You can watch this episode of Right Now With Perry Bacon above or by following this show on YouTube or Substack. You can read the transcript here.
The Democrats’ capitulation in the government shutdown seems to have been motivated by four factors, as TNR’s Monica Potts and Alex Shephard explain in the latest edition of Right Now. They were wary of Republicans changing the filibuster rules to end the shutdown. They didn’t enjoy watching the painful effects of the impasse, from flight cancellations to Americans losing their food stamp benefits. Democrats didn’t have to worry about dampening turnout and enthusiasm within the party base, because the elections in New Jersey, Virginia and around the country had already happened. Perhaps most importantly, there is an ideological divide between the party’s base, which wants a constant fight with President Trump, versus an old guard in the Senate that values comity and norms. This deal will only embolden party activists, who Shephard argues are now essentially a Democratic version of the Tea Party contingent that reshaped GOP politics in the early 2010s.
