Well, the US government’s open again, so that’s good.
We should be thankful, I guess. But that seems like a pretty low bar: Good news, the government’s open!
Needless to say, this latest (and longest) manifestation of political dysfunction in America will serve to further undermine confidence in the country’s institutions.
Monthly Gallup polling showed Congress’s approval rating among Republican voters dropped sharply in October to the lowest of Trump’s second term at just 33% (from 54% in September). Independents and Democrats harbored an even grimmer view.
As Gallup noted, “the decline in Republicans’ approval of Congress may reflect their disapproval of congressional Democrats.” Trump’s own approval rating was steady in the low 40s.
The partisan split on Trump’s performance is farcical. More than nine in 10 Republican voters approve. Somewhat amusingly, his approval rating among Democrats actually tripled in October from 2% to 6%, the “highest” this year.
The figure’s simple, and obligatory: At 43 (or 44, depending on how you date it) days, this was the longest shutdown ever. Trump broke his own record.
Other than rattling Americans’ already frayed nerves, it’s hard to understand what was accomplished. Republicans proved they’re meaner than Democrats, but we already knew that and there’s a decent argument that the shutdown contributed to Democratic wins on Election Day, although I don’t think the funding lapse was decisive in any of those races.
As for Democrats, they got nothing other than a promise from John Thune to hold a vote on the extension of health care subsidies. The handful of Senate Democrats who caved to Thune will say they also secured back pay for furloughed workers and the reinstatement of laid off federal employees, but that’s absurd. Those workers were entitled to back pay and the layoffs were arguably illegal. Compelling the GOP to uphold the law against Trump’s attempts to break it doesn’t count as a “win.”
Finally, I should note that it’s not a coincidence the two longest shutdowns in American history both occurred on Trump’s watch. And there’s more to it than his petulant vindictiveness, although that’s a big part of it.
The length of the funding gaps is a reflection of the divisiveness Trump sows. The more divided the electorate, the more divided the legislature and the harder it is to compromise.
Depending on how willing voters are to countenance a shuttered federal government, I think Trump would be just fine with it if the government was closed more often than it was open. As he put it last month, “A lot of good can come from shutdowns. We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible.”
seems like big differences between generic “job approval” and issue specific “approval of his management of the government”
Issue-specific approval ratings show a similar pattern, with disapproval outweighing approval and largely driven by partisan differences. While the public has consistently disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy and health care, disapproval of his management of the federal government has grown since March, when the AP-NORC Center last polled on the issue. At that time, 43% of adults approved of his performance compared with 33% this month.
This decline appears to be driven primarily by reduced approval among Republicans. In March, 81% of Republicans approved of Trump’s management of the federal government; that number has since fallen to 68%. Meanwhile, Democrats remain as opposed as ever, with 95% disapproving of his actions compared with 89% in March.
https://apnorc.org/projects/trumps-approval-rating-remains-low-during-government-shutdown/
“Approval” is purely driven by the “right” people being in office. Voters don’t eve care about policy or what the government is doing, their approval is purely based on which party is in charge. We all deserve how crappy things are going, we have no values anymore.
Since we have a Constitution and some pesky laws, unless he plans to defenestrate his enemies, what he does can be reversed. He is quickly moving to his end so what’s next will be very interesting.
I had to look up what “defenestrate” means. I have heard the term before of course, but could not recall its exact meaning. The common meaning is: to remove or dismiss (someone) from a position of power. However, There is a second (rare) usage that I liked better: to throw (someone) out of a window. I am sure many in Washington, and across the country in general, feel “defenestrated” by the current administration.
Here’s an example… but Patrick McGoohan was an amateur at this next to Putin…https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4S7QARslq74
McGoohan did demonstrate both definitions at once – so there’s that!
Nice example! I used to show that film as part of my 10th grade World History class. I have seen that scene at least 100 times.
I finally figured out, after all these years, how Trump manages to maintain a bullet-proof invincibility with his followers. I can’t believe I never saw it before! Even with all of those ties to Manchur… uh, Moscow.
“Donald Trump is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.”
Does anyone else see a dude in the background on Trump’s left that has a cat on his head?