vote against their own constituents.