Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

Senate Democrats have validated our worst fears about a party unwilling to meet the moment

Late Tuesday night, eight Democratic/Independent Senators voted alongside the Republicans on a deal to re-open the government. The bill will almost assuredly pass the House and be signed into law by Trump.

Democrats should not have taken this deal.

First off, take into account the backdrop against which this deal was struck. Not one week earlier, Democrats had one of the best elections in recent memory—an election that was, to some degree, a referendum on the shutdown. A shutdown for which the majority of Americans (including Independents by a 2 to 1 margin) blamed Trump. Trump himself conceded that his party’s losses were the result of the shutdown when he posted this on Election Night:

In other words, Democrats had political cover, the American people blamed the GOP for the shutdown, Trump and Republicans knew that the shutdown was their fault, and Americans voted overwhelmingly across the country for Democrats amid that very backdrop. And yet despite all of that, a faction of Democrats decided that what they needed to do was cave to the Republicans and re-open the government.

Second, Democrats claimed that they were taking on this fight because they wanted to protect the ACA and prevent healthcare costs for 24 million Americans from doubling, tripling, quadrupling or more. They didn’t secure any deal, having caved on their principal objective. Yes, there will be a vote in the Senate in December, but that’s not a guarantee on the extension of subsidies, it’s a guarantee on a vote. A vote that will fail. And if by some miracle it passes the Senate, it will fail in the House. And if by some miracle upon miracles it passes in the House, Trump (who hates Obamacare and its namesake) will not sign it into law. Whereas Democrats could’ve used their leverage to guarantee funding for the ACA, they’ve settled for a doomed Senate vote instead.

Third, this hurts Democrats in future negotiations. If you’re a Republican and you just watched Democrats cave on their principal objective (with the wind at their backs, no less), are you really that worried that the next time they demand something, they won’t relent once the heat turns up? The Democrats just broadcast to Republicans that they’re not willing to go to the mat in any future negotiations. The GOP won’t forget that.

Fourth, think about how this impacts the Democratic base— a base that thought, maybe this time will be different. Maybe a party plagued by persistent weakness and impotence will finally learn their lesson and fight. And yet here we are, not only capitulating— but capitulating with the wind at our backs! How do you expect to sustain any degree of enthusiasm when the one instance you had to use some leverage and take a virtuous, popular, and winning stand to protect healthcare, you decide to cave? We need people to be excited about what a Democratic Party can do; this move accomplishes the polar opposite.

Granted, I am also not blind to the benefits of the shutdown ending. Forty-two million Americans will eat as SNAP benefits are restored. Payments for government workers will resume. Those who were fired as the result of reductions in force (RIFs) will return to work. Representative Elect Adelita Grijalva will be sworn in and serve as the 218th vote on the discharge petition to force a vote on the Epstein files. While beneficial, they do not restore healthcare costs for 24 million Americans who will see their premiums rise, nor do they negate the damage done to a Democratic brand already plagued by deep unpopularity.

I am tired of losing and worse, I am tired of expecting to lose. We need Democrats who will use their positions of power not to constantly capitulate, compromise, and cave, but rather to fight. Not to say the word “fight” because it’s the popular thing to do, but to actually do it and mean it. The reality is that we’re not going to “fix the Democratic brand” by watching them record TikToks or appear on podcasts. The brand is a direct reflection of the strength of our elected officials. If we want to purge our weak branding, we have to purge the weak Democrats. I am looking forward to a robust primary cycle and ushering in a new class of Democrats who are willing to do whatever necessary to meet the urgency of this moment. The good news is that nearly every major candidate running for office in 2026 has spoken out against the capitulation. Nearly every major candidate recognizes that the future of the Democratic Party will not be about progressivism versus moderation, but rather fighting versus folding. That is becoming a litmus test issue, as well it should be.

I know that this moment feels depressing because we have a lot of old-guard Democrats who can’t take a win when it’s staring them in the face and who seem hellbent on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, but the future of this party offers a case for optimism. Do not disengage; fight for something better. At this point, we cannot settle for anything less.