Jonathan Capehart:
Here’s what’s going on, and it’s not so much what’s happening in the Democratic Party.It’s what’s happening in the Republican Party.
The Republicans took control of — maintained the control of the House. Republicans took control and gained seats in the Senate. The Republicans took control of the White House. They crowed for months after the election that the American people gave them a mandate to govern.
They then kicked Democrats out of the negotiations away from the table over this continuing resolution. And then, when they discover that they don’t have the votes to get this through, suddenly, the narrative, it’s the Democrats want to shut down the government?
If you have a mandate, then use the mandate and pass your Republican-only negotiated bill. And I think one of the things I learned in 2016, the reason why people liked Donald Trump, the people who support him and voted for him, they loved him because he fights. I kept hearing that. He fights for them for what they believe in, and they know he won’t win every fight.
This was an opportunity for Democrats, elected Democrats, to show the base and people who voted for them and people who are upset with Donald Trump that they are willing to fight. If you’re not going to fight over this, then what are you going to do when the fight becomes even more terrible, the Trump tax cuts, or even the full faith and credit of the United States by raising the debt ceiling?
I think that’s why people are so upset.
