I had other conversations this afternoon on the DEMS strategy during the next stop fight. They essentially confirmed the contours of what I discussed in the two articles that I did earlier in the day, but with additional details and colors. One point that I have heard of one of my colleagues is the quantity of DEMS in the Senate seems to be unified on this strategy – even Elizabeth Warren, who had recently argued that it was useless to participate in budgetary negotiations if the White House did not follow the budget. She also seems to have moved to the position “give us back to the subsidy of Obamacare”.
So what exactly do the Democrats of the Senate? How can it make sense?
I asked for this this afternoon. And I think it’s actually quite clear what they think if you look at all the pieces of the brochure. There is actually a decent logic. I just think it’s bad logic.
I think thought is going like that. Democrats believe that the term halfway through 2026 is very good at them. They have a chance to win the two houses in the congress and they are in a particularly strong position to win back the house. It is not as crazy or pollyanna-ish of an idea that it may seem. There is a lot of evidence that the opinion of the elite media considerably underestimates the unpopularity of Donald Trump. I think they are right, a great reaction is preparing. And more than a year ago for him to prepare.
If so, why do something to upset the apple cart? Why do something that could reverse things in a radically new direction? You are already winning! A stop fight is really unpredictable. Maybe Trump is happy to close everything. (I do not think that is the case, for what it is worth.) In this theory of the case, the Democrats do not want a closure. They don’t just want it in the summary, which makes sense, but they don’t want it to happen to that. Asking for Obamacare’s subsidies is probably an achievable request because the White House is probably also afraid of these cuts, or sufficiently worried so that they can be convinced to delay them at least beyond the extraction.
Meanwhile, for the Democrats who are angry that democratic elected officials do not fight, they get something big: the reintegration of critical subsidies that allow millions of people to obtain coverage of health care. How can you say that it is not a big victory? Obamacare is important. (That’s it.) Oh, we did not fight? In fact, we fought Donald Trump and we forced him to restore Obamacare’s subsidies.
All this fits. It covers a lot of ground. I think it’s a very bad approach. But it’s not crazy. There is a logic. It is a bad logic. Butt there is a logic. If you are convinced that they really adopt the right approach, you can return to the rear channel this morning for my explanation of the reason why this is a bad approach.
