Democrats’ Cruel Calculus: “the few leverage times we have”
Posted By RichC on October 26, 2025
Last week I passed on the request to comment on the “No Kings” protest, as requested by TheHustings editor since we were busy. This week I’m taking the initiative in sending commentary on the ridiculous Federal government shutdown (quote below) after the “leverage” comments from Democratic House Minority Whip Katherine Clark.
It does seem insane to me that there is almost no talk of cutting the size of government or even returning to pre-COVID spending levels … but the Republicans want another CR (Continuing Resolution) with existing deficit level spending and Democrats are refusing to budge unless they get even more spending! We live in a dysfunctional country.
Democrats’ Cruel Calculus
In a moment of chilling candor that has since gone viral, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark laid bare the Democratic leadership’s callous strategy amid the ongoing government shutdown. Speaking to Fox News last week, Clark admitted: “Shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there will be, you know, families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage times we have.” There it is, in her own words: the suffering of federal workers and their families isn’t a tragedy to avert—it’s a bargaining chip to wield.
As the shutdown drags into its 23rd day today, October 23, 2025, the human cost mounts with every passing hour. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees—essential workers like TSA agents, border patrol officers, and national park rangers—are either furloughed or laboring without paychecks. Military families stare down missed mortgage payments, food pantry lines swell, and small businesses near federal sites teeter on the brink of collapse. This isn’t abstract policy wonkery; it’s real pain inflicted on everyday Americans, all because Democrats refuse to budge on a clean continuing resolution that House Republicans passed weeks ago.
What leverage, exactly, are Democrats chasing? Extra trillions in spending for Obamacare subsidy extensions and other pet priorities, including healthcare expansions that critics argue prioritize non-citizens over struggling citizens. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has even boasted that “every day gets better for us,” while Sen. Bernie Sanders warned against reopening the government lest Democrats “lose our leverage.” It’s a grotesque inversion of priorities: rather than governing responsibly, the party that once championed “working families” now treats their hardship as a strategic asset.
House Speaker Mike Johnson captured the outrage perfectly when he blasted Clark’s remarks as “utterly shameful,” noting that Democrats are “using hardworking American families as their LEVERAGE.” The White House echoed this fury, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declaring Democrats have “admitted” to inflicting pain, questioning, “What’s wrong with them?” Even some Democrats, like Sen. John Fetterman, have broken ranks, calling the shutdown “wrong” and emphasizing country over party. Yet Clark and her allies press on, doubling down in damage-control mode by shifting blame to Republicans and the Trump administration—accusing them of “spinning the conflict” while conveniently ignoring their own filibuster tactics.
This isn’t leadership; it’s hostage-taking. Democrats control the Senate and could end this farce with a simple vote, but they choose chaos instead. Remember, this is the same party that howled about the 2018-2019 shutdown under Trump, decrying it as a “manufactured crisis” that hurt workers. Now, facing the mirror, they shrug and say, “leverage.” The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
The American people deserve better than to be collateral damage in a partisan poker game. Federal workers aren’t pawns—they’re patriots keeping our skies safe, borders secure, and parks open. It’s time for Democrats to swallow their demands, pass the bipartisan funding bill, and reopen the government. Anything less confirms Clark’s confession: to them, your pain is just another tool in the toolbox.
Let voters remember this in 2026. Until then, Congress: do your jobs. End the shutdown. Now.
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