Tommy Vietor

Where is the strategy that goes from shut down to an end game that gets Donald Trump to change his behavior?

No one can articulate one because there isn't one.

Look, I sound like I'm super negative on this because I think it's better for us to debate this.

I'm genuinely torn.

I don't know what the right thing to do is.

I know that Chuck Schumer is getting tons of incoming from activists just like us, in part because of rage we all had several months ago about the failure of a strategy the last time there was a funding fight.

But I'm just like, I'm not seeing a clear end game

when it comes to policy or communications, especially with the leadership we have.

The most likely outcome is like a five-day shutdown.

And then we cave and look even weaker.

Well, it's like a seven week.

Yeah, we'll do this again in seven weeks or something, right?

Yeah, look, this is a maximally cynical perspective.

And I, again, I don't want anyone hurt, but just like in pure political terms, I think people are far more likely to notice and be angry that their premiums went up than they are ever to hear a Democratic Party argument about why we have shut down the government.

Because we suck at communicating.

Our side sucks at communicating and their side lies about everything.

They're saying it's about sex changes in Peru.

It's like, what?

Right.

It's nice to have the option.