When unhinged neo-fascist blowhard Donald "Rump" Trump told everyone in December that he'd assume the blame for the Federal government shutdown, he gave Dems a golden gift (even though he's subsequently tried to divert blame, as is his style). As The Week's Damon Linker observes, however, Dems are prone to blowing things that should be easy wins. Specifically, he sees dangers in the Dems talking at length about the pain being inflicted on Federal workers being furloughed without pay, some 800,000 strong, and losing the public opinion battle to the Rethugs:
The surest way for [Dems} to do so would be to keep on their present path of emphasizing that the government must be reopened because of how the shutdown is hurting federal workers. [snip] The party's message about the shutdown needs to be crafted for everyone else, and that's where the Democrats are falling short.
Small-government Republicans have long insisted that federal workers do very little that's essential — that most are paper-pushers collecting larded up paychecks and absurdly generous benefits in return for loyalty to the Democratic Party (through both votes for Democratic candidates and union dues that reliably end up lining party coffers). Focusing on the suffering of these employees during the shutdown, however humane it might be, tacitly confirms this narrative by making it look like the primary concern of the Democratic Party is the plight of federal workers rather than the good of the country as a whole. That's politically perilous for Democrats.
It would be far smarter for Democrats to focus on the important, and often essential, work these employees do. They aren't just mindless cogs in an impersonal, gargantuan machine spreading irritating regulations and pointless red tape as part of a political racket. They're doing the vitally important work of managing numerous aspects of our endlessly complex modern lives, providing essential services to tens of millions, and protecting ordinary Americans from a wide array of risks and hazards. (our emphasis)While Linker's analysis may initially seem callous to the people that are locked out of their jobs without pay, the Dems' objective should be winning the battle of public opinion, which means letting the public know -- over and over -- how Rump's shutdown is increasingly affecting their personal lives. It's about emphasis, and making the public realize that this is not only about Federal workers not getting paid, it's about the services those workers are being prevented from performing that the public relies on: food safety, airport security, keeping national parks open, providing food stamps, and so on. Don't blow this one, Dems.
