The ongoing federal government shutdown has both Republicans and Democrats trying to anticipate the impact it will have on the political environment ahead of the midterm elections. The shutdown began at a time when the political field had turned decidedly against President Trump and the Republican Party.
What do the Republicans have to fear?
The Republicans are entirely in charge of all three branches of the US government. They are well aware and afraid that voters will crucify them for failing to keep the government running. Keeping these two things in mind, the party took accurate measures in recent weeks to gauge the likely fallout. The principal pro-Trump group America First Action has made a poll to estimate the reaction of the public to a shutdown. The poll would also show which party the people blame. The organization is considering the possibility of airing advertisements that bolster the party. American Action Network on Saturday morning began airing ads that blame the shutdown on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Worries about the shutdown reach the highest level of the GOP, and some officials are even warning that it could sabotage the party when so close to the midterm election. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican said a shutdown never ends well for the Republicans, and it rarely ends well for the party in power. He added, if the government shut down, the Republicans will get the lion’s share of the blame. Moderate Republican and Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent bluntly spoke just as bluntly. He said that whether the party deserves the blame or not, they will be getting it as they run all three branches of the government. Some Republicans, however, see the light at the end of the tunnel. They argue that it could tip over the political landscape and put new pressure on Democratic senators from conservative states up for reelection.
What the Democrats anticipate
Democrats are equally trying to get a grip on the possible outcomes of the shutdown, comparing statistics with those from 2013’s shutdown. David Axelrod, a longtime top adviser to former President Barack Obama, said that this shutdown is different than that of 2015, as this time around the Republicans have the president on their side, and he defines the fall election. Democrats devoted more time to lay the groundwork for a blame-Trump campaign. They plan to broaden the narrative “this is Trump’s Republican Party: Chaos, incompetence, and destruction.” Also, the party’s American Bridge spent time planning how to twist the blame-game into a long-term message to favor them in elections.
Both parties hope to have the upper hand come to the polls in November.
