Democrats thought the Schumer Shutdown would be a political gift for them, but it is starting to look more like a liability. You’ve heard the talking points that Republicans own the shutdown because they control the House, the Senate, and the White House, but I guess the left wasn't counting on people realizing that the party filibustering the continuing resolution is actually the Democrats. And now, a new YouGov/The Economist poll reveals that American voters are increasingly blaming Democrats for the impasse, and the numbers tell a story that should worry Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries as the shutdown drags into its third week.
Just last week, the blame gap stood at 11 points, with 39% of Americans pointing fingers at President Trump and Republicans, while 33% blamed Democrats. Now that gap has shrunk to just 6 points, with Democrats holding steady at 33% but losing ground as fewer voters are willing to split the blame equally between both parties. That number dropped from 23% to 20% in a single week.
The shutdown kicked off over disagreements that should have been easy to resolve. Republicans supported a seven-week clean continuing resolution that would keep the government running at Biden-era spending levels while giving both sides time to hammer out proper spending bills. It was a reasonable offer, the kind of stopgap measure that usually passes without much drama, but Democrats, sensing an opportunity to “resist” Trump, voted it down.
And their demands were absurd. Schumer and Jeffries decided this was their moment to extract $1.5 trillion for illegal immigrant health care benefits and a laundry list of other radical left-wing priorities. Rather than keep the lights on while they negotiate, they've refused to vote to reopen the government until at least after Oct. 18, essentially holding federal operations hostage until after the upcoming “No Kings” rallies.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been playing the blame game with impressive commitment. He accused Republicans of going "radio silent" since the shutdown began and claimed President Trump is personally blocking meaningful negotiations. CNN's Dana Bash actually called him out for being disingenuous.
The political calculation here was obvious from the start. Democrats believed they could pin this shutdown on Trump and Republicans, ride the wave of public disapproval, and force concessions on their spending priorities.
But now, Democrats have to be concerned. Last week, a senior Democratic aide told CNN that as long as public perception remained in their favor, the party wouldn't concede short of "planes falling out of the sky."
Planes aren’t falling out of the sky yet, but Democrats clearly have a growing public perception problem. The poll numbers are shifting, and voters are taking a harder look at who's actually standing in the way of resolution. Democrats are learning that it's tough to maintain the moral high ground when you're demanding massive spending increases for illegal immigrant health care while government services remain shuttered and their precious health care subsidies expire.
Democrats miscalculated badly, thinking the public would reward their shutdown brinksmanship. Instead, the dam is breaking on their narrative, and the longer they hold the nation hostage for radical spending, the more damage they do to their own future. Schumer and Jeffries need to stop the posturing and reopen the government — before the political fallout becomes irreversible.
Democrats have nobody to blame for the Schumer Shutdown but themselves. Schumer led the charge to close the government for illegals’ healthcare — and now the polls are turning against them. Americans see exactly what’s happening. Help us keep revealing the truth—use promo code POTUS47 for 74% off your VIP membership.
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