Needless to say, some Democrats - on the Left - have a problem with the deal Schumer and Pelosi cut with Trump yesterday.
Their argument is that Democratic leadership should have tied the DREAM Act to the debt ceiling fight and forced the GOP to either protect the DREAMers or default on the debt.
This is basically Magical Pony Thinking, Jacobin-Style.
There are about 12 legislative days in the September calendar. In addition to raising the debt ceiling, passing a continuing resolution, reauthorizing the FAA and plugging holes in the CHIP, Luis Gutierrez wants to pass the DREAM Act? I don't fault his ardor, I fault his math.
Because this deal pushes the debt ceiling off until December, it allows the Democrat to push THAT reckoning off long enough to marshal votes for the DREAM Act of whatever comes next. Or, ideally, there are rumors that the next debt ceiling extension will be the last, by eliminating the debt ceiling altogether. If Congress appropriates the money, the debt will be paid. That makes sense and it would end this ridiculous game of chicken we play with America's credit every fall.
You can still use the government shutdown as leverage for DREAM.
You have given yourself an additional two months to get the Lindsay Graham and John McCain's on board with a return to regular order. And as Ro Khanna notes, copying Ted Cruz's legislative strategy should be the last thing Democrats do. The Democrats HAVE to be the party of responsible government. Holding a gun to the head of the American economy is not the behavior of the party of responsible government.
Nevertheless, in typical fashion, the Left has decided to wage war on the Liberals, because they didn't get everything they want yesterday.
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