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Second Trump Govt. Shutdown About Raw Power?….Open Thread for 10/16/2025

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Politician’s in the American Congress have law, rules and courtesy’s….

Well?

Up until 9 month’s ago….

Donald J. Trump IS a ex-Real Estate Guy and Former President….

He was NEVER really  a seasoned politician like EVERY other modern day President has been….

A man who spent his business career ducking and NOT following the law….

A man who operated with staff that loyally obeyed his wishes….

A man whose business practices got him criminally convicted…

A man who is trying to get out of paying hundreds of Millions in Civil judgements….

A man who IS the American President for the second time, with a Majority House and Senate to boot!….

A man who is NOT running for elective office again….

 

Trump has surrounded himself with flunkies and loyalists that WIL and ARE doing whatever he wants….

Gone are the days from his first term when staff told him ‘we can’t do this’….

Now?

No one says ”we can’t do this’ Except for the Federal judges, who?…. Most of the times say ‘No’?

 

Congress has sat on its hands as Trump & Co. challenged and went ahead and disregarded legislation that specifies where and how money should be spent  and policy should be enacted….

THAT has created the situation we have now….

Democratic Senate Leader Schumer has used the US Senate rules to stop Trump & Co. from continuing to do what they want irregardless of Congress….Thune and Johnson just stand around…

 

Democrats and Republican leader’s do NOT TRUST the process ….

Nor should they….

Should a Spending group of bill be pasted?

Trump OMB Boss Vought has demonstrated that he feels he can disregard where Congress says money should be spend and decide on his OWN,  how it will be spent….

Federal Judge’s have overwhelming ruled for Congress…

And …

The Alito Supreme Court seems to believe Trump, The President, does NOT have do what Congress wants…

 

Schumer in the Senate,  and Jeffries in the House,  ARE under HUGE pressure from Democrats in Congress and across the country to make a stand against Trump & Co….

That is why there has been 14 votes on the Spending Budget Bill and All  with not enough ‘Aye’ votes to pass the spending bills

 

This will probably NOT be settled until Democrats feel they can get a CAST IRON Agreement on Healthcare and Government Jobs….

They are NOT anywhere near that point yet….

And Trump and his people KNOW that like the last time?

Trump, The President, IS gonna get the blame on this….

 

 

Democratic leaders were determined to block the Republicans’ next spending bill even before they had settled on specific demands. President Donald Trump has responded by freezing projects and firing workers, seeking to pressure Democrats in ways unrelated to the shutdown. (A judge Wednesday temporarily blocked those layoffs.)

Previous closures ended when swing voters made it clear who they blamed for the dispute, prompting one party to cave for fear of the political consequences. Today, the number of such swing voters has shrunk, while the parties’ hardcore bases are more energized than ever, ready to revolt against any potential deal as an unacceptable capitulation.

For many Democrats, this fight is about standing up to an authoritarian president who is ignoring the Constitution and seeking near-dictatorial power. For Trump’s team, it is about establishing the president’s right to full control of the executive branch and federal spending.

Two weeks into the shutdown, some congressional leaders have begun predicting it could set a record for intractability. It is perhaps no accident that the longest shutdown before now occurred in Trump’s first term when partisan tensions were also high — a 34-day standoff over the border wall that began in December 2018 and extended into January 2019.

“We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history unless Democrats drop their partisan demands,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Monday….

…

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) says Republicans cannot be trusted to respect those demands. “There’s definitively no reason to ever trust the Republicans, particularly as it relates to the health care issue and the Affordable Care Act,” Jeffries told MSNBC recently.

If that lack of trust bodes poorly, so do the parties’ internal dynamics. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) agreed in March to a different GOP spending measure, only to see some Democrats attack his leadership and raise the prospect of a primary challenge. That gives Schumer a powerful incentive not to bend this time….

….

Ezra Levin, co-founder of the activist group Indivisible, said his group is actively urging its members to put pressure on Democrats to hold the line, calling congressional offices and making their views known in other ways. “Our mode right now is we are cheerleaders, playing the role we can,” Levin said. “Everyone has a role to play, and that is what we can do.”

Indivisible and other groups plan to turn out millions of protesters this Saturday for a “No Kings” demonstration against Trump, which they hope will bolster Democrats’ resolve to stick to their guns. Republicans are calling the demonstration a “Hate America” rally, saying it shows how Democrats are being bullied by their extremist base…

…

Lawrence, who is also a historian, said that while it is ostensibly congressional Republicans who are negotiating with Democrats, it is actually Trump who is calling the shots on the GOP side. And he does not have the same incentive to reach a deal as Republicans who face an election next year.

“The Congress is sidelined to some extent, even though it’s their role to come up with a solution,” Lawrence said. “It’s difficult to do that when the administration is in charge, and the administration is not feeling the heat. Far from it — I think Trump enjoys exercising the executive power.”

Matt Gorman, a Republican strategist, said Democrats’ defiant posture during the shutdown is winning them praise from progressive activists for the first time since Trump took office.

“This is the first time in a year the far-left base hasn’t been screaming at Democrats,” Gorman said. “It’s like the old saying, ‘The best part of an elephant stepping on your foot is the feeling when the elephant stops stepping on your foot.’ Why would the Democrats stop? Their base, for once, isn’t foaming at the mouth, screaming obscenities towards them.”…

…

“Neither side, in my opinion, thinks they are going to, quote, win,” Weber said. “They just think that losing would be unacceptable.”

Lawrence, the former Pelosi staffer, said he initially believed the dispute over whether to extend enhanced ACA subsidies — the ostensible reason for the shutdown — lent itself to a simple solution: extend the subsidies temporarily, until after the 2026 midterms. That is how such fights would have been resolved in the past, he said.

But he said he has concluded the White House is after something much bigger — not resolving one spending dispute, but establishing its right to control government funds in an unprecedented way.

“That’s really what makes this different — you have a new level of autonomous arrogance coming out of the White House,” Lawrence said. “I don’t mean that in a negative way. They see it as an opportunity to demonstrate how they have concentrated power. They are not going to give up very easily.”

More…

image…AFP/France 24

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    • I’ll do the after action post tomorrow….

      But if Curtis is winning?

      That’s Good for Mamdani….

      Sliwa can’t win….

      I’m actually surprised Trump didn’t get the guyn to quit to help Cuomo…

  3. Mamdani seems nervous and defensive
    Cuomo seems old and whiny.

    Sliwa has nothing to lose I guess. If someone who knew nothing about politics was watching this, they would say he easily looks and sounds the most credible.

    It’s all nuts. Mamdani is going to win and NYC is totally screwed.

  4. Big takeaway from this debate is that Hamas is to Mamdani what the Proud Boys are to Trump.

    He just does not have it in him to fully denounce them.

    For the record, as bad as the Proud Boys are, Hamas is a billion times worse.

  5. They asked the candidate their favorite “modern day President.”

    Cuomo picks Clinton instead of Obama.. sort of a mistake there.
    Mamdani says FDR. Not exactly modern day, but maybe he likes that FDR turned back the boat of Holocaust refugees
    Sliwa first said Pataki until they reminded him of the question and he picked Reagan.

  6. Update….

    FACT….

    US Stock Market IS attached to US-China Trade….

    Trump is trying to negociate with a China that IS playing Hardball…..

    Wall Street stocks advanced and U.S. Treasury yields rebounded on Friday as investors assessed the health of regional banks and President Donald Trump said his face-to-face trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping are still on.

    All three major U.S. stock indexes gained ground after struggling for direction in early trading, and remained on course to notch weekly gains.

    Benchmark Treasury yields and the dollar turned higher, while gold pulled back after a record run sent the precious metal to all-time highs…

    More…

  9. Republican thief and con man George Santos ,recently sprung from jail by fellow con man Donald Trump,says he wants to work on prison “ reform.”

    On to the next con?

    Yeah there’s probably a few bucks to be made from some do gooders there.

    • Anybody that thought this was gonna stay straight was an idiot….

      Hamas IS NOT gonna give up their guns

      Trump had walked away

      The Israeli’s are smiling at this and looking back at Trump as the same sucker Putin see’s

      Israeli got the live hostages back

  11. 2026 Ohio Governor – Ramaswamy vs. Acton
    Bowling Green/YouGov
    Ramaswamy 50, Acton 47
    Ramaswamy
    +3

    2026 Ohio Governor – Ramaswamy vs. Ryan
    Bowling Green/YouGov
    Ramaswamy 49, Ryan 47
    Ramaswamy
    +2

    RCP…

  12. I do find it funny/weird that Ron Gunzburger, who once demanded GWB cancel all 2005 Inaugural parties because of the Asian tsunami is now endorsing the Trump White House Ballroom.

  13. If ya wanna have a laugh ?

    Check the comments on this twitter post….

    Molly Ploofkins
    @Mollyploofkins
    Stephen Miller: “Let me just say Mr President that this country was going to die without you. This country was going to actually die without you … you alone saved it.”

  14. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

  15. “ I’m Speaker and the President.”

    So sayeth the owner of the Republican Party ,Donald Trump.

    Why shouldn’t he say so,I mean he has totally overshadowed the mousy Mike Johnson the self described “ constitutional lawyer “from the bayous of Louisiana,who holds the title and nothing much else.

    I’ve been thinking of declaring myself a “ constitutional lawyer.”

  16. Musk’s Wiki…..

    Elon Musk on Monday launched an early version of Grokipedia, an online encyclopedia written by AI that the billionaire has touted as a less biased alternative to the venerable online resource Wikipedia.

    The site resembles Wikipedia in style and format, with articles on topics such as ChatGPT, Diane Keaton and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But it appears significantly smaller, more opaque in its workings — and more right-leaning in how it framed some articles.

    Grokipedia’s entry on gender, for instance, begins with the sentence: “Gender refers to the binary classification of humans as male or female based on biological sex….” Wikipedia’s starts with: “Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender.”…

    More…

  19. From WashingtonPost/ ABC News Poll…

    While Americans broadly disapprove of Trumps job performance,there is little evidence such negativity has helped the Democrats ,with voters almost evenly split in their support for Democrats and Republicans.

    Not that surprising really given the public’s negative attitude toward the Democratic Party of late.

    There is an inherent danger of interpreting a negative attitude toward a President among the electorate as necessarily indicative that the President’s party will suffer at the polls .

    You would never know that however from the moderators comments here.

  21. Just a fly by to post predictions.

    VA Governor: Spanberger 60-40
    VA Lieutenant Governor: Hashmi 57-43
    VA Attorney General: Jones 51-49(While the shutdown is decisive in Jones’ favor, Miyares’ overperformance tricks the NRSC into touting him as a recruit next year against Senator Warner. He bombs.)
    VA House of Delegates: Democrats +9

    NJ Governor: Sherrill 54-46

    NYC Mayor: Mamdani 58-27-15 over Sliwa and Cuomo, respectively

    GA Public Service Commission: Democrats Johnson and Hubbard by 5 over the Republican incumbents.

    Minneapolis Mayor: Fateh by 3 over Frey

    Seattle Mayor: Wilson 58-42 over Harrell

    CA Prop 50: 62-38 Pass

    Maine Question 1: 53-47 Fail
    Maine Question 2: 51-49 Pass

  22. Dick Cheney was an extraordinary person and extraordinary leader. He devoted his career to the cause of freedom and in his final years showed what it meant to have the courage of one’s convictions.

    It was an honor to shake his hand once 25 years ago. He will be missed.

      • Those with very long memories (such as our friend CG) or attention to passing detail (like me, perhaps) might note that Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld (“unknown unknowns”) were the White House aides who guided Gerald Ford (who had never campaigned for anything beyond his Grand Rapids congressional district) through the very difficult transition after Richard Nixon’s impeachment crisis and resignation — a period that many thought that (before Mr Trump) was the Republic’s worst crisis since the Civil War.
        [Any self-respecting editor or teacher would have thrown the above run-on, run-on sentence back at me covered in red. On the other hand, Jack Kerouac might have approved.]
        I could not have disagreed more with their globalist (or neo-con) approach that made things worse rather than better in both Iraq and Afghanistan, after spilling much blood and treasure. But despite that and their general conservatism, they (like the equally-conservative Liz Cheney) valued the Republic even more.

  23. Dick Cheney will be most remembered for a war that is now incredibly unpopular across the political board and for good reason.

    In the end he stood up for Democracy over authoritarianism here in the US.

    Which is more than I can say for 90% of Republicans in 2025.

    RIP.

    • Marjorie Taylor Greene on possibility Trump no longer ‘loves’ her: ‘That’s OK’

      She’s a strong supporter of President Trump, but Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) says she’s accepted he might not love her back, given her recent criticism of the Republican Party.

      “I do love him,” Greene said of Trump during a Tuesday appearance on “The View.”

      Asked by co-host Joy Behar to respond to reports of “tension” between her and the president, and that Trump might not “love” her back right now, Greene replied, “Well, that’s OK.”

      “Donald Trump, he usually yells at everybody, so we’re all used to it,” Greene said.

      “But he’s the president of the United States,” the conservative firebrand continued.

  24. On my last two posts on the Filibuster and SNAP Judge?

    I ‘Told Ya’ the Big guy was about to run into a brick wall….

    Tomorrow we see how the Supreme ‘s seem to be going on his ability to do WTF he wants on Tariffs (which ARE Treaties) and Importaxes for Americans…

    • Nate Silver on Cuomo NOT being completely out of it based on the two close AtlasIntel final polls…..

      He rates Atlas’s polling as TOP Notch…..But?

      Andrew Cuomo’s last stand

      He’ll have to overcome an extremely negative image to pull off an upset tonight.

      …

      Cuomo simply doesn’t have any foundation of people voting for him for positive reasons. In last week’s Quinnipiac survey, for instance, which actually showed a slightly closer race than most, the only demographic group to give Cuomo a favorable rating above 50 percent was voters aged 65 and older, and then just barely at 51 percent (against 38 percent unfavorable)….

      • Cuomo IS a LONG SHOT….

        But the numbers should be closer than the high teens and the a Mamdani win will have NOTHING to do with the 2028 Presidential election for Democrats….

            • That’s not how it will be presented.

              Every Democrat running for office in every purple or reddish part of the country will be asked about Mamdani and “how he is doing.”

              What a complete and utter shame that New York City could not find someone better than Andrew Cuomo to prevent the upcoming disaster.

              • Been to the ‘Big Apple ‘ lately?

                NYC is a very different place

                A influx of East Asian’s

                Million’s of people unable to own their own homes

                Pockets of poverty

                And?

                Outer borough’s with civil servants that do own a piece of the rock that will not vote for Mamdani who will try to tax them to pay for ‘free’ stuff?

                White’s continue to flee the intercity for Long Island and the Carolina’s

                A Mamdani will will be isolated incident
                Further confusing Democrats across the nation…

                • I don’t think you get the point.

                  NYC will be used against Democrats. Beyond that, it is also probably a certainty, that Mamdani will be incredibly unpopular fairly soon within the city because he is making campaign promises that cannot possibly be realized.

                  Democrats running in other parts of the country will be forced to denounce him.

    • Now, now, James, see what you just made our President do [or threaten not to do]…..

      Be nice to Mr 45/47. Hasn’t he always been nice to you???
      ☺☻♥♦♠◘•

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