It’s been a month since the government shutdown began, and if you were listening to the usual suspects over at MSNBC or clutching pearls with Chuck Schumer, you’d think Republicans would be crawling back on their knees by now, begging for mercy. Well, buckle up, buttercups — because the numbers are in, and the Democrats are the ones losing ground, not gaining it.
CNN’s own data analyst Harry Enten — not exactly a MAGA rally speaker — laid it out plainly. The big surprise? The shutdown isn’t helping Democrats. In fact, it’s hurting them. Worse still, it’s helping Republicans. The media’s doom-and-gloom predictions about public backlash against the GOP have fizzled like a Kamala Harris speech — long, confusing, and headed nowhere.
“This is, in fact, the worst position Democrats have been on a generic ballot at this point in a midterm when there was a Republican president in the last 20 years,” Enten admitted, probably while chewing on a Tums. Let that sink in. Not since George W. Bush was giving speeches in cowboy boots have Democrats been in this bad a spot heading into a midterm year under a Republican president.
Republicans have gained two points in popularity across the board. Sure, that’s within the margin of error, but here’s what’s not: approval for congressional Republicans has jumped five points since the shutdown began. That’s not a fluke. That’s a signal. Americans aren’t blaming Republicans for standing firm — they’re cheering them on.
“You might think, given that the Republicans are in charge of both the House and the Senate, that a government shutdown might actually hurt the Republican brand — but in fact, it hasn’t,” Enten said. Translation: Democrats and the media rolled the dice, and the only thing they came up with was snake eyes.
And it gets juicier. Not only is the Republican base energized, but independents — those mysterious, elusive voters that everyone fights over — are moving toward the GOP too. That’s the political equivalent of stealing the other team’s quarterback and making him play for you. Enten summed it up like this: “What we’re seeing is that the Republican brand has actually gotten better among independents, and it’s also gotten better among Republicans as well.”
Meanwhile, Democrats are drowning in their own messaging. Back in 2017, when Trump was in office and Democrats were gearing up for their “blue wave,” they were leading Republicans by 11 points on the generic ballot. Today? Just three points. That’s an eight-point collapse. That’s not a warning sign — it’s a five-alarm fire. And the only people who haven’t noticed are the ones still trying to convince you Joe Biden is “sharp as ever.”
So let’s get this straight: Republicans are holding the line, not caving to left-wing demands, and getting rewarded by voters for it. Democrats, on the other hand, are throwing tantrums, shutting down the government over bloated spending and open-border schemes, and watching their numbers tank.
The left bet the farm that a government shutdown would turn voters against conservatives. Instead, voters are looking at the GOP and saying, “Finally, someone’s standing up to the nonsense.”
You’d think after losing elections, credibility, and the public’s patience, Democrats would learn a thing or two. But no — they keep doubling down on failure like a bad gambler who thinks the next roll will save them. News flash: it won’t.
Republicans have nothing to apologize for. They’re doing exactly what voters sent them to Washington to do — stop the madness, rein in the spending, and say no to the radical left. The shutdown didn’t change that. It just reminded people why they voted red in the first place.
So the next time a Democrat lectures you about “governing responsibly,” just point to the polls and smile. Because while they were busy playing chicken, Republicans were busy winning.