Theoretically, the government shutdown is over. Five Democrats broke ranks with their party to cross over and vote to open the government. The image being presented is that the Democrat party is furious over their defection. I seriously doubt that. The liberal base may be furious, but I still believe we still have some rational Democrats who tend toward the center. The Democrats needed an off ramp, and these five Democrats (along with the three who previously voted to open the government) gave it to them. So let’s look at the five Democrats who ended the stalemate. Tim Kaine of Virginia (currently a very blue state) does not have to run until 2030. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire has already stated that she will not be seeking re-election. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire does not have to run until 2028 (three years is forever in politics).  Jacky Rosen of Nevada does not have to run until 2030, and Dick Durbin of Illinois is not running for re-election.

It appears that the Democrat party is currently trending left. That may continue, but there is also the possibility that as the Democrats see the consequences of some of their more liberal policies, the pendulum may swing back toward the center. The word of the day is ‘affordability.’  While I sympathize with young people trying to buy their first house, most of their parents went through the same thing. However, most of their parents bought what was then called a ‘starter house’ to build equity before they bought their dream house. That may be a concept that needs to be reborn.

So what can we learn from the shutdown? Coincidentally, the shutdown ended when it became apparent that members of Congress might face challenges when they attempted to go home for the holidays–all of the airplanes were not running on schedule, and not every Congressman has access to a private jet. If the airline problem had happened earlier in the shutdown and members of Congress were the people inconvenienced, would the shutdown have been shorter? If members of Congress and their staff were working without pay (rather than the military and government workers) would the shutdown have been shorter?

There is a way to prevent future shutdowns over budget disputes. In North Carolina, if the legislature cannot agree on a budget, the previous budget remains in effect until a new budget can be passed. There is no threat of a shutdown. Another way to prevent a future shutdown is to pass a law saying that if the government is shut down, Congress will not be paid.

The long-term consequences of the shutdown remain to be seen. It may slightly slow down the Trump agenda, but President Trump does not strike me as someone who is easily slowed down. During the shutdown, he continued doing business at home and abroad.

The shutdown was only a part of the very ugly turn American politics have taken in recent years.