I greatly respect Josh’s view … he always takes a step back for the bigger picture.
talkingpointsmemo.com/…
What do you think?
In practice they really haven’t given up anything. They will have the same leverage … The big news here is Democrats playing to their same pattern of reflexive self-flagellation, which generally sets one faction against another to no purpose. For those who watch politics constantly and are consumed by internal dramas and squabbles about Democratic ‘toughness’ and bad strategy, this is either a deflating defeat or a confirmation of pre-existing intra-party critiques. Democrats lost. Democrats weak, Trump strong!
The reality is that very few people whose opinions of things are not set in stone are even paying attention to the optics of this. The policy question … remains to be decided … Get up, dust yourself off and realize that this is a skirmish in a larger political battle which will come to a head again in three short weeks.
… Democrats are fighting for key policy priorities with virtually no power. That’s not easy. It won’t be accomplished in a day. That’s an honorable position not a shameful one.