# Should Democratic Senators play nice with Republicans and support the continuing resolution? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [March 12, 2025, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454 "2025-03-12T06:51:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/21 "2025-03-12T19:45:38Z")
You’re you. Unless you think that message will sell, it’s not a good one to push. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/22 "2025-03-12T19:51:11Z")
What other parts of the Constitution are you willing to let slide because they don’t poll well? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/23 "2025-03-12T19:53:58Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Interesting that when Republicans want to stand on principle and let the government shut down they are worse than Hitler. When the Democrats want to do it, it’s a fight for democracy. I’m curious. Do you remember that literally every government shutdown of the last several decades occurred when the Republicans controlled the House? When do Democrats do so? It will not be in 2025, when the Republicans control the House _and_ the Senate. That the Democrats will be causing this shutdown is more than right-wing propaganda: it is a despicable right wing lie. I’ve emailed my Senators to not only work to ensure that not one Democrat vote to lift the filibuster but also to lead a loud, public, in-your-face campaign to remind every vote that the Republicans are now - as always - to blame. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/24 "2025-03-12T21:21:57Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Interesting that when Republicans want to stand on principle and let the government shut down they are worse than Hitler. When the Democrats want to do it, it’s a fight for democracy. The Republicans are completely _un_principled, and the Democrats have at least _some_ concern for democracy so yes it’s different. The Republicans are _never in any way_ well meaning. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/25 "2025-03-12T21:25:50Z")
Trump and Musk are shutting down the government, regardless of Congress. If they’re not spending money legally appropriated by Congress, what’s the point of a spending bill? Democrats shouldn’t support any spending bill without rock-solid assurances that _the funding allocated by the bill will actually be spent as the law requires_. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/26 "2025-03-12T21:54:55Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > What other parts of the Constitution are you willing to let slide because they don’t poll well? If your country is being invaded, do you move your troops so they’re spread in an even line, so they concentrated to protect the hardest to defend location, or to the location that gives the best chance of leading to their ultimate loss? None of these are a failure to fight. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/27 "2025-03-12T21:58:53Z")
Allowing any President to usurp the Congress’ control of spending is an ultimate loss. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/28 "2025-03-12T22:01:24Z")
Then winning is important. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/29 "2025-03-12T22:14:40Z")
Republicans shut down the government to do things like stop people from getting healthcare. The Democrats are threatening to do so to try and stop an extra-legal coup. The parties are not equivalent. But you knew that already. The repubs have the membership to shove this through without Democrat assistance. So why, pray tell, should the Democrats help? If the repubs can’t get the votes from their own membership maybe they need to sit down and rethink their lives. Also, fuck those doods. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/30 "2025-03-12T22:19:06Z")
Minority Leader Schumer (D) is calling for a 30 day continuing resolution. > “Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort but Republicans choose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input from congressional Democrats. Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR… > Our caucus is unified on a clean April 11th CR that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass. We should vote on that. … > I hope, I hope our Republican colleagues will join us to avoid a shutdown on Friday. [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/after-heated-dem-meeting-schumer-says-dems-will-push-for-vote-on-short-term-cr-first](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/after-heated-dem-meeting-schumer-says-dems-will-push-for-vote-on-short-term-cr-first) * * * As regards to the discussion in this thread, I have little opinion on messaging as that’s not my wheelhouse. I do have opinions on protecting the United States Constitution. These two categories require separation. On issues outside my wheelhouse I look to evidence. Evidence in this case would involve expert opinion by professional politicians, polling, and most of all careful professional analysis of polling. > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > In terms of actual negotiations, though, Congress can write anything on paper. Johnson and Thune can’t make Trump obey the law, somehow, just by writing more laws. So this really is just about telling a story, not getting something to change. Sort of. You can write a law that shapes future judicial rulings. You can appoint congressional investigators with subpoena power. There are all manner of methods of _implementing_ congressional mandates. Those are subject to negotiation. There’s no negotiation on the bottom line ask though. We are a nation of laws, the people are sovereign, President Trump was elected president in 2024, not king. These power struggles shape public opinion because they force the law breakers to respond in some way. I agree that public opinion is the ultimate guarantor of the republic. The law does not protect the people: the people protect the law, as the manifestation of their desires and views of the nation. I disagree that public opinion is wholly shaped by appealing to one narrow policy or another. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/31 "2025-03-12T22:25:10Z")
As Marshall says “Dems give up 60 vote threshold in exchange for being allowed to offer amendments that will fail. That’s what they’re doing.” Primary all of these spinless weasels. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/32 "2025-03-12T22:30:07Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Make the GOP change the rules on the filibuster to pass this, so they own it all. Yes. However: > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > … literally every government shutdown of the last several decades occurred when the Republicans controlled the House … Yes, and in general the public _ **has** _ held Republicans responsible (per polling). But this time Donald will be on every media platform SCREAMING about Democrats Shutting Down the Government, and a lot of people will listen. (I don’t mean the cult–of course they’ll believe it. I mean the millions who don’t pay all that much attention to politics.) Schumer’s new tactic > [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Minority Leader Schumer (D) is calling for a 30 day continuing resolution. … may or may not impress those millions. Democrats speaking with one voice to reach the reachable, ‘Republicans are shutting down your government,’ could work. But Democrats don’t like to speak with one voice. They’d rather make “Choose Your Fighter” videos so people will laugh at them. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/33 "2025-03-12T22:46:15Z")
Honestly punting the issue for 30 days makes some sense to me. The majority party has figured out what they want, not a trivial thing given the crazies in their caucus. Now the minority party gets to adjust things on the margin – unless the majority wants to change the rules to exert unified control. Ultimate power rests with the GOP until 2026, but since most of them are more into posturing than policy, they are unlikely to grasp the ring. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/34 "2025-03-12T22:53:25Z")
But they’re not punting for 30 days - they’re rolling over on cloture to let the CR through (if the reporting is true). ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/35 "2025-03-12T22:54:39Z")
Trump and Musk are already shutting down the government. I can’t imagine why anyone would vote to allow any spending when the administration is not actually spending appropriated money. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/36 "2025-03-12T22:55:58Z")
Not one vote in support of this evil fascist regime. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/37 "2025-03-12T23:04:00Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Our caucus is unified on a clean April 11th CR that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass. Does anyone at this point believe that a short-term CR is actually going to accomplish anything besides kicking the can down the road another month until the exact same problem pops up because Congress spent the time in between doing anything and everything BESIDES “negotiating bipartisan legislation”? I swear I want to personally scream in the face of every single Democrat who talks about achieving bipartisan ANYTHING with these clowns. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/38 "2025-03-13T00:16:14Z")
Update: 30 day CR won’t actually happen. > The 30-day CR would almost certainly fail if the Republican-controlled Senate were to vote on it. And on the off chance it did succeed, it would not survive a vote on the House floor. > Locked out of power, the short-term CR and the push for a bipartisan spending bill is believed to be part of a messaging effort by Democrats who want to be able to say they did not roll over and accept the MAGA funding bill that House Republicans and President Donald Trump are shoving down their throats. So the 30 day thing is a messaging exercise _directed at the Democratic base_. I am not happy. I guess I read it wrong the first time and @iiandyiiii read it correctly. Repeat: [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/after-heated-dem-meeting-schumer-says-dems-will-push-for-vote-on-short-term-cr-first](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/after-heated-dem-meeting-schumer-says-dems-will-push-for-vote-on-short-term-cr-first) Josh Marshall: > If you’re pissed, I’d keep calling your senators and making your voices heard on this. Nothing is over until it’s over. Nothing. But right now the above is the plan. [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-kabuki-cave](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-kabuki-cave) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/39 "2025-03-13T00:38:18Z")
> **[Josh Marshall (@joshtpm.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/joshtpm.bsky.social/post/3lk7lxpjy5c2w)** > > Okay, Schumer's speech was a head fake. This is the Senate D caucus trying to fool their own supporters. Sorry to say that but that's what's happening. > **[Ed Kilgore (@edkilgore.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/edkilgore.bsky.social/post/3lk7o4lmcts24)** > > Let me be clear: I'm not accusing Chuck Schumer of lying. He's telling us the plan is to support cloture to get a vote on a 30-day "clean" CR. But doing that means giving up the right to filibuster the GOP's "dirty" CR. That's just a fact. And once... When I write the bestselling nonfiction book Profiles In Cowardice Schumer will be on the front cover. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454/40 "2025-03-13T00:45:32Z")
The House has adjourned to avoid facing any compromise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-democratic-senators-play-nice-with-republicans-and-support-the-continuing-resolution/1015454.md?page=3)