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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 10d

True, but the study population being Swedish patients may make that less of an issue than if the patients came from somewhere with sporadic and grossly unequal access to care… like the U.S.

Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 14d

True, and yet there’s clearly a through-line. Perhaps the fact that there were no significant consequences for any of the major players after Iran-Contra is why we’re here now. Why bother with *hiding* one’s lawlessness if there are no negative consequences when it’s uncovered?

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 16d

If you take the Trump/MAGA/GOP threat to US Constitutional democracy seriously—and I really think you should—then things getting worse faster, before Trump has consolidated authoritarian power, is beneficial, not detrimental.

If Democrats don't fight now, they might never have another real chance.

Opinion | Democrats shouldn’t bail out Trump as the shutdown drags on

The best time for the opposition to take a stand, rather than settle for untrustworthy promises, is right now.

www.msnbc.com

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 16d

The White House is blatantly violating the Constitution, ignoring Congressionally-allocated spending. Approving any budget would put a stamp of approval on the end of checks and balances.

It'll hurt, yes, but it's time for opposition. The political costs will mostly fall on the people in charge.

Opinion | Democrats shouldn’t bail out Trump as the shutdown drags on

The best time for the opposition to take a stand, rather than settle for untrustworthy promises, is right now.

www.msnbc.com

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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 16d

The Trump administration’s deployment of ICE and others in the mass deportation effort has led to more violence and turmoil, and less safety and security for all, including US citizens. But that’s a feature not a bug. The chaos justifies further authoritarian crackdowns. The chaos is the point.

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 17d

Leading to further market consolidation as small and family-owned firms are gobbled up by massive ones backed by politician investors…not unlike the effect of tariffs on family farms right now.

But maybe that’s the point.

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 17d

As a small business owner (LLC ftw!), I am *keenly aware* of how the GOP refusal to extend the expiring ACA expansion—in the megabill, when they could have done so easily, or now in the shutdown fight—is going to screw over millions of small businesses.

Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 17d

The ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits are at the center of the ongoing government shutdown. The tax credits have led to a more than doubling of Marketplace enrollment, but they'll expire at end of this year if Congress doesn’t act to extend them.

Here are some key facts about the credits from KFF

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Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) @boldprogressives.org · 19d

@markpocan.bsky.social: “They broke their agreement by letting the president steal funds through rescission… That’s not a continuing resolution. That’s called a Republican wet dream, and I’m not giving in.”

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 17d

This lady sounds super smart, we should listen to her

Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) @boldprogressives.org · 19d

Tax & budget expert @sarahcgchris.bsky.social: “We need to walk out of this fight having won something concrete, immediate, actionable. Promises and ‘just trust us’ won’t cut it. We need legislation now.”

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 17d

The same is true w/the Gingrich shutdowns and the various fights over the border or PPFA or the zillion other times when we shut down or came close to. The nominal excuse draws the fire power; the concessions are won in places where the public—and most MOCs and advocates—are too exhausted to track

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 17d

They lose on their nominal excuse, but they win lots of other spending cuts or poison-pill policy riders that they would never have gotten otherwise.

Going into the 2013 approps fight, Dems were focused on repealing sequestration. That got totally sidelined by having to defend the ACA.

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 17d

This bit of conventional wisdom is repeated everywhere as gospel truth, but if you dig a little deeper, the shutdown party often wins significant concessions below the radar.

Screen capture reads: Even if minority leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries recognize that shutdowns are political losers that never achieve their policy goals, they may judge

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 17d

The same is true w/the Gingrich shutdowns and the various fights over the border or PPFA or the zillion other times when we shut down or came close to. The nominal excuse draws the fire power; the concessions are won in places where the public—and most MOCs and advocates—are too exhausted to track

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 17d

They lose on their nominal excuse, but they win lots of other spending cuts or poison-pill policy riders that they would never have gotten otherwise.

Going into the 2013 approps fight, Dems were focused on repealing sequestration. That got totally sidelined by having to defend the ACA.

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 17d

This bit of conventional wisdom is repeated everywhere as gospel truth, but if you dig a little deeper, the shutdown party often wins significant concessions below the radar.

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Reposted by Sarah Christopherson

Travis @coloradotravis.bsky.social · 20d

I cannot emphasize enough that this administration shouldn’t get 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦 from the Dems until they start obeying the law.

Not. One.

Optics matter: if you want people to turn out next election despite troops in the streets, then show them it matters.

Do your goddamn jobs and hold the line.

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · Jul 25

In 2025, it’s impossible to argue that the filibuster has limited Republicans’ worst impulses in any practical way.

It’s like the living embodiment of the quote about the “law binds but does not protect” the enemies of conservatism.

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · Jul 25

Since we often use shorthand—eg “need 60 votes to pass a CR”—it’s easy to lose sight of the reality: Senate Dems don’t actually have the power to shut down govt, bc Rs could kill the filibuster

Instead, Ds are *protecting the device that hobbles their own power* when they’re in the majority

Politico article: Democrats on Capitol Hill are furious with the Trump administration and their Republican counterparts for undercutting government funding negotiations, but they aren't showing a unified strategy for forcing the GOP to change course 10 weeks out from a shutdown deadline.

In the House, Republicans are ignoring Democratic priorities in government funding bills, moving forward with deep spending cuts and conservative policy riders — including to restrict abortions, block enforcement of a slew of gun regulations and snuff out federal hiring efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

In the Senate, Democrats have more leverage, where 60 votes will be needed to move forward and GOP leaders are already advancing funding bills with buy-in from across the aisle. But so far Democrats are stopping short of flashing the most powerful tool they have to ensure the end result is to their liking: threatening a shutdown come Oct. 1 if they don’t get their way.

Democrats can shame administration officials who are openly dismissing the need for bipartisanship in funding talks — and the Republicans backing them up. Yet Democrats have little power to ensure they get to shape whatever legislation Congress passes to keep federal cash flowing beyond September, or stop President Donald Trump from freezing, canceling and now clawing back funding Congress already approved.

“To be blunt, I don't think there's one tactic or approach that is going to solve this from any individual Democrat,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a top appropriator, said in an interview. “The Republicans have to decide whether they want to be totally lobotomized or not.”

The dynamic underscores the bind that Democrats could find themselves in once again, after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took intense heat from across his party for helping pave the way for passage of Republicans’ government funding extension in March. And despite pressure to play hardball, Democrats at this moment a…

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 20d

Or they could do us all a (long-term) favor and nuke the leg filibuster. Dems don't actually have the power to shut anything down in a GOP trifecta.

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 20d

What? No, sequestration was the holdover from the 2011 debt limit fight. But there are numerous examples where losing on the marquee issue still left the shutdown party better off on below the radar fights

Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 21d

I know this (screen cap) is the conventional wisdom, but I’m not sure.

Rs didn’t repeal ACA in 2013…but they did thwart Dems on sequester by shifting the contours of the fight. Ditto Gingrich and others, losing on the marquee issue but winning on the quieter areas where the fight might have gone

Article text:

Schumer's move to force a shutdown showdown is a risky one. Shutdowns almost always end when the party that wants to add items to a stopgap bill agrees to reopen the government. But taking a stand - even if it doesn't lead to significant concessions - gives Democrats an opportunity to take on Trump.
Schumer tried to leverage a shutdown during Trump's first term in a failed effort in 2018 to enact protections for immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. Most other shutdowns have been provoked by Republicans seeking to extract health care, budget or border concessions from Democrats.

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Sarah Christopherson @sarahcgchris.bsky.social · 24d

I mean… I kind of am, at this point 💀

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · Sep 18

Luckily, Sinclair has a helpful database of all their stations, so you can see if they're operating in your area and respond accordingly.

sbgi.net/tv-stations/

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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · Sep 18

I don’t expect it will change the outcome but I’m cancelling my Disney plus subscription just the same.

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Zorka Milin @zorkamilin.bsky.social · Sep 17

"Funding tax enforcement should be a no-brainer" @sarahcgchris.bsky.social is absolutely right.

And yet here we are...

maura quint @mauraquint.bsky.social · Sep 17

IRS Enforcement Boost Was Supposed to Last 10 Years. Congress Killed It in Under Three.

from @sarahcgchris.bsky.social on the funding the IRS got to FINALLY go after ultra-rich tax cheats and how quickly congress decided to yank that right back

itep.org/irs-funding-...

IRS Enforcement Boost Was Supposed to Last 10 Years. Congress Killed It in Under Three.

The IRS was set to overhaul how it audits the ultra-rich. Now most of that funding is gone.

itep.org

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