Anita Chabria: Democrats crumble like cookies. Is this really the best they can do?

Nov. 17—Democrats crumbled like soft-bake cookies.

The so-called resistance party gave up the shutdown fight, ensuring that millions of Americans will face Republican-created skyrocketing health-care costs, and millions more will bury any hope that the minority party will find the substance and leadership to run a viable defense against President Donald Trump.

Eight turncoat Democrats sold out every American who pays for their own health insurance through the affordable marketplaces set up by former President Barack Obama.

As has been thoroughly reported in past weeks, Republicans are dead set on making sure that insurance is entirely out of financial reach for many Americans by refusing to help them pay for the premiums with subsidies that are part of current law, offered to both low- and middle-income families.

Republicans have long desired to kill the Affordable Care Act and now are on the brink of doing so, in spirit if not actuality, thanks to Democrats.

The pain this craven cave-in will cause is already evident. Rates for 2026 without the government subsidies have been announced, and premiums have doubled on average, according to nonpartisan health policy researcher KFF. Doubled.

Insurance companies are planning on raising their rates by about 18%, already devastating and symptomatic of the need for a total overhaul of our messed-up system. That increase, coupled with the loss of the subsidies beginning at the start of next year, means a 114% jump in costs for the folks dependent on this insurance.

The failure of Democratic leadership to make sure its Senate votes didn't shatter in this intense moment isn't just shameful, it's depressing. For all of the condemnation of the Republican members of Congress for failing to uphold their duty to be a check on the power of the presidency, here's the opposition party rolling over belly up on the pivotal issue of health care.

If the recent elections had any lessons in them, it's that Democrats — and voters in general — want courage. Love or hate Zohran Mamdani, his win as New York City mayor was due in no small part to his daring to forge his own path.

Mamdani put that sentiment best in his victory speech, promising an age when people can "expect from their leaders a bold vision of what we will achieve, rather than a list of excuses for what we are too timid to attempt."

Before you start angry-emailing me, yes, I do understand how much pain the shutdown caused, especially for furloughed workers and people facing disruptions in their SNAP benefits. I feel for every person who doesn't know how they will pay their bills.

But here are the facts that we can't forget. Republicans have purposefully made that pain intense in order to break Democrats. Trump has found ways to pay his deportation agents, while simultaneously not paying critical workers such as airport screeners and air traffic controllers, where the chaos created by their absence is both visible and disruptive. He has also threatened to not give back pay to some of those folks.

About 24 million people will be hit by these premium increases, leaving up to 4 million unable to keep their insurance. Unable to go to the doctor for routine care. Unable to pay for cancer treatments. Unable to have that lump, that pain, the broken bone looked at. Unable to get their kid a flu shot.

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