Lloyd Green at The Hill:
[If] the shutdown drags on long enough so that it muddies the debate over lifting the debt ceiling, then we will likely be looking at a superstorm of pain and discord. While government shutdowns are treated more like economic hiccups, a U.S. sovereign debt default would have Alexander Hamilton spinning in his grave, lead world markets to crash, and American senior being deprived of their social security checks.
Does this mean that Democrats face no downside? No, as congressional Democrats have their own political risks. While polls report sympathy for Dreamers, polls also reflect that voters expect Democrats to be cut a deal on the budget. On that note, a pre-shutdown CNN poll showed that only Democrats favored a shutdown over Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, another symptom of the Democrats becoming more a movement — and less a political party — just like the Republicans. And that’s not a good thing for America.
To be sure, red state Democrats up for reelection this year are highly aware of the risks attendant with the shutdown. Democrats from Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota and West Virginia backed the Republicans on Friday night’s cloture vote. Indeed, Schumer was not about make them walk the plank, not even for the Democratic base. Hopefully, a grudging compromise can be reached here sooner than later, but don’t hold your breath. Bile is the operative coin of the realm.
Trump literally says that Democrats will be complicit in any murders that undocumented immigrants commit.
