The betrayal

Eight Democratic US Senators—well, seven Democrats and one “Independent”—just underscored why Americans have so little trust in the Democratic Party, and they also managed to undo all of the progress the party has made in recent months. Worse, they did it and got absolutely nothing in return. Calling this treachery is far too kind.

Here’s the list of the Gang of Eight Senators:

Dick Durbin (age 80), Illinois, who is not seeking reelection next year. John Fetterman (age 56), Pennsylvania, term expires 2028. Maggie Hassan (age 67), New Hampshire, term expires 2028. Tim Kaine (age 67), Virginia, term expires 2030. Angus King (age 81), “Independent” from Maine, term expires 2030. Catherine Cortez Masto (age 61), Nevada, term expires 2028. Jacky Rosen (age 68), Nevada, term expires 2030. Jeanne Shaheen (age 78), New Hampshire, not seeking reelection next year.

Here’s the thing: NONE of those folks will face the voters next year, and cynics are already suggesting that’s why they were the “negotiators”: They could provide cover for vulnerable Democrats in the 2028 elections, while also allowing the much-disliked leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, to vote “no” on the deal while still getting what he wanted, namely, an end to the shutdown.

A different view I saw was that this was a bigger game. First, the House will have to come back into session, that means that Arizona’s US Representative-elect, Adelita Grijalva, will have to be sworn-in—finally—and she will be the 218th signature on the Discharge Petition to release the Epstein Files so everyone will know exactly what the convicted felon did to be named so much in the files, which certainly appears to be the reason Republicans are trying so hard to prevent the files ever being released. Also, the story goes, there will be a special election in a Republican district in Tennessee that may narrow the odds of succeeding in forcing the release of the Epstein Files. By re-opening now, they can act on the files.

The people pushing that theory also point out that Republicans will now be forced to go on the record in support of raising ACA healthcare premiums, and they’ll have to go through this again in January. Yeah, well, no, not really.

The Gang of Eight got a promise that the Senate will vote in December on extending ACA subsidies, but Republican promises are worthless. Even so, let’s humour them and pretend they really will hold the vote in the Senate—so what? Maga Mike Johnson, the antichristian Speaker of the House, has already made clear the subsidies will never be taken up by the House, so no House Republicans will be on the record. And there’s still no guarantee there will be a vote in the Senate, either. The Gang’s other excuses reasons were about things that the courts are already resolving—and there’s no guarantee that the regime will obey any court orders, nor that they’ll actually honour any deals on those issues.

Thanks to the Gang of Eight, early next year ACA healthcare premiums will go up two, three, four—even seven or eight—times. Yes, Americans will be furious about that, but will they really blame only Republicans, or the 8 Senators who caved to Republicans? Or, will they blame all Democrats? It could well become a “both parties are useless liars” thing, driving down voter turnout next year, also helping Republicans.

Even if there’s some sort of hidden strategy here, how on earth could they convince voters of that, when it would look like they were just making excuses for caving? And, also, what about all the Democrats who did the right thing and held the line and voted no? They will be tarred with the same brush as the Gang of Eight. This is especially bad because voters responded strongly to Democrats actually fighting the regime—finally!—and it’s one of the main reasons why last week Democrats had the best election night in YEARS, only to have the Gang of Eight throw it all away.

There’s nothing that can be done about this now that the eight caved, but pressure must begin to convince the six who aren’t already retiring next year to retire at the next election. If they don’t retire, they must be primaried and fired by the voters. They betrayed all the hard work and sacrifices of their colleagues and in both Congress and the states, and also ordinary people who felt energised and engaged, and there have to be consequences for their betrayal of the American people.

The one thing we know for certain is that things will get much, much worse for the USA and its people. Republicans are now smugly certain that they can do whatever they want, and Democrats won’t do anything but, taking a cue from Chuck Schumer, send a strongly worded letter.

The USA deserves much better from Democrats, and for a time, they got that. The Gang of Eight wrecked it all.