The Lonely Liberal

The Democrats Lost The Shutdown

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After weeks of brinkmanship, Democrats ended the standoff with a clean(ish) continuing resolution—no ACA subsidy extension in the bill text—and public patience wore thin. In this 10–15 minute solo breakdown, I walk through what changed, why the leverage didn’t convert, and what it means for the next funding fights.

In this episode:

  • What the final CR actually did (and didn’t): government reopened at prior-year levels; ACA rider punted to a separate vote later
  • The scoreboard: policy, shared-blame polling ≈, and real economic/operational costs (with some permanent loss)
  • The crossover math: 8 Democratic-caucus votes in the Senate + GOP to clear 60; 1 House Democrat backed the earlier stopgap
  • 2026 angle: none of the Senate Dems who voted yes are personally up in 2026; two have already announced retirements
  • How the loss happened: sequencing, calendar pressure, and a message that never fully landed
  • GOP wins—and their risks if governing by CR becomes the norm
  • What to watch next: whether leadership actually schedules the ACA vote, and how many more CRs we’re in for
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    The Lonely LiberalBy Nick Zenkin