In Our View: Dems blink

We were off in our prediction the federal government would reopen last week. Now, everything points to the government reopening late this week.

Republicans hold a majority in both the House and Senate. Senate rules allow for a filibuster to require 60 votes to break through for legislation to pass. That seemed to happen Sunday.

Democrats were holding out for the renewal of funding for the America Healthcare Act subsidies for affordable health insurance. Americans were receiving notices that premiums would soar after the subsidies sunset at the end of the year.

Six Democratic senators and one Independent switched their positions in a procedural vote on Monday. In exchange for their move, Republican leaders assured them a vote on healthcare subsidies will happen.

Other than money, the thing that motivates Washington politicians more is the smell of jet fuel. Senators want out of town to get back to their states to remind voters of their courage.

President Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago Club in West Palm Beach over the weekend playing golf and hosting a dinner while federal employees and those with reduced SNAP benefits were lining up at food banks.

The president returned to Washington Sunday afternoon for an Air Force One flyover of a packed Washington Commanders football game.

The military doesn’t have money for flyovers. Trump arrived late and left early. He swore in new military recruits during halftime. FOX, which broadcasted the game, summoned the president to the broadcast booth complete with a 60-year-old picture of a young Donald Trump and his football team.

A deal was almost bound to happen. Thanksgiving is a few weeks away and that’s the biggest travel season of the year. Air traffic controllers were calling off sick more and more as they were working other short-term jobs like DoorDash food delivery and providing child care because they couldn’t afford to pay without paychecks.

Who are the winners in the 40-plus-day government shutdown? Nobody. The Democrats got nothing for holding out so long and Republicans are left holding the bag on rising healthcare costs. Democrats won elections in Virginia and New Jersey last week plus won elections in Georgia and Mississippi.

There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 members of the Senate. We sometimes wonder if we could go to the food court of the mall, any local senior citizen center or local sporting event and round up 535 people who could better represent Americans.

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