As a authorities shutdown looms, how ought to Democrats strategy negotiations with Republican leaders? NPR speaks with Democratic strategist Maria Cardona.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
We wished to get a way of how all this appears to be like from a Democrat’s perspective, so we have known as Maria Cardona for this. She’s had key positions in Democratic presidential campaigns and administrations. Maria Cardona, good morning. Thanks for becoming a member of us.
MARIA CARDONA: Good morning, my buddy. Nice to be right here.
MARTIN: In order we have stated, that the president backed out of this deliberate assembly with Democratic management. Do you see any path to keep away from a shutdown?
CARDONA: There ought to be a path to keep away from the shutdown, and that path is to come back to the desk to barter. It’s astounding that when we face a authorities shutdown in a state of affairs the place clearly Republicans want Democratic votes, they’ve but to achieve out to Democrats to take a seat right down to the desk to barter. In truth, Trump has stated that he does not want Democrats. Democrats perceive that that is concerning the American individuals. That is about restoring well being care cuts. That is about fixing a well being care disaster that Republicans created once they handed the massive, horrible invoice that stripped 17 million People of their well being care and also will strip them of their well being care subsidies, skyrocketing the fee for People as soon as they perceive that, and so they should pay a lot extra for well being care. So that is concerning the American individuals.
MARTIN: Do you suppose that that could be a message that individuals are really getting? I imply, either side are already firing off messages about who could be in charge if the federal government had been to close down. Do you suppose that this message is obvious sufficient that individuals would really consider that it is Republicans’ fault?
CARDONA: I do for a few causes. To begin with, People perceive that Republicans management every thing. They management the Home, they management the Senate, they management the White Home. They’ve heard Trump say that they do not want Democrats. They’ve seen that Home Speaker Mike Johnson has despatched his caucus dwelling, saying, you guys aren’t coming again, solely till there’s a authorities shutdown. So that is one thing they’re anticipating. They’ve all the ability. And so if there’s a authorities shutdown, they’ll personal that authorities shutdown as a result of they did completely nothing to attempt to repair the well being care disaster that’s now going to face People. And People perceive that. They know that this large, horrible invoice, which is without doubt one of the most unpopular payments ever that we now have had, they know that it takes away necessary well being care protection for People, and so they see that there is just one get together that is preventing to get these protections again.
MARTIN: OK, it…
CARDONA: And so…
MARTIN: I am sorry, it simply appears…
CARDONA: Go forward.
MARTIN: …Like there are a number of motivations right here. Certainly one of them is for Democrats to indicate power, as you’ve got simply identified, as others have identified, that individuals on the bottom need to see this combat. However the different motivation is a substantive one, which is that they – Democrats say they need to take care of Republicans over well being care subsidies, as you’ve got simply identified. We simply heard from Deirdre Walsh, as we now have heard from others, that shutdowns often don’t lead to one facet getting the concessions that they need.
Matthew Glassman, who’s a political scientist at Georgetown, was quoted in The New York Occasions saying, “there have been a handful of shutdowns longer than a day within the trendy period. In none of them did the get together attempting to leverage the shutdown win the concessions they had been in search of, and, in every case, in addition they misplaced the general public opinion battle.” What convinces you that this is able to be completely different?
CARDONA: Two issues. To begin with, there have already been polls that present that almost all of People would blame Republicans for a shutdown as a result of they perceive that they personal every thing. They management every thing. The ability is of their arms. The second factor is, we have by no means been in a state of affairs the place we’re going right into a shutdown the place hundreds of thousands of People are about to lose their well being care, and their well being care goes to skyrocket. In order that they perceive which get together is definitely the one that’s centered on serving to People, which get together is targeted on attempting to get that well being care disaster again into management, which Republicans are those who brought about with the passage of this large, horrible invoice. This example has by no means been seen earlier than.
And so when you’ve gotten that state of affairs and Republicans management every thing, they’ve refused to barter with Democrats, then People perceive that. It is quite simple. If you’d like a deal that requires each events to take a seat down on the desk, and you’ve got one get together that refuses to come back to the desk to barter, if these negotiations then go haywire and the federal government shuts down, whose fault is it? It is Democrats which might be those which might be asking for this assembly, demanding this assembly as a result of they know that this has to work out for People.
MARTIN: We have now 30 seconds. Home Democrat chief Hakeem Jeffries says he plans to carry a caucus assembly Monday night with all Home Democrats when Republicans usually are not even scheduled to be on the town. What ought to that assembly accomplish?
CARDONA: Nicely, that assembly wants to perform that for Democrats to proceed to speak this message, that Democrats are attempting. They’re attempting to barter. They’re right here on the town, whereas Republicans are AWOL – they’ve gone. So who’s the one who’s keen to barter and make this work? It is the Democrats, not the Republicans.
MARTIN: That’s Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. Maria Cardona, thanks a lot.
CARDONA: Thanks a lot for having me.
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