An Insider’s Guide to Politics

Photo: AP Images

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ifteen years ago, I had never been to Albany before, so I sat with notepad in hand, eager to learn everything there was about this power center of New York politics. Time and again I wrote down the words “government shutdown.” The idea was simple and repetitive: If Albany didn’t pass a budget on time, there would be no funding for the government. At the time, it was a threat that would upend government and politics. Chaos would reign. That was state government and the ramifications of shutting down just one state seemed incalculable and terrifying. Today, the federal government is shut down and has been for several weeks already. Most surprisingly? We don’t seem as concerned. Where’s our gumption for government?

There are three sentiments that can be used to describe the American people when it comes to federal government: We are Bitter, Burned and Benumbed.

Bitter

In the past, when government shutdowns loomed large, Americans would talk about the almost one million employees who would be out of work. The idea that these families would be without funding left Americans sympathetic to them being paid and compassionate for their cause. Americans have become bitter about government and its employees. I believe there are two fundamental reasons for this.

Earlier this year, Elon Musk and DOGE spent weeks laying off government employees while many Americans cheered this action. This created a culture under which government employees being furloughed doesn’t sound nearly as serious, and perhaps to DOGE supporters is even necessary.

Government shutdown after government shutdown have come and gone with employees eventually being compensated for their time furloughed. This has again created a culture of bitterness in America, as the public has watched something that would never occur in the private sector take place in the American government.

Burned

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on you. As I mentioned, this is not the first government shutdown, nor will it be the last. In New York, Albany didn’t pass the budget on time and guess what happened — nothing really. Then it got later the following year and on and on. People, including me, stopped panicking about late budgets and refused to be burned again by the false premise that government shutting down would be cataclysmic.

In fact, this isn’t even the longest government shutdown in American history. That crown goes to the 2018 government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, and nobody ever talks about it. Who was president then? Donald Trump. Americans have been burned by this government shutdown narrative before and don’t seem keen to buy into it again.

Benumbed

Americans are becoming numb to these government shutdowns because they don’t feel them. I say this all the time, but I will say it again: Your local elected officials have more impact on your day-to-day life than the federal government. Police, education, and transportation are all largely administered by your local governments. The most universal federal program is likely your mail — which isn’t shut down. Most Americans are simply not feeling the government shutdown and are numb to the implications. If your police continue to patrol, your garbage is picked up, and the buses take the kids to school — life goes on.

BUT…

Much of this could change quickly if the shutdown continues past a certain point, at which time things start to be felt.

WIC, SNAP, free and reduced lunch are all programs that tens of millions of Americans rely upon. If the shutdown continues, all of those programs could be in jeopardy of delays or cuts. Government employees may not be easily understood by the American people, but what about military families? Every American understands the need to pay those who protect our country. Currently there is funding for military families, but can that continue for months?

Right now, the government shutdown isn’t registering with most Americans. There is a certain amount of strain that can be put on government dollars but there’s a point where the American people may feel they have had enough.

The Left Marches, the Right Shrugs

While we wonder about the American people’s attention, it’s fair to ask whether events outside Washington are resonating. The biggest such events have been the recent “No Kings” protests, which have drawn millions across American cities. These are the second round of protests, which are anti-Trump and fueled by left-wing organizations and left-wing movements. It is fair to ask whether these protests are resonating. Here’s what I’m hearing:

Right — on the right, the protests are being largely ignored. There’s a feeling that this is what the left does — protest. The right feels the timing — 13 months before the midterms — is simply too early to impact power dynamics. Additionally, there is delight on the right at the name of the protests. The feeling is that the name is too amorphous and unclear and lacks one clear objective or organizing principle.

Left — the left is happy that the protests are keeping their people active and engaged with a year left until the elections, but they aren’t thrilled that a segment of these protests include bashing Democratic party leadership. The internecine fighting within the Democratic party is on full public display.

History Doesn’t Repeat – It Indicts

I just finished reading a voluminous history of the Morgenthau family by author Andrew Meier and almost spit out my coffee when I began reading about Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. When Morgenthau took over as Democratic treasury secretary in 1932, he quickly launched a tax fraud investigation against his predecessor Republican Andrew Mellon. I was surprised to read this, considering the back-and-forth investigations we’ve seen both parties engage in over these past eight years. It’s yet another reminder that the political names may change but the tactics and warfare remain the same.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1084)