As I write this piece, the federal government is still shut down. By the time you read this, the shutdown may or may not be resolved (recent history indicates that these shutdowns don't last long, and that they generally get resolved in a matter of days). But this hasn't stopped the media from completely freaking the F out at the prospect of a government shutdown with all of the supposed calamity & distress it would cause.
But as I look around today--roughly 40 hours or so into this government shutdown--I certainly haven't seen any disaster. The lights are still on, planes haven't fallen from the sky, there's plenty of food in the fridge and at the local supermarket, and life pretty much seems to be plugging along just like normal. Nothing especially different about today when compared to the day before, the week before, or the month before.
Perhaps this should indicate to us that the federal government really doesn't provide much of value or consequence in our daily lives to begin with...
But no matter how minimal the actual impact of a government shutdown is (or isn't) when it comes to the day to day lives of regular Americans, a government shutdown is significant, nevertheless. In terms of the "language" of Washington, a threat of a government shutdown is effectively a Hail Mary play...an "All In" moment, if you will. Given the "all or nothing" dynamic of such a move, a shutdown is not something that a party engages in on an issue that is anything but their highest priority. Essentially a last resort when it comes to political strategy--the execution of a government shutdown signals to the American People, in unequivocal terms, what the top priority is of the given party that causes the shutdown. Effectively, it tells you what that particular party prioritizes above all else.
This is not to say that the strategy (or even the execution) of a government shutdown is inherently a negative thing. As with any strategy, it is something that can be used judiciously in important situations where it is warranted, just as it can be misused for situations that are not appropriate. When the Republicans shut down the government during the Obama administration, it was because they were making a last-ditch effort to stop Obamacare. Attempting to prevent this monstrosity of an entitlement in a desperate attempt to keep it from taking hold in America and causing the negative consequences--both financial and physical--that we ultimately saw once Obamacare was executed. Given the disaster that government healthcare ultimately is, I would say that shutting down the government (even permanently--though the Republicans ultimately did not have that level of gumption) is a legitimate means of averting such a disaster.
Now that the shoe is on the other foot, what is the cause for which the Democrats have shut down the government over? What issue is so important--so vital in their minds--that they are willing to "die on that hill" in terms of the issue? What is the issue that we can rightly assume is their top priority, given that they have shut down the government over it?
That issue would be the protecting the "rights" of the children of Illegal Aliens.
Set aside all of the political labels and back-and-forth blame game that constitutes the rhetoric of both parties during the shutdown...and think of the implications of this decision from the Democrats. They have literally made the safety, security, and well-being of Illegal Aliens their top priority. It is these Illegal families for which they are willing to put all of their chips in the middle of the table for.
In other words, the Democrats clearly prioritize the lives of Illegal Aliens and their families over the lives, the safety, and the economic security of actual hard-working, law-abiding, American families. Your challenges, your safety, and your well-being are no longer a top priority to the Democratic Party (if, indeed, they ever were).
Over the next ten months, Democrats will come into Flyover Country and try to win votes...try to win House seats, Senate seats, Governorships, and any other office they think they can contend for. And as they do so, they will try to convince you and I that they have our best interest at heart...that they are a better fit for us and will look out for our interests better than President Trump and the Republican Party do. And there is no doubt, the GOP has it's issues. There is an establishment wing that has sputtered and opposed this President at every opportunity...and it's sensible that we in Flyover Country would have some distaste in our mouths about much of the GOP...
But when push truly came to shove, when the Democrats had to definitevly demonstrate their top priority...was that priority your family and mine, or was that priority the families of Illegal Aliens?
This goes beyond party, and beyond ideology...it speaks to something, instead, far more basic. An American political party has just prioritized non-citizens--criminals, even--over and above American citizens. I don't care what twisted rationale they come up with for doing so, I don't care what fancy words they try to use in order to justify the decision they made...such an action is unacceptable for any party, or any American citizen to engage in. There is simply no reason, or no set of circumstances, which can justify or excuse this prioritization.
And so, while I don't care about whether or not the federal government is shut down (in truth, I believe large parts of the federal government should be shuddered permanently...but that's probably another column for another time), I certainly do care about why the shutdown happened, as the answer to that "why" question demonstrates in absolute terms who and what the Democratic Party stands for. As such, I come back again to the central theme of this website--that the Democratic Party has moved beyond simply being an opposition political party, and has become a legitimate national security threat.
When they are willing to shut down our government in order to advance the cause of dangerous, law-breaking, non-Americans...can any other conclusion be drawn?
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