Senate Democrats Vote Against Government Reopening Measures

Nearly all Senate Democrats have rejected 13 proposals aimed at reopening the federal government, a move that’s not resonating well with American voters, and surprisingly, even some at CNN are starting to question the party line.

The Democrats are effectively holding the government hostage, insisting that Republicans include subsidies from the Biden era in the Affordable Care Act in the funding bill. Initially, it seemed the Democrats were on solid ground in their efforts to pressure Republicans. However, a recent appearance by New Mexico Rep. Melanie Stansbury on CNN showcased a shift. Traditionally, CNN has favored Democratic narratives, but host Jake Tapper challenged Stansbury as she attempted to place the blame for the shutdown squarely on Republicans.

During the interview, Tapper asked, “Should the Democratic senators from New Mexico, your home state, vote to open the government so that these SNAP funds are not at risk?”

Stansbury replied, “Let me be clear. The administration is choosing to starve American children with money that they already have appropriated. This is a choice by the White House.”

Tapper countered, “Congresswoman, this is also a choice by Senate Democrats to not vote to open the government.”

“No, it is not!” Stansbury insisted, although Tapper maintained his stance.

“Yes, it is!” he responded, leading to an unexpected back-and-forth.

This might indicate a broader shift in media perspectives. Despite a robust Democratic narrative about the shutdown, new polling from AP-NORC shows Republicans gaining ground with voters. CNN’s senior data reporter Harry Enten discussed this on-air, pointing out that Republicans have actually gained 2 points—though that’s within the margin of error. More notably, the approval rating for Congressional Republicans has surged by 12 points since the onset of the shutdown.

Enten observed, “So what we’re seeing here is the Republican brand in Congress has actually improved somewhat compared to when we were pre-shutdown.”

If the numbers for Democrats are concerning, it’s even more alarming regarding Independent voters, who have increased their support for Republicans by 8 points since the shutdown began. “So we’ve got a situation here where Republicans with the shutdown are actually rallying their base, but it’s also something that’s not hurting them with the folks in the middle,” Enten added, reflecting a less-than-ideal scenario for Democrats.

Moreover, Enten highlighted that Democrats haven’t experienced such low polling numbers in 20 years. Whereas in 2017, they were up 11 points during Trump’s administration, they are now only leading by 2 points. The strategy was to inject some left-wing agendas into the Republican-backed funding bill, complicating matters further. However, it seems this tactic isn’t garnering the expected voter sympathy, especially with Republicans still maintaining support amid the ongoing public relations efforts.

For Senate Democrats in swing states, these polling figures might evoke concern about their futures as elections approach next November.