Why is the featured image a caricature of Gordon Ramsay? I’m stealing one of his catch phrases, that’s why. I only steal from the best.

SHUT IT DOWN is what Gordon says on Kitchen Nightmares when a kitchen is too grotty and nasty to feed diners without making them sick. Everything about the Trump administration makes me sick. That’s why it’s time to SHUT IT DOWN.

I hate advocating a government shutdown. In the past, it was anathema to Democrats: We’re the party of government, after all. In 2013, my posts about the Ted Cruz led shutdown were called America Held Hostage. I still hate Cruz and government shutdowns BUT standing up to Team MAGA is imperative. They’re running the country into the ground and holding our future hostage. It’s past time to reciprocate.

SHUT IT DOWN.

The last time Congressional Democrats had this brief moment of leverage, they chose to punt. This is no time for caution. It’s time to play to win instead of punting and letting MAGA Republicans have their way; that’s what got us into this mess. They think they have our number and that we’ll fold every time. They do seem to have Chuck Schumer’s number. It’s unclear what demands Senate Democrats will make BUT, as I wrote in March: Democrats Need A Wartime Consigliere. It’s time for Schumer to rise to the occasion. If not, he needs make way for a leader who understands the moment.

Congressional Democrats are in the minority so the only tools they have at their disposal are things we dislike: shutdowns, filibusters, and the like. It’s time to affix a clothespin and do what needs to be done no matter how unpleasant, if something is rotten in the walk-in cooler it must be dealt with. The only thing bullies understand is resolve.

Repeat after me: Appeasement never works.

Will a pushback work? It may not in the long run but morale among rank and file Democrats is low. The bedwetters and doomers are running scared. They need something, anything to boost their morale. A shutdown sucks but it may well do the trick.

SHUT IT DOWN.

The consultant class fears anything that might be unpopular. They continue to urge caution. The time for sticking one’s finger in the wind is over. Boldness is called for as the MAGA march of folly is leading the country towards disaster and dictatorship.

A reminder that Republicans were only briefly punished for past shutdowns. They held Congress after the 1995 shutdown and took control of the Senate after the 2013 shutdown. It’s called short-term pain for long term gain.

SHUT IT DOWN.

I hate performative politics as much as the next guy. Our politics should be about substance but they’re not. They never really have been. Elections are about themes and stories, not details and programs. It’s something Republicans understand and put into practice. Sometimes in life you have to do things you don’t like. This is one of those times.

Repeat after me: SHUT IT DOWN.

The last word goes to Neil Young: