Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats, the House just got a continuing resolution across the finish line, and the president has been racking up legislative victories. So naturally, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is gearing up to hand Democrats the exact government shutdown scenario they have been carefully crafting for months. Because why win when you can negotiate yourself into a loss?
As USA Journal reported, the Democratic strategy here is about as subtle as a foghorn. They WANT the government to shut down. Not because they think it helps anyone, but because they know the majority party always gets blamed heading into midterm elections. It gives them a beautiful, gift-wrapped talking point that fits perfectly on every cable news chyron in the country: "Republicans are unable to govern." And Thune is apparently ready to stroll right into this trap like a guy who keeps touching the hot stove because maybe this time it will feel different.
Let's review his track record, shall we? When DHS funding was at stake, Thune dragged his feet, gave Democrats plenty of space to run their delay playbook, and then watched the agency go without funding for close to 100 days. His solution? Passing a separate Senate bill in the middle of the night before skipping town, which left House Republicans looking like they got stood up at prom. The late Senator Lindsey Graham ultimately had to step in with the legislative blueprint that finally got DHS funded through the remainder of Trump's presidency.
Now the government's money runs dry on September 30. The House got its continuing resolution passed. Thune's big plan? Crafting his own version, with Democratic cooperation. Because nothing screams "strong majority" like needing help from the opposing team to keep federal offices open.
Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson is running the House with what amounts to a single vote margin. He juggles the Freedom Caucus, the moderates, the procedural bomb-throwers, and members who vote against their own party's rules purely for dramatic effect. And somehow, he still manages to push appropriations bills through. The guy understands that a messy victory beats a clean defeat every single day of the week.
Thune, on the other hand, apparently sees one critical tweet from Thom Tillis or Lisa Murkowski and immediately waves the white flag. He has been incorrect about that calculation every single time, and the folks who pay the price are not Tillis, Murkowski, or Thune himself. It is the Republican candidates in tight House races who will spend October trying to explain why a 53 seat Senate majority still needed a Democratic lifeline.
The SAVE America Act reportedly enjoys 80 percent public support. Democrats have spent months deploying every procedural trick available to block it, obstruct DHS funding, and manufacture the appearance of Republican chaos before an election. These are not good faith negotiating partners. These are opponents who will happily take concessions, sign whatever deal lands on the table, and then spend September arguing that Republicans could not keep the lights on by themselves.
The GOP does not have a Democratic problem at the moment. They have a Thune problem. And that problem is about to become everybody else's headache.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
