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.
not exist in its present form once the 
