Why Democrats Couldn’t Hold Out Any Longer on the Government Shutdown

MSN.com ^ | 11/10/2025 | Ed Kilgore

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Before Sunday night’s Senate vote cleared the way for legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in history, you got the sense the it would either be resolved quickly or extend into the holiday season. Why? Because the central announced goal for Democrats, the extension of Obamacare-premium subsidies, wasn’t happening and likely would never happen until such time as Donald Trump stepped in and forced a deal on MAGA Republicans.

With Trump showing zero signs of engagement, other than a petulant demand that the whole problem go away via the abolition of the filibuster, the choice for Democrats was binary. They could keep up the pressure until he came off the sidelines or end the shutdown to mitigate the pain being experienced by Democratic constituencies while preserving the Obamacare-premium issue for the midterms. Eight Democrats — with probably a lot more of them privately agreeing — chose the second path, and that’s all it took to end the filibuster. It was a fairly simple pain-for-gain cost-benefit calculation for the five (Dick Durbin, Tim Kaine, Maggie Kassan, Jacky Rosen, and Jeanne Shaheen) who had voted 15 times against Republican measures to end the shutdown but then moved across the line to break the deadlock along with original dissenters Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman, and Angus King.

While there’s already wild talk in progressive circles of “primarying” the “traitors” who caved and spoiled the good vibes emanating from the Democratic electoral sweep of last week, this was a fairly predictable development. Again, absent a Trump intervention that looked increasingly unlikely, Democrats weren’t going to “win” on the Obamacare subsidies and some of them privately hoped they wouldn’t since a bipartisan solution might take the issue off the tables...

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TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:

[ronnie raygun]

These scumbags through their laky media fakes will some how twist this into their victory over the oppressor trump

[TexasGator]

They thought they would get SNAP funding and that didnt happen.

[TexasGator]

“These scumbags through their laky media fakes will some how twist this into their victory over the oppressor trump”

Several senators on MSNBC last night admitted they caved.

[rktman]

Positioning themselves to get rid of the filibuster next time they’re in charge? Either way, if there is no filibuster in place if/when they gain control, they will NOT use any KYjelly stickin’ it to us. 😳

[Red Badger]

In the end they got it in the end...................

[pgyanke]

They caved... there was no way they could hold out... at yet the RINOs gave them rehiring with back pay. WHY?!

[rainee]

I still can’t believe GOP didn’t cave

[one guy in new jersey]

“...or end the shutdown to mitigate the pain being experienced by Democratic constituencies while preserving the Obamacare-premium issue for the midterms.”

When one “preserves” an issue...is one doing a good thing? A praiseworthy thing? Wise?

Is this being twisted into sounding like a good thing?

[one guy in new jersey]

the end is rear

[Vaduz]

Democrat party has became the headless chicken just running around.

[Theodore R.]

It’s not a Republican victory because the call to end the filibuster will end now. And in 2027, with a Democrat majority in both houses, the Dems will end the filibuster, pack the Supreme Court, and add DC and Puerto Rico as states. However, the Constitution provides that DC we a federal enclave but not a state.

[Theodore R.]

Headless chickens still win elections.

[Political Junkie Too]

They could keep up the pressure until he came off the sidelines or end the shutdown to mitigate the pain being experienced by Democratic constituencies while preserving the Obamacare-premium issue for the midterms.

The Democrats didn't get ObamaCare COVID-19 temporary subsidies extended like they wanted, but they did get SNAP funded through FY2026. Having learned how much more the public reacted to SNAP over Covid extensions, the Democrats just set up another shutdown confrontation over the expiring SNAP funding just in time for the mid-term elections.

Republicans better begin preparing their counter-strategy now. They need to prepare for the possibility that what President Trump is counting on happening does happen:

1. The tariffs result in the following:
   • increase in domestic jobs as infrastructure development grows due to: refurbishing existing manufacturing facilities, building new manufacturing facilities, revitalizing the manufacturing supply chain

   • foreign investment in the United States begins to take fruit: auto manufacturing, AI development, power plant construction, etc.

   • tariffs are applied to paying down the deficit

2. The stock market booms. Wages go up, prices go down.

3. Crackdown on immigration and H-1B visas opens up more job opportunities for Americans.

4. Health care costs go down as the prices for pharma goes down.

5. Interest rates goes down as the leadership at the Fed changes. Mortgages become cheaper and people can afford first-time home purchases. Lower interest rates also free up existing homeowners with existing low mortgages to consider selling to "buy up" which frees up inventory for first-time buyers.

6. Domestic producers see profit growth as foreign markets open up due to President Trump's trade deals. For agriculture, this should lower food costs as profits rise.

7. Continued peace negotiations continue around the world, the American military continues to rebuild and recruit, and American patriotism rises.

If these things happen, it will be hard for the Democrats to shut down the government and try to blame the Republicans who made all these things happen.

It would make no sense for people to believe that Republicans would "cut off their nose to spite their face" and force a shutdown of the very thing they just built up for the benefit of the country.

However, the public would have no difficulty believing that the Democrats would try to stop the new prosperity if they think any new prosperity will prolong them from regaining power.

-PJ

[dfwgator]

I still can’t believe GOP didn’t cave

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Yet!

[Hyman Roth]

Maybe if they thought about baseball they could have held out a little longer.

[greenbrier]

.. at yet the RINOs gave them rehiring with back pay. WHY?!

I consider the RIF structure that was set up very early in the year as mostly a 'poison pill'.

The Dems wouldn't be able to inflict their hostage-taking shutdown without cutting their own throats and bleeding out.

And that's what happened.

[Vaduz]

Not legally

2020 was their trade mark expoced.

[Rinnwald]

Eight Democrats — with probably a lot more of them privately agreeing — chose the second path...

That's pretty hilarious, right there. Like any Democrat senators, much less eight of them, independently came to this conclusion.

They followed orders, like good little kommissars.

[Red Badger]

They got pushback from their base..............