US House Set for Wednesday Vote to End Record-Breaking Shutdown
The Spin
Republican narrative
Democrats completely capitulated after their failed shutdown strategy backfired spectacularly. After 40 days of pointless posturing, they walked away empty-handed with nothing but a meaningless promise of a future vote. Even their own allies, including unions, urged them to end this fool's errand that punished working families and travelers for pure political theater. They said it was about Americans' health care, but it was really all about opposing Trump.
Democratic narrative
Democrats, especially moderates who caved to let the government reopen without getting any concessions, lost in this compromise. But a reopened government means Johnson must swear in Grijalva — a move that should lead to the release of the Epstein files. Republicans will be trapped in a lose-lose situation that will generate damaging headlines no matter how they vote. Considering Johnson's fear of releasing them, they must be damaging to the Republican cause.
Cynical narrative
Both parties treated the shutdown like an organized performance — Republicans with the power to pass funding but choosing standoffs, Democrats using leverage to extract policy wins — while the country bore the costs. The game wasn’t about solutions, it was about signaling.
Metaculus Prediction
Public Figures
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