US GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS AFTER DEMOCRATS TAKE A STAND, THEN CONCEDE THEIR DEMANDS

by Nicholas Patti

November 14, 2025, Wake Forest, NC—As the longest US government shutdown dragged on for weeks upon weeks, costs mounted. Millions of airline passengers faced delays and cancellations ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and travel rush. Food stamps for 42 million hungry Americans were at risk of not being paid. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers were seeing paycheck after paycheck of zero pay. In the national, off-year, local elections on November 4^th, 2025, Democrats punished Republicans at the polls with an electoral sweep. Apparently, voters blamed Republicans more than Democrats for the shutdown.

Then, a compromise emerged, and the shutdown came to an end. Eight Senate Democrats, including one independent, conceded the Democratic demand of funding for the expiring Obamacare premium subsidies. They were offered a vote on the issue on the Senate floor, sometime in December. Republicans achieved exactly the 60-vote threshold they needed to pass a new temporary funding bill in the Senate, and finally, after all that pain, suffering, and hardship for the American people, Congress was on-track to end the shutdown. The shutdown ended November 12^th, 2025, after the US House passed the legislation, and President Donald Trump signed it into law that very night. The shutdown had lasted 43 days, the longest in US history, and it was finally over.

In this essay, I will ask the critical question, for Democrats, was the shutdown worth it? Was the shutdown a good political ploy for their party, and did it achieve any policy goals? For the Republicans, I will inquire as to whether the outcome of the shutdown vindicated their position from the beginning, and did they win or lose, politically, after all was said and done? I will examine their claim, oft-repeated, that immigrants were to blame for the shutdown. I will respond to the language Republicans used in making this argument about the immigrants and the shutdown. I will consider who was to blame for the shutdown, Democrats or Republicans, after weeks of finger-pointing and blame, back-and-forth, as the shutdown dragged on. Finally, I will conclude with an answer to the question, was it worth it, ultimately, for the Democrats to take a stand against President Trump and the Republicans in Congress, and to shut down the government with their votes. Were the moderate Democrats right in crossing party lines to end the shutdown, or should they have held with the progressives and the majority of the Democratic Party to vote to keep the shutdown open, and the government closed, despite all of the pain felt by the American people? As they did in fact vote to end the shutdown, was this strategy worth it for the Democrats?

After the Republicans gained the 60 votes needed to end the shutdown without making any concessions on extending the subsidies for the Affordable Care Act insurance premiums, they claimed victory. In fact, they argued that the outcome vindicated their position from the very beginning of the shutdown. If the Democrats had voted that way six weeks ago, they could have spared the American people all the pain and suffering of the shutdown, in the first place. In this view, Republicans argued, the shutdown represented an extreme act of bad government and poor policy-making by the Democratic Party. However, Democrats placed the blame for the shutdown back on Republicans. Democrats pointed out that the Republican Party controls both houses of the US Congress and the Presidency, and that the responsibility rested with Republicans to pass legislation, and to open or close the government. As to the Democratic votes on the filibuster in the Senate, the Democrats argued that Republicans refused to negotiate with them at all on the issue of the Obamacare subsidies, and that therefore, the Republicans were to blame. As it turned out, the Republicans never conceded on that issue. Ultimately, the eight Democrats, including one independent, who voted with Republicans to re-open the government, gave up on negotiating with Republicans. In the words of Senator Angus King, independent of Maine, further negotiations with the Republicans on that issue would have been fruitless, since the Republicans were not budging on the issue. I agree that holding out longer for a concession from the Republicans on the Obamacare subsidies would have been pointless. Thus, it did prove to be that the Republican refusal to negotiate caused the Democrats to fail to reach an agreement with Republicans to re-open the government, and ultimately, that same Republican refusal to negotiate caused moderate Democrats to fold, ultimately, and to vote with Republicans to re-open the government. The pain experienced by the American people had grown too great, and it became time to re-open the government.

I believe that there was good reason for the Democrats to begin with a strong attempt at gaining the concessions on the Affordable Care Act from the Republicans, even if that Democratic effort proved fruitless, in the end. I think the Republican position from the beginning was not vindicated by the final outcome on the premium subsidies; the Democrats were justified in trying, even if they ultimately failed to win that outcome in the end in the Senate. It should be noted, however, that Republicans did promise to hold a vote on the Affordable Care Act subsidies by mid-December in the Senate. Moderate Democrats pointed to that concession as an opportunity to hold individual Republican senators accountable for their position for or against the skyrocketing premiums and the subsidies next year in the 2026 mid-term elections. Moderate Democrats plan to press the affordability issue in the mid-terms next year, if Republicans vote to end the subsidies. That vote in the Senate is expected to fail, as the Republicans have shown no interest in extending those subsidies, and the Republicans hold the majority. Democrats did win the ability to put individual Republican senators on-the-record, however, and build for a Democratic victory in the mid-terms (CNN, 11/9/2025; “Senate moves toward ending shutdown after Democratic defectors relent,” News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, digital edition, 11/10/2025; “US Senate compromise sets stage for end to government shutdown,” myEarthlink news, on-line, 11/10/2025).

The next question that arises, naturally, is, did the Republicans win or lose the shutdown, practically, in terms of policy, and politically. It is clear to me that the Republicans did win the shutdown, strictly in terms of policy. As I said above, the Republicans never conceded the Democrats’ primary demand, namely, extending the Obamacare health care subsidies. The moderate Democrats ended up conceding the issue to the Republicans, largely, and so the Republicans did “win” the shutdown. It should be noted, however, that the majority of Democrats voted against re-opening the government, in the end. Also, the Senate Minority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, did vote against re-opening the government, as well. The Republicans only needed eight Democratic votes to win in the Senate, however, and the Republicans, ultimately, found those votes.

Politically, however, I think it is a different story. I think Democrats fared far better than Republicans, politically speaking. Polls showed the American people blaming the Republicans slightly more than the Democrats, 50% to Republicans, vs. 43% to Democrats, in one poll (Reuters/Ipsos, late October, myEarthlink, on-line, 11/10/2025). In the election, however, the story was clearer. There, in the national, off-year elections of November 4^th, Democrats destroyed the Republicans. Democrats won the Governors of New Jersey and Virginia by wide margins, as well as electing a Democratic Party socialist mayor of New York City. In California, Prop 50 to redraw the legislative districts to favor Democrats in that state also passed. Democrats won every single significant electoral plum up for grabs in that national election, and by wide margins in New Jersey and Virginia.

U.S. Congress, Washington, DC
© Alisonh29 | http://www.stockfreeimages.com

Even President Trump admitted defeat in that election. President Trump attributed the Republican losses in the election, in part, to the shutdown. He believed that the voters blamed the Republicans more for the shutdown than the Democrats. That blame game cost the Republicans at the polls, according to Trump. Also, President Trump claimed that the other reason the Republicans lost that election was that President Trump, himself, was not on the ballot. The election showed a clear Republican political loss, stemming from the shutdown.

Having said that, I would like to point out that achieving a policy victory, as the Republicans did in the end, is always a plus, politically. The policy victory from the shutdown was a political win for President Trump and the Republican Party. It can only be a mixed bag for the Republicans, however, in sum, since they performed so poorly, in fact, in the election, held near the end of the shutdown. What is more, depending on how Congress acts on the Affordable Care Act subsidies over the next year, the policy win could be very short-lived: Democrats can win on that issue, highlighting the affordability issue, heading into next year’s mid-terms. Control of Congress is at stake, then.

Next up is the question of the immigrants and the shutdown. Republican leadership claimed, repeatedly, that the Democratic position was to try to spend $1.5 trillion to fund illegal immigrants to receive public health benefits. That was the reason the Democrats shut down the government, in this Republican misrepresentation of the Democrats position. The Democratic response, spoken by Senator Chuck Schumer, was that that claim was blatantly false. The Democrats were not fighting for free health care for immigrants who are here illegally. Schumer pointed out that none of the recipients of the Affordable Care Act subsidies are illegal immigrants. They are not eligible to receive this benefit in the first place, according to Schumer. The issue for the Democrats was not the inclusion of immigrants who are here illegally, but rather the extension of the premium subsidies, themselves, for the millions of Americans who are already receiving them. I agree with Senator Chuck Schumer. The immigrants were not the issue (CNN).

I have a note on the language Republicans used in making this argument about the immigrants’ blame for the shutdown. President Trump and the House Speaker, Republican Mike Johnson referred to the immigrants as simply “illegals” or “illegal aliens” (CNN). This is a slur against these people. This language defines this whole group of people, and each person within that group, solely by their immigration status. I can counter this language by recalling a slogan I heard at a pro-immigrant rights rally in New York City, several years ago. The chant was, “No One Is Illegal!”

Now, on to the questions for the Democrats. First, was the shutdown a good strategy for the Democrats, politically? I discussed the election results, earlier in this essay. Democrats won at the ballot-box this year. On the question of the upcoming mid-terms, next year, Democrats cannot claim a policy victory on extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies this year. If the Republicans fail to extend the subsidies later this year, and next year, then the Democrats can hold the Republicans in Congress accountable for the spiking costs of health care under the Affordable Care Act. In the US Senate, the Democrats won a vote on the issue, this December. Those senators can be held personally responsible for their votes, when next year’s mid-term elections roll around. Thus, while Democrats cannot claim a direct policy victory out of this shutdown exercise, they can hold Republicans accountable in next year’s mid-terms.

Should the moderate Democrats have broken with the rest of their party and voted with Republicans to re-open the government, or should they have held out for another chance to sway the Republican majority into extending the subsidies? The refrain for the moderate Democrats who voted this way, in the end, was that the costs of the shutdown grew too painful for the American people to hold out any longer. The benefit of extending the subsidies was out of reach, given the Republican intransigence, and causing more pain for the American people would be pointless. I agree. I break with the progressives in the Democratic Party who blamed the moderates for voting this way, and Senator Chuck Schumer, for failing to hold the party together in opposition to voting to re-open the government. Progressives blamed Chuck Schumer for the moderate Democratic votes even though Schumer himself voted against the compromise to re-open the government. I think this blame is misplaced. Also, with millions of Americans potentially going hungry with the SNAP benefit cuts, the millions of air travelers stuck in US airports and going nowhere, and the hundreds of thousands of federal employees going more than six weeks without pay, I think the costs of the shutdown were mounting. I agree with the moderate Democrats that the costs became too great for the American people. While I support the Democratic effort to obtain those health care subsidies in the first place, I think that, eventually, the costs became too great to carry on the fight any longer. It only made sense, to me, to re-open the government, at that point.

In sum, was the government shutdown worth it for the Democrats to have waged, in the first place? Was it worth it for the Democrats to take a stand against President Donald Trump and the Republican party that controls all three branches of the federal government, and in particular, the Congress, at this time? My answer is yes, it was worth it. After the passage of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill in Congress, into law, last summer, the shutdown was worth it. That legislation slashed over $1 trillion dollars from Medicaid and food stamps, aside from this shutdown. On top of that, the Affordable Care Act subsidies are expiring this year. In addition to the previous cuts, millions of Americans would see their health care premiums skyrocketing under Obamacare, this year. Republicans had been attacking the Affordable Care Act for over ten years, and now, with majorities in both houses of Congress, they are defunding it. It could be argued that it was critical for the Democrats to take a stand on this issue, alone, at this time. Democrats argued that these shutdown votes on the so-called “clean CR” put forward by the Republicans was their only leverage in the federal government, at this time, and the Democrats were right.

I applaud the Democrats for taking a stand, in the first place, and I applaud the moderate Democrats for having the common sense to vote to re-open the government, after the shutdown became the longest in US history, and the costs to the American people just became too great.

Although the Democratic Party is divided on ending the shutdown, the way it worked out may benefit the Democrats, as a whole, politically. First, Democrats took a stand, as their base was demanding, especially after all of President Trump’s victories this year. Second, in the national election on November 4^th, near the end of the shutdown, as the costs were mounting on the American people, the Democrats clobbered the Republicans, nationally. Next, since the government re-opened, the Democrats would not be blamed for keeping the government closed as the pain was mounting on the American people. Moderate Democrats deserve credit for this decision. Finally, leading up to next year’s mid-term election, Democrats can hold Republicans accountable for spiking health care costs on the issue of affordability. Affordability was a key issue in this year’s elections. It will probably remain an issue into next year’s midterms. If the Republicans fail to extend the Obamacare subsidies, or fail to come up with some other solution to the rising health care costs for Americans under the Affordable Care Act, then Democrats can clobber the Republicans again next year in the mid-terms on the issue of affordability, in general.

As the shutdown turned out, the political winds can favor the Democrats, significantly, heading into next year’s mid-terms. All the Democrats need to do is to play their cards right, from here on out. In conclusion, the Democrats needed to take a stand, and they were right in taking this stand. By conceding the shutdown, in the end, the Democrats, and in particular, the moderate Democrats, deserve credit for bringing us all out of this mess. Simply put, the shutdown had grown too costly to continue any further. Yes, the shutdown was worth it for the Democrats. If they play their cards right from here on out, the shutdown will have been worth it, politically, as well, for the Democrats, heading into next year’s mid-term elections.

—Nicholas Patti

Wake Forest, NC

USA

Additional Sources:

CNN, television, 11/9/2025, 11/12/2025, October, November, 2025; radio, SiriusXM, 10/25, 11/25.

News and Observer, Raleigh, NC: “Congress votes to end shutdown as NC Dem breaks with party in vote for bill,” 11/13/2025, digital edition, newsobserver.com; “Senate moves toward ending shutdown after Democratic defectors relent,” 11/10/2025, digital edition, newsobserver.com.

New York Times, New York, NY: “Food Aid Halt Shatters Faith in Safety Net,” 11/13/2025, p. A1, print edition.

myEarthlink news, on-line: “US government opens back up but deep political divisions remain,” Reuters, 11/13/2025; “US Senate compromise sets stage for end to government shutdown,” 11/10/2025.

WRAL news, WRAL, WRAL+, Raleigh, NC, 2025, NBC, television news.

ABC news, 2025, television

HOPE FOR DEMOCRATS FROM NORTH CAROLINA

March 27, 2025, Wake Forest, NC—Coming out of last Fall’s national election, Democrats can find hope at the state level, including North Carolina. In particular, Democratic NC Governor Josh Stein was elected and is starting his first term, and Democratic NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson won and has since assumed some influence in national politics. The federal level is dominated by Republicans and US President Donald Trump, who began his second term with a whirlwind of executive orders taken right from Project 2025, a far-right, reactionary policy platform that President Trump completely denied any connection to during his election campaign last year.

At the state level, here in North Carolina, however, we now have a sense of where incoming Democratic Governor Josh Stein is taking his first term. In addition, we see how the newly-elected Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson is challenging the Trump administration in federal courts to help stall Trump’s reactionary political agenda. In particular, Jackson has enjoined the State of North Carolina to several federal lawsuits countering Trump’s agenda, including specifically, a lawsuit countering an effort by President Trump to amend the US constitution by executive order on the issue of birthright citizenship for children of immigrants.

On day one of President Donald Trump’s second term, he signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of immigrants. Immediately thereafter, several Democratic-leaning states challenged his order in court with a federal lawsuit. In North Carolina, a purple state, newly-elected, Democratic NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined those lawsuits. Referring to the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, which enshrines citizenship as a constitutional right for all children born in America, Jackson was quoted as saying, “The Constitution leaves no room for executive reinterpretation on this matter—it is clear, settled, and binding. This order seeks to undermine that clarity, creating legal uncertainty and denying fundamental rights to children born in this country” (News & Observer, on-line, newsobserver.com, 1/21/2025; News & Observer, on-line, newsobserver.com, 3/14/2025).

Specifically, President Trump’s order would bar citizenship to any children born in the United States to parents without at least one parent being a citizen or legal permanent resident. Birthright citizenship has been recognized as an established legal right for the children of immigrants in America since the law was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 1898 in the case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark (News & Observer, on-line, newsobserver.com, 1/21/2025). Donald Trump’s executive order would deny this constitutional right and overturn over a century of US legal precedent.

I think President Trump’s executive order would deny a large part of who we are as Americans. While I acknowledge that cracking down on immigration was a central plank of Trump’s election campaign last year, I think we, as Americans, are still a nation of immigrants. The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor attests to this aspect of American life, in the famous inscription on the statue: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Donald Trump misunderstood this message; he follows the old joke, instead: “Regarding your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Send them my regards.”

As Americans, we must oppose this rights-grab by executive order by Donald Trump. I support North Carolina AG Jeff Jackson’s legal effort, with the 17 other states enjoined to the lawsuit, to overturn this executive order.

The current status of this executive order is that it has been suspended by the federal courts. It will be heard, ultimately, by the US Supreme Court, which will rule on the matter. I can hardly believe that President Trump is attempting to amend the US Constitution by executive order, as affirmed by the US Supreme Court. Last I checked, there exists a drawn-out process for amending the US constitution, which President Trump lacks the political support to achieve in the US Congress or in ¾ of the State legislatures. I only hope that level heads prevail at the US Supreme Court, and the Court chooses not to overturn this basic right for Americans, and not to overturn more than one century of legal precedent in this country.

Our Democratic party hero in North Carolina, NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson, is not entirely in the clear on this lawsuit in North Carolina, however. The Republican majorities in both houses of the NC State legislature have introduced bills to remove his authority to file any lawsuit against the Trump administration in Washington. North Carolina is, of course, a purple state. On March 11, the NC Senate passed a version of this bill. It all comes down to one vote in the NC House. In the NC House, Republicans fall one vote short of a supermajority needed to override the Governor’s veto. If the NC House passes this bill in the near future, as I expect it will, the question becomes, will the Governor veto it? The newly-elected Democratic Governor, NC’s Josh Stein, I believe will probably veto the legislation, I hope. If Gov. Stein vetoes the bills, then it all comes down to one vote in the NC House, on whether the Republican-led legislature can override that veto. If so, then North Carolina would be removed from that federal lawsuit. If not, then NC AG Jeff Jackson can continue to be the Democratic hero from the State of North Carolina that he is now. Jackson could continue to defend our basic rights as Americans from his perch as AG in North Carolina. I hope Jackson will be able to remain a party to his federal lawsuits, including this one, and will be allowed to continue to challenge the Trump administration in court. North Carolina is a purple state, and the battle in North Carolina will be close (News & Observer, 3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition; News & Observer, on-line, newsobserver.com, 3/14/2025).

This political battle highlights how important in North Carolina the recent election of NC Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, is, in addition to the election of the Democratic Attorney General. Without Josh Stein, a Democrat, in the Governor’s office, the Republicans would be able to easily block Jeff Jackson from entering this and other federal lawsuits. That is the glimmer of hope for Democrats in the recent national election in the State of North Carolina.

Now, we are seeing how incoming Democratic Governor Josh Stein’s first term is looking, on its own terms, as well. Josh Stein’s first priority was not Washington, in fact, but North Carolina. Stein’s top priority was rebuilding Western North Carolina after the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene. To that end, Stein signed his first piece of legislation into law, working with the Republicans in the State legislature, last week. That state law provides the fourth round of state funding for recovery from Hurricane Helene. Providing funds for recovery to Western North Carolina remains Gov. Josh Stein’s top priority, and he receives largely bi-partisan support on the issue (News & Observer, 3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition).

On Wednesday, March 19, Governor Stein presented his first budget to the NC General Assembly and the public at-large. Stein found some agreement and some disagreement on various issues within North Carolina from the Republicans who lead both houses of the State Assembly. On the famous Democratic Party issue of teacher pay, going back to the former NC Governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, Stein has found agreement from NC Republicans. Stein wishes to raise starting teacher pay to $53,000 by 2027, according to Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, writing in the News & Observer (3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition). Stein wants North Carolina to be “the highest in the Southeast.” Similarly, Republican NC House Speaker Destin Hall was quoted as saying in the News & Observer that he wants North Carolina to be “as highly ranked in the South as we can be” (3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition). I hope Stein and the Republican leadership in North Carolina can make significant headway in raising teacher pay in North Carolina.

Gov. Stein and Republicans in North Carolina disagree on private school vouchers, state income taxes, and a statewide school bond issue. Gov. Stein has also drawn attention to the federal effort in Congress by Republican leadership there to cut Medicaid funding. If the federal government cuts Medicaid by $880 billion, then North Carolina would see its Medicaid expansion evaporate. This issue took ten years of wrangling to adopt in North Carolina, and it would be gone in a breath, if Republicans in the US Congress slash the program. NC Gov. Stein mentioned this in his first State of the State address earlier this year, but has not made it an issue otherwise in North Carolina, at this time.

Governor Josh Stein’s first term is coming into vision, now that his first proposed budget has been released. We are looking at June for the NC legislature to pass its budget, and then send the budget to Gov. Stein for his signature. This timeline is only tentative, I should note, however, since the Republicans in the NC state legislature have been known to disagree with themselves, and pass extremely late budgets, in the recent past. In any case, business in North Carolina this year seems to be proceeding at a regular pace, under Governor Josh Stein and the Republican legislature, with or without US President Donald Trump.

That being said, Democrats are lucky to have elected their own party in the Governor’s office and the NC Attorney General’s office this past year. The Democrats in the executive branch of North Carolina are currently able to provide a counter-weight to President Donald Trump’s reactionary agenda in Washington this year. North Carolina remains a purple state, but the Democrats here will not remain silent.

On the issue of birthright citizenship, for example, as currently guaranteed in the US Constitution, Democrats in North Carolina have joined the fight against President Trump. Time will tell whether NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson will be able to stay in this court battle, and time will tell how much of President Donald Trump’s agenda will stand or fall in the halls and the courts of Washington, DC. I hope we can block Trump’s reactionary agenda.

—Nicholas Patti

Wake Forest, NC

USA

Additional Sources:

News and Observer, Raleigh, NC: 3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition; 1/21/2025, on-line, newsobserver.com; “Will the Supreme Court Overturn Birthright Citizenship? What to know,” 3/14/2025, on-line, newsobserver.com; 2/27/2025, on-line, newsobserver.com; “NC Republicans move fast on DOGE, DEI, Helene, immigration. How 2025 session is playing out,” 3/14/2025, on-line, newsobserver.com.

WRAL news, WRAL, WRAL+, Raleigh, NC, 2025, NBC, television news.

CNN, 2025.

ABC news, 2025, television news.

President Biden, the Oncoming Mid-terms, and NOT the Ukraine

February 22, 2022—Afghanistan. The Ukraine. An economy that threatens to burn itself out with record high inflation. Democrats divided in Congress, unable to pass anything, despite holding the majority in both houses. A drubbing for the Democratic Party, nationally, in last year’s, off-year, 2021 elections. The precedent of history that shows that the party of the president usually loses seats in Congress in the first mid-term. And worst of all, a record low approval rating for President Joe Biden that rivals only that of former President Donald Trump, at this point in both men’s terms.

I think it is fair to say that at this point in his presidency, President Biden and the Democrats face significant headwinds going into this year’s mid-term elections. The control of both houses of Congress hangs in the balance in this year’s mid-term, national elections. The fact is that the election later this year will serve as a bellwether for two years of Democratic Party rule in Washington, as a referendum on Biden’s presidency, so far. The results will either surprise pollsters and political science prognosticators, and affirm President Biden’s rule, or they will serve as a death knell for continued Democratic rule in Washington, at least in Congress, at this time. The simple fact is that the oncoming mid-terms are approaching American politics like a semi-truck fresh off a Canadian protest against liberal pandemic policies, back on the highway, and roaring ahead at 75 mph in a free-market, laissez-faire, 70 mph speed limit zone. In this metaphor, the trucker is not going to receive a ticket for speeding down the road, nor for protesting liberal policies on the pandemic in Canada and America; instead, in this scenario, this protesting trucker, roaring ahead in his semi-, this trucker owns the road.

The Republican Party is on the march. Watch any episode of the 6 o’clock news on Fox News on cable TV, and you can see lots and lots of hungry Republicans, foaming at the mouth, anticipating their next big meal, in which they devour fresh red meat and re-take control of Congress later this year in the mid-terms. In this political context, at this time, whatever is a Democrat to do?

As a registered Democrat and a proud, public, democratic socialist myself, I respectfully disagree. I think that despite the headwinds, President Biden is doing basically a good job. The challenge for the Democratic Party and Democratic Party leadership, to me, is putting out the right message, the right spin, and showing how President Biden is doing a good job at this time, and why the Democratic Party deserves, currently, another two years in control of Congress. The time now is not to show what they would do, but what they have done, so far, in the past two years. The time now is to show how President Joe Biden has been doing a good job as our US president, and how President Biden and the Democrats still represent the best interests of working Americans and—dare I say it—the middle class. I think if the Democrats can put out this message, and be convincing about it, then they still have a chance in hell of holding on to the reins of power in Congress. True to the principles of our democracy in America, the voters will have the final say, come this November in our national election.

The question for me, on this blog, is why? Why do I think that President Joe Biden is doing a good job, and why do I think he still represents the interests of the working and middle class in America? I am concerned, also, with the interests of the working class, internationally, but as we are discussing specifically the American president, I will limit my focus to the American working and “middle class.” Furthermore, I will remain interested only in the top-of-the-news items, and not give too much credit to President Biden for changing the rules for organizing labor unions, which he has done, in favor of labor unions. President Biden deserves credit for this change, in federal regulations, but I will not delve into that here. I will remain on the top-of-the-news issues, and I will respond to the issues we see in the mainstream daily newspapers and on the broadcast and cable television news. Even with these limits, I think President Biden is doing a good job. That is the job of the Democratic Party to do, to win this mid-term election. They must tout the success of this Administration, or they will be lost. I think there is substance there to say that, on this basis, we can judge that President Biden is doing a good job, and his Party, the Democrats, do still deserve to remain in control in Congress, and thus in Washington, in general.

What do I base this pro-Democrat, pro-Biden viewpoint on? First of all, let us examine foreign policy. I will studiously, consciously ignore the current hot topic, the Ukraine, for reasons I shall state below. Suffice it to say that I believe in diplomacy only for the US in the Ukraine, and I agree with President Biden’s closing statement, in his speech today to the nation, that there is still a chance for diplomacy. I am against any war between the United States and Russia over the Ukraine. I do consider the situation in the Ukraine to be regrettable, however, since I do support, in principle, the self-determination of peoples. This support I give applies to the people of Russia, it should be stated, and for the people of the Ukraine.

dreamstime_m_147277711 — Kiev, Ukraine, City View with St. Sophia’s Golden Dome Cathedral

Let us examine President Biden’s record on foreign policy more closely. Afghanistan comes to mind, namely, President Biden’s withdrawal of US forces from that country last summer. In this case, the right-wing of this country currently controls this narrative. Although Americans had lost all appetite for yet another endless, 25-year war, dragging on, interminably, seemingly forever, with no end in sight, Americans had even less patience, it turns out, for a messy withdrawal. President Biden did the best withdrawal humanly possible, pulling out tens-of-thousands of aggrieved, at-risk Afghans, but, rather predictably, once American troops were gone, the so-called enemy, the Taliban, quickly re-took the government. The war lasted, not quite 25 years, but around 20. What did America gain after 20 years of war in Afghanistan? Not much, as it turned out. As I just said, the Taliban quickly re-took power. These are the same people who had been in charge in 2001, when Al-Qaeda perpetrated 9-11 on our country, the United States, largely from Afghanistan. How can that possibly be seen as a foreign policy victory for President Biden and the United States?

Let me remind you, I am a democratic socialist. In all of this talk of Vladimir Putin’s supposed aggression in the Ukraine, what is totally lost, and totally absent, from all of this discussion is even the mention of that old, socialist concept of American aggression. We used to call it American imperialism. If it has not already been done, let me hereby name the US war in Afghanistan, after 20-some-odd years, with no end in sight, not unlike Vietnam, which did in fact last 25 years, let me name that ongoing war in Afghanistan as one that evolved into one of American imperialism. Simply put, after 20-some-odd years, the Americans really had no right to meddle in someone else’s country, halfway around the world, in this case, Afghanistan. Even if you believe that it started out with a noble cause for the United States, after 9-11, after all, still, after 20 years, I think it was high time for the US to get out. To withdraw. We no longer had any business there. They heard us, already. Let them practice their own self-determination of peoples, and if they choose the Taliban, then let them have it. If we get attacked again, and they do understand this, by now, then we can go back in, if and only if we actually need to. Otherwise, it had already become long overdue that the US get out. Let them have their own country again, already. I have stated this once, already, however. It is my opinion, however. The United States desperately and sorely needed to end that war, and to end our involvement and control over their country, Afghanistan, and that is exactly what we did. That is exactly what President Biden accomplished with our withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Far from the criticism President Biden still receives from the hawks and much of the mainstream media on Afghanistan, I think he did the right thing. Whatever your opinion of the beginning of the war and the underlying reasons the US had for originally going in to Afghanistan, it was long time for the US to exit their country, and to relinquish control back to their military, and/or militaries, and ultimately, back to the Afghan people. Now, the US is free of another 25-year, endless war, not unlike Vietnam, in which American lives and the American treasury and, worst-of-all, American blood is wasted on an ignoble effort to control the destiny of a different people half-way across the world. Thank God it is finally over. President Biden did us all a great favor by freeing us of this endless war, this endless morass. Any hint of American imperialism taking over in their country was crushed by our American withdrawal.

President Biden does not deserve blame for our American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Rather, despite the Taliban retaking their government, President Biden deserves credit for extricating America, and for preventing the lives of ever-more young, American men, American soldiers in our military, from being sacrificed on the altar of remote control, from Washington, DC, over the destiny of the country in the mountains of Afghanistan. Kudos to Joe Biden. He has saved countless American lives already from war in that country, since our withdrawal, and our country cannot be accused now of pursuing classical American imperialism in their country. There is no more claim of “big stick diplomacy” from the US in Afghanistan—we are out-of-there. Finally. If anyone in the US wanted to be heard in Afghanistan after 9-11, trust me, they heard us. Now, they can have their country back, again.

For the record, however, let it be known that I opposed the war in Afghanistan from the start. I thought we should be talking, not bombing and invading. I was a part of the peace movement here in America, at the time. I protested the war in Iraq on February 15, 2003, the day of global protest against the war in Iraq, and I opposed, also, the war in Afghanistan. Suffice it to say, 20 years later, I still opposed the war in Afghanistan. I feel, as I stated above, that 20-years-on, there was even more reason to oppose the war in Afghanistan than when we first went in.

I applaud President Biden for our withdrawal in Afghanistan. I consider it a foreign policy victory for the United States, even if not a military one in the country of Afghanistan. I think that distinction is a very important one, too. We should not allow the right-wing of this country, America, to control our perspective on this, and our mainstream narrative about it. We should be touting the end of the war in Afghanistan as a victory for the US, not an ignoble defeat. We have no business determining their government for them. They heard us already. Move on. Once again, kudos to President Biden for this.

On to the next foreign policy hot topic: the Ukraine. Here, I support President Biden’s approach so far, also. I am studiously, consciously ignoring this issue. President Biden is moving US troops around in Eastern Europe, but he has not given up on diplomacy, believe it or not, in the face of potential Russian aggression in the Ukraine. Here, President Vladimir Putin of Russia is the imperialist, not the United States. In any case, I agree with diplomacy only in the Ukraine for the US. This country really is on the doorstep, in the “backyard,” so to speak, of Russia. The United States really has no business at war in this country against Russia. In terms of the Cold War, it would have been unthinkable. It would be akin to the Soviet Union placing nuclear missiles in Cuba, in the United States’ “backyard.” I am thankful that the Soviets withdrew their nuclear weapons from approaching Cuba in the Cuban missile crisis during the Cold War last century, thus avoiding nuclear Armageddon and the destruction of the entire planet, within minutes of the ship approaching the island of Cuba. Similarly, the US really has no right to fight a war in the Ukraine at all, which is, after all, itself a former Soviet republic. That said, I do support the right of self-determination for the Ukrainian people, and I condemn any Russian imperialist aggression in that country.

That said, not unlike former President Donald Trump, I feel no ill will toward Russia, itself, nor toward their President, Vladimir Putin. I noted that Putin named Vladimir Lenin and Stalin as heroes of his, as a Russian leader, not as a Communist. I should note that, as a socialist, myself, for all of his faults, and there are many, Stalin is credited by some as being critical in ending World War II and defeating Hitler. I know that is a terrible sentence. I do feel awkward about crediting Stalin with anything, but I acknowledge the critical role he played in defeating fascism in Europe and the world during World War II, in particular. Remember, it was not until after World War II ended, with a mutual, shared victory for the United States and the Soviet Union, who fought on the same side, against Hitler and the fascists; it was not until after the end of World War II that the Cold War began. Before the beginning of the Cold War, there was the united front, globally, against fascism and the Nazis. We were on the same side, then. And in the Soviet Union, may I remind you, that meant Stalin. Later, he became the evil villain incarnate to the Western world. First, it must be remembered, he was an Eastern hero, fighting against Hitler. To be honest and accurate, however, I must acknowledge that Hitler betrayed Stalin, and early on in the War, they were not enemies, unlike the United States. The Soviets and Germany fought one hell of war in World War II in the Russian winter in Russia, however, we cannot forget. Remember, also, the US and the Soviet Union won that war, together. Germany had too many fronts, all-at-once, and Germany lost the War on all fronts, and in Germany, itself.

Souvenir T-shirts with Putin and Trump and the Text ‘We Love Russia’

Then, there is Vladimir Lenin, of namesake, Vladimir Putin. President Putin named Lenin as a hero of his, also, specifically. As a democratic socialist, myself, I claim Lenin to be a hero of mine, also, albeit for different reasons. May I remind President Putin, respectfully, that Lenin’s slogan about imperial Russian wars to the West, namely World War I, was, and I quote, “Peace, land, bread.” That is the slogan that Vladimir Lenin led the Russian army back from the front with Germany in World War I, and he single-handedly, with the Russian army, took out the Russian czar, who at the time was really into waging a Russian war of aggression to the West of Russia. Lenin has been criticized, in fact, for giving away so much land to the Germans, in World War I. The fact that Germany then lost World War I, and the Russian imperialist aggressor, namely, the czar, also lost, should not be forgotten. Who won? Why, Lenin did. Vladimir Lenin came out on top of that one, we should note. President Putin does not need a lecture from me on Russian history and the legacy of Vladimir Lenin, but let me just say, President Putin is not currently pursuing “Peace, Land, Bread” at this time in the Ukraine. Hopefully, the US will heed that call, at least for the “Peace” part of Lenin’s message. Perhaps, President Putin will change his mind and follow Lenin’s lead on that score, also, and not the example of Russian imperialism, in which tradition President Putin seemed to place Lenin.

Likeminded scholars may agree to disagree about the legacy and rightful place in history of Vladimir Lenin. The simple fact is, however, that while I am against Russian aggression in the Ukraine, I feel no ill will toward President Vladimir Putin, who does at least cite Vladimir Lenin as one of his heroes, as well. Putin said this in his address to the Russian people and the world on Monday, February 21. Both President Putin and I cite Vladimir Lenin as one of our heroes, albeit for different reasons. It should come as no surprise, then, that I harbor no ill will toward the Russian president, nor against the Russian people. Also, I should note, unlike President Putin, I harbor no ill will against the Ukrainian people, nor the Ukrainian leadership in the Ukrainian government, either.

I am against any US involvement in a war against Russia in the Ukraine, I should repeat. I hold this position for the reasons stated above. That said, I think President Biden is doing a good job of trying to support the Ukrainian people, short of US military involvement in the country, and also, for not giving up on diplomacy, ultimately, even at this late date in the unfolding events there.

Having said all of this, let me now studiously avoid the topic of the Ukraine. I will now commence to ignore the issue, as I said I would, earlier in this article.

Now, to domestic policy. For the United States, for President Biden, domestically, for the Democrats in this year’s mid-terms, specifically, how is President Biden doing, domestically speaking, here, at home, in the United States?

Again, the question for me, as it should be for the Democratic Party leadership, at this time, is not, what can we do, but rather, what have we done? The answer is not the greatest, but it is good, if you ask me.

Inflation, you say, as do the expert witnesses on Fox News on cable television. Inflation is at record-high levels. How can anyone say that is a success? Inflation is not a success, but the economic recovery from the recession in the United States during the pandemic is a victory. The creation of jobs and very low unemployment is an economic victory. What can I say? Address the inflation bug, and keep the economy humming, as it is now. Keep the jobs available in the current economy. Our problem in America now is that so many people have a little more money, what with last year’s stimulus and with jobs now available again, our problem is that so many people have a little more money on hand, that now prices for goods that people are buying again are going up. Surprise surprise. Address inflation, and keep the economic recovery going. I fail to see a giant policy failure here. Instead, I see success breeding the problems of success.

Again, I do not think President Biden deserves blame. I think he deserves credit, for restarting our economy. The big down-side risk, however, is that the economy is unpredictable. Just as soon as people can be working again, and spending money to buy stuff, just as quickly the economy can go South (no offense intended), and people can be out-of-work, once again. Also, inflation really is a problem; there is no mistaking that, not even from me, here. President Biden’s challenge is to manage the economy, address inflation, and not ruin the so-far short-lived economic recovery. The challenge for Democratic leadership, by the way, is to change the narrative on this. Once again, our right-wing, voiced on Fox News, but not exclusively on Fox News, seems to be controlling the narrative. Democrats have to give credit where credit is due, while still acknowledging the pitfalls of inflation. Instead of blaming President Biden for our economy, currently, we should praise him. We should address, however, the result of success, which is the problem of inflation, along with the achievement of job creation.

Next, domestically speaking, is legislation. How has President Biden done on his legislative agenda? Again, we hear he has been blocked. I would argue, no, far from the truth. If the economy is humming again, I would argue, then the desired result of the stimulus plan of early 2021, and the passage and enactment of the Infrastructure Bill later in that same year, then the desired result of both of these legislative initiatives has been realized. The economy is humming again, no? There are jobs again, no? That spells economic recovery, not recession. Perhaps, we do not need another stimulus, which the moderate Democrats blocked in the Democratic Congress. So President Biden and the Democratic leadership did not get all that they had hoped for out of the Democratic Congress. So what? They achieved their larger goal of stimulating the economy and getting money moving again among now working Americans and the middle class, once again. Perhaps, the Democrats achieved their goals without a few more trillion dollars of federal spending. Perhaps, the Democratic moderates can unite with progressives and the President in claiming victory, once again, not defeat. It is, after all, still about the economy, stupid, as former President Bill Clinton said, back in the 1990s. Not much has changed. I would argue, in fact, that if the US were not shedding jobs like nobody’s business in 2020, then President Donald Trump would have been re-elected. The pandemic and the recession therein handed President Biden the office, and the victory in the election. Now, the economy is doing great again. Great! Let the Democrats cash in, politically, so to speak, and not fall to a conservative narrative that says the Democrats are all a bunch of squabbling failures, led by the biggest failure-in-chief, President Joe Biden. That is not true. The Democrats have restarted the economy. Let the Democrats now deal with the fallout of renewed growth, inflation, and not worry about failing to spend multiple trillions of dollars of additional federal spending and stimulation, trillions of dollars that the moderate wing felt was unnecessary to spend, and to go deeper into debt to do so.

I would have supported the Social Spending Bill. I did take a position last December, on this blog, supporting it. The moderates within the Democratic Party blocked it. So what? It is still about the economy, stupid, and Democrats would do well to remember that. Particularly, Democrats would do well to remember that message. Simply manage inflation, and you’ve got economic success. Claim the victory; do not admit defeat.

Again, the risk here is that the economy will falter. It is unpredictable, after all, and not within government control. This is capitalism, may I remind you, not socialism. Inflation can be managed. A suddenly disastrous economy, however, would definitely cost the Democrats the Congress. The Democrats should tout their success with bringing the economy out of the recent recession, but they should be wary that the economy can betray them by the mid-term election this November. In any case, the Democrats need to re-take control of the narrative on this issue, once again. At this time, this issue should be seen as a victory, not a defeat, for President Biden. Just do not rest all of your laurels on this one, as it can easily reverse itself.

That is all I have to say in this blog post. I think President Biden is doing a good job, both on foreign policy, and domestically, at this time. We do not need a US war in the Ukraine, but President Biden already understands this. President Putin should heed the lesson in history of Vladimir Lenin, but I trust President Putin knows this already. President Putin gave the lecture on international television about his Russian hero, Vladimir Lenin, after all. He does not need me to tell him. All I can say, however, on this score, is “Peace, Land, Bread.”

And re-elect Democrats in this year’s mid-term election here in America. We can build toward a socialist future, but we must do so by achieving international peace, not war.

Here is a slogan I will close with from the American socialist and communist traditions: “Socialism, in our lifetimes.” It did not happen in the 20^th century in America, but perhaps, with peace, internationally, it can still be found in our near future. Democracy, after all, still lives, here in America. We shall see what the results will be this November, and before then, we shall see what campaigns, and what messaging, both major parties in America put out there. The voters will decide.

On to the mid-terms for the Democrats and progressives in America! And, as ever, and always, viva la France! Viva!

—Nicholas Patti

Raleigh, NC

USA

photo credits:

Putin and Trump:

Kiev, Ukraine:

The Passing of the Baton from Congressman John Lewis

August 4, 2020—Congressman John Lewis of Atlanta, Georgia fought his whole life for racial and social justice. Even in death, the civil rights leader and icon issued “marching orders,” according to former President Bill Clinton and others, speaking at his funeral in Atlanta, as reported in the Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC: July 31, 2020, p. 7A). This call to action by Lewis for the next generation could be seen in an op-ed he published in the New York Times on the day of his funeral, July 30th. In the op-ed, entitled “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation,” Lewis praised the current Black Lives Matter protests “to demand respect for human dignity,” and he called on “ordinary people with extraordinary vision” to vote and to seek out “good trouble, necessary trouble.” He continued, “Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.” John Lewis died July 17 at 80 years of age, according to the Charlotte Observer (July 25, 2020, charlotteobserver.com).

Nicknamed “the boy from Troy” by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1958, John Lewis hailed from rural Pike County in Alabama, where Troy is located. After experiencing racial segregation in his youth, Lewis eventually became a civil rights leader, himself, by the early sixties. As a leader of the Freedom Riders, Lewis was jailed frequently and faced angry crowds and violence against him. In 1961, he was beaten after arriving at the station in Montgomery, Alabama, where he had met Rev. King three years earlier. In 1965, Lewis suffered a fractured skull on the notorious march across the Selma bridge in Selma, Alabama, where police officers beat marchers in what became known as “Bloody Sunday,” according to the Charlotte Observer (July 25, 2020). This protest helped garner support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act, during those times. In later years, as Congressman, John Lewis would return to the same bridge to lead commemorative marches across it, in peace. After his death, Lewis’s coffin was brought in a horse-drawn carriage across the bridge, as well (Charlotte Observer, July 26, 2020, charlotteobserver.com).

John Lewis spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the March on Washington in 1963, alongside Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. From 1987 until his death in 2020, Lewis served as Congressman in Washington, DC, representing Atlanta, Georgia. In 2011, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. In 2020, after Lewis’s death, he became the first African-American lawmaker to lie-in-state at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, according to the Charlotte Observer (July 28, 2020, July 26, 2020, charlotteobserver.com).

After his death, Lewis’s coffin was also brought to the State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. Back in Washington, DC, a memorial service was held. Then, his funeral was held in Atlanta, Georgia.

At the funeral for John Lewis, held in the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, no fewer than three former presidents commemorated him in speeches. These included former Presidents Bush, Clinton, and Obama. Current Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, also spoke. Former President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy. In the eulogy, Obama looked forward to a time in the future when “we do finish that long journey towards freedom, when we do form a more perfect union.” John Lewis, Obama said, “will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America,” according to the Charlotte Observer (July 31, 2020, p. 7A).

—Nicholas Patti

Charlotte, NC