I’m trying to bring together the latest information on the funding bill this morning, I have some but not all the morning developments plugged into our cloture tally list. But I wanted to address something closely related but distinct. This has opened up a massive, massive fissure in the Democratic Party, certainly more than anything since the Iraq War vote more than 20 years ago. And I think there’s a good chance it’s bigger, though it’s also true that the overall political situation may evolve and degrade in ways that overshadow it with subsequent events.
Even if one posits that the fissure may lead to positive change — clearing out some older order in favor of whatever might be new — that fissure is a big, big problem in itself quite apart from that. That’s not saying, “oh, don’t get into it because there’ll be this big fissure.” It’s just recognizing the reality of the situation. It’s a reality regardless of who you think is right on the question driving the fissure.
I don’t think Chuck Schumer and whichever other senators may join him today grasp the size of the chasm they’re opening up. I get the sense the full level of it will only begin to dawn on them sometime next week. If I’m right that they don’t fully grasp it, why don’t they? Well, you generally don’t see things you’re heavily invested in not seeing. Washington and particularly the Capitol also remain in their own bubble of sorts, despite the fact that in many key ways it is at the very center of the storm.
I’m sorry for the morbid analogy, but I think of those Chernobyl scenes with people who’ve already been irradiated but didn’t realize it yet. They think they’re fine. But they’re not. They’ll find out in a few days.
