Standing Up For Democracy?

 The phrase "strange bedfellows" seems both antiquated and limited when it comes to describing the nine Democrats who chose to vote for the Republican sponsored budget that was passed last week. 

Caught between the choice of a bill that would gut health care, increase military spending, and fubond mass deportation or a government shutdown, Chuck Schumer and eight other Democratic senators signed on to support this further erosion of the ideals that were once held dear by those in his party. The opinion expressed by Chuck and his subordinates was that they didn't want to be blamed for a shutdown that could result in all those things that government shutdowns bring with it. 

Of course, this is a song most often sung by those on the other side of the aisle, as it has been for decades now. Republicans traditionally are the ones who want to keep those pesky Democrats from floating extra money in their bills to be spent on things like health care and keeping people in their homes. This kind of brinkmanship occurs on a far too regular basis for my tastes, with the House of the Senate routinely working right up until the last minute to keep the doors of our government offices and the gates of our National Parks open. The ugly truth here is that this threat is being felt on a daily basis with Mister Chainsaw and his crew running about in their matching nerd shirts firing people and shuttering programs in the name of "governmental efficiency." 

This apparent surrender by the leader of the Senate Minority comes with the suggestion that if the shutdown had happened, the former game show host and his DOGEy henchmen would be allowed free reign to hack and slash at what is left of our Democratic principles while waiting for the lock-step Republicans to make some sort of compromise. This system of checks and balances put forth in our Constitution seems to have all but disappeared with the Executive Branch holding all the cards: Reverse, Draw 4, and Skip. Chuck Schumer seems to be left with just the one: Submit. 

Keeping in mind that this current bill funds the government until September 30. Maybe by then Democrats will be able to find their collective spine. Right next to that stack of strongly worded letters and disappointed faces.