King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, stated in the book of Ecclesiastes that "there's nothing new under the sun." He must've been thinking about how political strategies tyrants and power-hungry politicians utilize keep getting recycled throughout the ages. Take, for example, the Praetorian Prefect Cleander, who served as the power-craving gatekeeper to ancient Roman Emperor Commodus, and compare his play to use starvation to win over the Roman people with the Democrat-led 2025 government shutdown.
You're probably wondering what in the world an ancient Roman plot has to do with our most recent, historic government shutdown. The latter simply rehashes — with a bit of reformulation — the former. Don’t worry. It'll all make sense. Trust me. I'm a professional.
Cleander stands as the prototype for the average corrupt politician. He rose through the ranks of the ancient Roman Empire using the typical tools of the trade for an ambitious politician: manipulation, bribery, and selling public offices. His scheming worked so well that by the late 180s AD, he basically ruled the empire in all but name, especially with Emperor Commodus sinking further into isolation and flat-out debauchery.
However, everything eventually came crashing down for Cleander thanks to an ambitious plot to win over the Roman people through starvation. Cleander put a stranglehold on grain imports from other parts of the empire into Rome, built up his own stores, and pretended he had no idea what was happening to this crucial food supply.
He planned to starve the people, pretend he found a solution to the grain supply issues, and release his own stores to feed folks. He would look like the savior of Rome, with the average citizen heaping praise on him and willingly supporting his future ventures. Ultimately, gaining the power of the Roman citizenry would make him the top dog in the empire despite lacking the title of emperor.
Unfortunately for the lying, scheming Cleander, everything went horribly awry. As starvation set in, Rome’s citizens grew weak, and before long, plague broke out. Trade and travel along Roman roads spread it throughout the empire. A lot of people died from plague and starvation — the perfect one-two punch. The citizenry turned furious with Cleander for failing to fix the problem and demanded his head on a proverbial silver platter.
People grew so ticked off they vandalized property with anti-Cleander graffiti. And much like modern America, an angry mob formed, launched a riot, and marched all the way to the palace, demanding Cleander’s head. Cleander fell apart and, in sheer panic, ordered the Praetorian Guard to crush the rioters. Big. Mistake.
What was this dude thinking? He sent armed soldiers against a starving Roman population? Politically, this was like sticking a gun in your mouth and pulling the trigger. Commodus’ mistress, Marcia, warned the emperor that Cleander posed a threat to the people of Rome and had grown too powerful, making enemies all over the palace.
Commodus responded by ordering Cleander’s execution. Guards eventually captured Cleander and his son, beheaded them both, and displayed their heads to the angry mob. The crowd, satisfied that justice had been served, finally dispersed.
Cool story, right? But again, what does this have to do with the 2025 government shutdown?
Democrats pushed to extend healthcare provisions created during the COVID pandemic that would ultimately give free care to illegal immigrants — something the GOP rightly assessed we shouldn’t spend taxpayer dollars on, especially five years after the pandemic ended. Since Republicans refused to fund these provisions in the budget, Democrats refused to approve the spending bill and forced the longest shutdown in American history.
The left pulled this stunt knowing a shutdown would cause programs like food stamps to run dry, leaving people who rely on assistance without food and other necessities. Like Cleander did with the Roman citizenry, leftists tried to use critical resources — not just food — to hold people hostage. The endgame? Make Americans angry enough to pressure elected officials, particularly Republicans, into giving in to Democratic demands so resources would start flowing again — or face the voters' wrath come election season.
If Republicans had bowed the knee due to political pressure, the left would spin the narrative — with help from their propaganda makers in the mainstream media — to make themselves look like the heroes. Liberals would claim they pushed the “mean old Republicans” into finally doing the right thing and allowing people to access their needed programs, all while helping provide healthcare for poor illegal immigrants.
Never mind that Democrats not only triggered the shutdown but prolonged it unnecessarily, all for the sake of giving free goodies to illegals and choosing to aid them over helping their fellow countrymen. Why? So they could magically transform illegals into a voter bloc they could exploit for more political power in the midterms.
Cleander would be proud.
Thankfully, when history repeated itself this time, justice came around again. The plot backfired in a huge way. Most Americans saw through the scheme. Republicans managed to force Democrats to compromise and, thanks to GOP leadership — particularly President Donald Trump — the resources flowed once again.
In closing, I think it’s fitting for us to refer to the 2025 shutdown as “Cleander’s Folly.” The old playbook resurfaced but ultimately produced the same results. This proves once again that looking through the lens of the past helps us make sense of the present so we can learn from our mistakes and build a better future.
