Schumer Played a Bad Hand

Playbook: “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was roundly panned in the press and by many Democrats for leading the Senate into a shutdown without a strategy and for being unable to extract any sort of promise from Republicans. Pelosi and other Democrats are vowing not to vote for a spending deal until a DACA compromise is reached. It’s hard to see Democrats having the political fortitude to try to shut down the government again in a little more than two weeks after getting nothing this time around.”

“Schumer had a bad hand here. The base was itching for a conflict, and he gave them one. But he really didn’t have an easy or clear way out. Democrats also misjudged how Trump would react. They thought he would blow up, which would’ve made the shutdown all about him. He didn’t. That strengthened the GOP’s hand.”

For members: 5 Takeaways from the Government Shutdown