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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhat the 'Both Sides Brigade' gets wrong about the shutdown
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/what-the-both-sides-brigade-gets-wrong-about-the-shutdown?cid=sm_fb_maddow&fbclid=IwAR2MMzfr7FrIJUJtl24iZhuRMPK1UOoRXzn2tmT2yivz2hAQQ2cbL-D3dKwWhat the Both Sides Brigade gets wrong about the shutdown
01/22/19 10:20 AMUpdated 01/22/19 10:21 AM
By Steve Benen
Two weeks ago, following Donald Trumps Oval Office address on the government shutdown, the Associate Press turned to a familiar refrain: it blamed both sides for the mess.
Democrats put the blame for the shutdown on Trump. But it takes two to tango, the AP wrote. Trumps demand for $5.7 billion for his border wall is one reason for the budget impasse. The Democrats refusal to approve the money is another. The AP added, It takes two sides to shut down the government.
It was, of course, a deeply flawed argument, but the instinct to blame Republicans and Democrats is unshakable for much of the political world. Its why weve heard similar rhetoric from pundits, editors, a former Republican president, and a longshot Democratic presidential candidate.
Eric Levitz labeled the advocates of this position the Both Sides Brigade.
The Brigades position is familiar because its a staple of how much of the political establishment prefers to see the world: as a bipartisan mess. To hold one party responsible for a specific fiasco would be partisan and evidence of bias, which is why so many prioritize even-handedness over facts. Its a comfortable lens through which to see events unfold.
In the case of the current government shutdown, however, theres an inescapable detail: Democrats arent asking for anything. Consider the competing postures:
Congressional Democrats: We just want to re-open the government. We dont have any extraneous policy demands and were asking for no concessions.
The Trump White House and congressional Republicans: Well consider re-opening the government if Democrats approve billions of dollars in spending for an unpopular border wall.
To portray this with both sides share the blame commentary isnt just misleading, its also an enormous favor to the party that deserves responsibility.
Indeed, to a very extent, it actually encourages the president to try to govern through hostage strategies because it signals to the White House that if Trump relies on extortion, the political mainstream will suggest Democrats give him something for his troubles. If not, theyll be presented to the public as recalcitrant and unreasonable.
The push for some kind of compromise between the parties is misguided, in much the same way itd be a mistake to call for a hostage-taker and law enforcement to strive for a middle ground.
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What the 'Both Sides Brigade' gets wrong about the shutdown (Original Post)
babylonsister
Jan 2019
OP
Eliot Rosewater
(31,109 posts)1. This is exactly what putin wants and it is destroying us.
And the ONLY reason it is working is MAGA hat wearers, rump supporters, without that support this all ends today.
bigbrother05
(5,995 posts)2. They also demand the Dems bring their proposal to the table
Even before they took control of the House, the Dems were questioned on what they were going to do to end it. They are being asked to craft a grand bargain while the feds are in a lockout (or lockin for those required to work w/o pay).
Nothing that the Dems have done caused the shutdown. We can't let Trump and his fellow travelers extinguish the glaring spotlight on their fecklessness. They have no fecks and we have no f'cks to give.
Gothmog
(145,131 posts)3. Only one side is to blame for the shutdown
lilactime
(657 posts)4. K&R
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,328 posts)5. Levitz in nymag