General Discussion

Why have it in the first place? The main positives I see with the shutdown + deal is that it drew attention to both SNAP and the ACA enhancement. Maybe more people understand what they are and why they are improtant now. There is also the guaranty of a vote on extending the expansion of enhancements. These aren’t nothing. It’s worth something to get a public vote on support for ACA enhancement extensions. Will precarious Rs just abstain from voting? I don’t know. There’s little chance the vote will result in expansion, but might be useful in getting back a couple senate seats. Time will tell if it was worth the monetary and psychological pain the shutdown has caused. I, for one, am not well enough informed or perhaps even unbiased enough to know how to best slow down the Trump machine and protect the US people’s needs, but I also do not have hubristic inclinations to think I have a definitive answer as to whether the shut down and deal was an accomplishment to be congratulated. They never seemed to have much leverage, but it seemed that they had more in the last week than before, so the timing seems weird. Lawrence is both an analyst and entertainer. He has had less than a day to pick a position and create a narrative. It had to be spun one way or another. This has got to be a relief for SNAP recipients and federal workers, but also extremely anxiety inducing for those who don’t know how they are going to afford health insurance going forward. Maybe it’s my lack of vision, but I’m not as confident as others are to give my definitive judgment.