Believe it or not, there are still a few Democrats who haven’t completely lost themselves to Trump Derangement Syndrome. At the very least, some of them seem to grasp a basic truth: when you’re in the minority, you don’t always get to dictate terms. Sometimes you take the deal that’s on the table.
But instead of accepting reality, Democratic leadership chose to throw a tantrum—shutting down the government in the process—because their party is run by people more interested in playing politics than serving the country. In other words, they’re full of Schiff.
One of those rare Democrats willing to break from the pack—at least for now—is Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME). Golden has openly criticized the far-left flank of his own party over the shutdown, signaling that not every Democrat is willing to march in lockstep behind Schumer and Jeffries as they drive the government into the ditch.
Per The Hill:
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden (Maine) criticized “far-left groups” for demanding Democrats vote against a Republican-backed proposal to fund the government.
“This government shutdown is the result of hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders to put on a show of their opposition to President Trump,” Golden said in a Wednesday statement.
Golden was the lone Democrat to vote for the GOP funding bill, which passed the House 217-212 on Sept. 19.
In a statement the day of the vote, Golden’s office pointed to the impacts a shutdown would have on the more than 12,000 federal workers in Maine and argued a closure would give the president “extraordinary leeway in determining which aspects of government are ‘essential,’ and which can be shuttered.”
While Jared Golden (D-ME) has been outspoken in his criticism of his party’s progressive wing during the shutdown debate, his overall voting record remains largely aligned with House Democrats. Golden is generally considered a reliable Democratic vote, though on this particular issue he has broken ranks. Observers note that while there are moments when a political party may choose to hold firm in negotiations, Golden has argued that this standoff is not the time for Democrats to do so:
The Republican funding bill, dubbed “clean” and “nonpartisan” by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), would have funded the government through Nov. 21. It was voted down Tuesday in the Senate, though, with just three members of the Senate Democratic caucus — John Fetterman (Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats — voting in favor. Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) voted against the proposal.
On Wednesday, Senate Democrats blocked a motion to advance the GOP funding bill once again.
Remember when the Democratic Party still had more than a handful of moderates—lawmakers who could admit when they’d lost a fight but still chose to do what was best for the country? Those voices have all but disappeared in today’s hyper-partisan climate. Still, it’s encouraging to see that there are at least a few Democrats left who haven’t completely abandoned that sense of responsibility.
Golden makes a good point here:
Golden said Tuesday that while Republicans have “reasonable concerns about tax credits going to high-income households,” a negotiation, not a shutdown, is the best path forward.
“There’s room and time to negotiate,” he added. “But normal policy disagreements are no reason to subject our constituents to the continued harm of this shutdown.”
Credit where it’s due: the continuing resolution on the table was a clean one. No gimmicks, no hidden carve-outs—just a straightforward extension to buy time for more negotiation. Democrats didn’t want to talk. They wanted a shutdown. This is their shutdown, and they own it.
To their credit, a few Democrats broke ranks—Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Sen. Angus King (I-ME)—all voted against locking the doors of government. But unless they can convince more of their colleagues to follow their lead, this shutdown will be hung squarely around the Democrats’ neck as we head into the midterms.
