Democrats did manage to restore food stamps. But they lost healthcare. Without subsidies, millions of Americans will drop out of the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, which were already fragile, leading to the imminent collapse of the entire system. As imperfect as it was, Obamacare was the only significant legislative achievement of the Democratic Party since the 1960s, and now it’s on the way out.
Polls showed that voters were blaming Republicans, not Democrats, for the shutdown. Nevertheless, Democrats caved in completely to the Republicans. It was as if, during World War II, the Allies had invaded Europe and gone all the way to Berlin only to surrender to Hitler.
The Democrats were winning the battle for public opinion over the government shutdown. Inexplicably, they chose to cave in anyway to the Republicans without getting anything in return. Even more strangely, Democrat-aligned journalists and opinion mongers argue that somehow this will turn out to be a victory because they raised the issue of healthcare without trying to win it.
Trump’s campaign of retribution is so widespread and far-reaching that at a certain point, you have to wonder if you really matter if you are not in his crosshairs.
Anyone who ever wondered whether the movie Idiocracy was coming to pass has only to consider the fact that the White House will celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, with a UFC cage match on the White House lawn, assuming there’s any lawn left after Trump’s humongous ballroom of death is completed.
Trump promised to improve the economy for his second term. Instead, he’s focused on getting even with his enemies, real and imagined. He’s having his former prosecutorial persecutors indicted, shaking down elite institutions for cash, and generally making life miserable for anyone who ever crossed him. What happens when he no longer has anyone to take out his lust for vengeance upon?
Food stamp/SNAP benefits to the hungry were disrupted and cut off due to the month-long federal government shutdown. Among the factoids that were revealed during the coverage of this appalling story was the fact that 1/8 of Americans receive food stamps. How on earth can the United States claim to be a functioning nation when at least 1/8 of its population lives in food insecurity and grinding poverty?
Some people might still be afraid of sharks because of a certain movie that came out 50 years ago, but these days, the real reason not to go into the water is Donald J. Trump. The president is blowing up random ships and boats—including fishermen—all over the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean for no discernible reason whatsoever other than to possibly put pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
