# Why are Democrats being blamed for the shutdown? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 8, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788 "2025-10-08T17:11:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/201 "2025-11-06T19:39:13Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > From the Republican POV compromise is surrender. If you like, for “surrender” read “make concessions they are not currently willing to make”. If they had sat down to actually, you know, **Negotiate-** with the Dems and made some offer but the Dems wanted more so the Dems were unwilling to compromise- then yes. But the MAGAs refuse to even negotiate- that makes them wrong. It is also now known that the Stated MAGA goal here is killing “Obamacare” in a sneaky way. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2025, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/202 "2025-11-06T21:51:16Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > They’re in charge, so it’s their responsibility. They control the executive, legislative and judicial branches, which means that they effectively own the federal government, which makes them the ones responsible for making sure it works properly. If that means negotiating with the opposition, so be it. > > The buck stops with the Republicans. Simple as that. Thank you for phrasing this so succinctly. In essence, they never ought to have let it get to the point such that the Dems could/would say, “Enough!” If the Repubs had involved the Dems in ANY meaningful manner in economic decisions to date, and if they had shown ANY willingness to sincerely negotiate or respect ANY Dem concerns/values, it would not have come to this. But they did whatever they wished, assuming the Dems would continue to roll over and let them drive roughshod over our country. It really is a mistake to view the current shutdown as an isolated incident. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2025, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/203 "2025-11-06T23:49:48Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > if they had shown ANY willingness to sincerely negotiate or respect ANY Dem concerns/values, it would not have come to this Yes. Specifically, Republicans passed their budget bill with a simple majority and passed their recession bill with a simple majority. It should not be a surprise that this continuing resolution only has simple majority support. The Republicans choose to govern as a simple majority. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/204 "2025-11-07T00:11:55Z")
Republicans certainly are simple. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/205 "2025-11-07T00:23:59Z")
I’m sure it’s been posted in this thread already, but there’s this quote from 2013: > [@](#): > > “A shutdown falls on the president’s lack of leadership. I mean problems start from the top and they have to get solved from the top. A shutdown means the president is weak.” > > Donald J. Trump ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/206 "2025-11-07T01:46:23Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Why should those Democrats give away their votes for free? Because they ostensibly support the thing they’re voting on. There’s nothing in the CR to oppose. It’s a clean CR. Democrats have already been promised a vote on ACA subsidies, so there’s nothing even left to fight for except passage of those subsidies. That means the Democrats’ logic is “I’m going to vote against something they want until they vote for something they don’t want.” And then they use the “Republicans are making us vote this way” argument and unbelievably, some people buy it. I better get backpay for this. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/207 "2025-11-07T01:47:59Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Democrats have already been promised a vote on ACA subsidies… What are those promises worth? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/208 "2025-11-07T01:49:34Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > That’s how it was set up by the Founding Fathers. Opposing sides have been expected to compromise since the very beginning. No. The founding fathers never intentionally set up a system where the majority could easily be thwarted by a minority. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/209 "2025-11-07T01:50:56Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > What are those promises worth? A promise from Trump on pretty much anything? Nothing. A promise from Thune on a holding a floor vote? A lot. If the bill were going to pass, it’d get a vote. If it weren’t going to pass, then there’s no reason not to have the vote. Given the public’s support for the measure, blocking the vote would be political suicide. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2025, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/210 "2025-11-07T01:52:55Z")
What’s the point of voting for a budget law when Trump refuses to follow prior budget laws and congress does nothing to force him to follow the law? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/211 "2025-11-07T01:53:34Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > No. The founding fathers never intentionally set up a system where the majority could easily be thwarted by a minority. They set up a system where the sides _had_ to compromise. Politicians knew this until the last couple of decades. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/212 "2025-11-07T01:55:47Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > What’s the point of voting for a budget law when Trump refuses to follow prior budget laws and congress does nothing to force him to follow the law? Yep. Which is why an antirecission provision is one of the Democratic demands here. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/213 "2025-11-07T01:59:20Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Democrats have already been promised a vote on ACA subsidies, so there’s nothing even left to fight for except passage of those subsidies. Could you please provide a cite for this? Everything I have read says that Johnson explicitly did _not_ promise a floor vote on extending the ACA subsidies. Here is my cite in advance: [WATCH: Johnson says he won’t promise ACA vote in the House as part of a shutdown deal | PBS News](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-johnson-says-he-wont-promise-aca-vote-in-the-house-as-part-of-a-shutdown-deal) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/214 "2025-11-07T02:06:35Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > A promise from Trump on pretty much anything? Nothing. A promise from Thune on a holding a floor vote? A lot. Congressional Republicans have known that the ACA subsidies are expiring at the end of this year for a _ **long time** _. The time to act on it was months ago, _before_ the insurance companies set their rates for ACA coverage for 2026 with the assumption that the subsidies would lapse, and that many young, healthy people who were getting subsidies would just drop coverage. Months ago, when asked about it, Thune was saying they should “look at” extending the subsidies, but they never actually did. That’s code for, “not gonna happen,” in no small part because Dear Leader wants Obamacare to die. The GOP just kicked the can down the street, and that’s how we got here. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/215 "2025-11-07T02:30:46Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Democrats have already been promised a vote on ACA subsidies [![](https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/charlie-brown-lucy-football.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1008&h=693&dpr=1.5) ](https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/charlie-brown-lucy-football.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1008&h=693&dpr=1.5) ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/216 "2025-11-07T03:30:18Z")
Well then by that logic, nothing matters and no promise can ever be kept, so then the government will never open again. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2025, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/217 "2025-11-07T03:32:44Z")
Perhaps the Republicans should have thought about that before they decided to stop governing in good faith. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/218 "2025-11-07T03:34:09Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Republicans should have thought about that There it is again. “Republicans are making us do this.” ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2025, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/219 "2025-11-07T03:37:14Z")
Republicans voted against funding the government seven times. It’s all their fault. [https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2882/all-info?utm\_source=chatgpt.com](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2882/all-info?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ---
**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:** [November 7, 2025, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788/220 "2025-11-07T03:37:38Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > “Republicans are making us do this.” They’re the majority. The buck stops with them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-democrats-being-blamed-for-the-shutdown/1023788.md?page=12)