Or…I talk to a Senate insider about how a shutdown works, why it happens and the political stakes for the rest of us.
by Kevin Ellis for Conflict of Interest
A lot of us won’t feel this government shutdown. I didn’t feel it flying to SF for a son’s wedding. Social Security checks will go out. National park trash bins may overflow. But for the most part, Congress has insulated itself from the worst political impact of shutdowns so their constituents don’t get mad at them.
For now, we will have to watch the bickering on cable news as each side jockeys for political advantage. Democrats shut down the government to demand trillions in health care perks for illegals! (Not true) Trump shut down the government so he could throw millions off Medicaid and raise their premiums! (True)
It is all so tiring. And the Democratic party, led by a Brooklyn senator (Chuck Schumer) and a Brooklyn House member Hakeem Jeffries, just cannot find the right message, strategy and tactics to get through to the voters about how absolutely screwed they will be under the health care cuts passed by this Republican Congress.
And waiting in the tall grass is a man whose name you might not know – Russell Vought. He is the director of the Office of Management and Budget. And his goal – stated publicly for years – is to shrink the size of the federal government so that it cannot carry out its duties. He is messianic about this and Trump has given him free reign.
So whom do you call to understand it all when you are overrun by it all but still feel a duty to understand and participate in this democracy of ours? You call Luke Albee.
Why? Because he was there in the Senate during previous shutdowns. He was chief of staff to Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Mark Warner of Virginia. He is a serious Democratic insider who counsels nominees for cabinet posts on how to win confirmation battles. And he was in the room where it happened (Thanks Lin Manuel-Miranda) for many many years.
Albee is also a Vermonter, which gives him serious cred in my book. His general view, which he is not shy about stating, is that Democrats need to get over themselves (especially progressives), focus on fights you can win (health care) and recognize the very real danger of guys like Russell Vought.