Page 27 - The Economist Asia January 2018

United States The Economist January 27th 2018 27
Also in this section
28 Federal budgeting is busted
29 Stopping the supply of fentanyl
29 Gerrymandering in Pennsylvania
30 Dollar General
31 Race and horses
32 Lexington: Salting the earth

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Shutdown politics press secretary to John Boehner, House
Power off Speaker during the last shutdown in 2013,
notes that “there is a difference between
popularity and intensity. Support for pro-
tecting the DREAMers is high, but support
for shutting down the government to
achieve that goal is low.”
WASHINGTON, DC To hold out longer would have carried
The briefgovernmentclosure revealed deep splits among Democrats and an particular risks for the ten Democratic sen-
increasinglypoisonous debate overimmigration
ators up for re-election in states that Mr
F YOU want to shut down a government ing manoeuvre. Democrats agreed to Trump won in 2016. Voters in five of those
Ias painlessly as possible, do it over a reopen the government without getting states received robocalls accusing their
weekend. The federal government closed theirchiefdemand—a legislative fixfor De- senators of having “prioritised illegal im-
for business at 12.01am on Saturday, Janu- ferred Action for Childhood Arrivals migrants over American citizens”. The lon-
ary 20th and reopened on Monday night, (DACA), Barack Obama’s executive order ger the shutdown battle continued, the
afterthe Senate passed a bill to fund ituntil that shielded from deportation about more it would have deepened the fissure
February8th. Thiswasthe ninth such shut- 800,000 undocumented immigrants between elected Democrats from safe
down since 1980. Because the party with brought to America as children, which seats and those at greater risk—and, per-
less power in Washington can usually de- President Donald Trump cancelled last haps more important, between the party’s
rail the annual budgeting process, it will September. Republicans, for their part, activist wing and the centrist voters it
not be the last. Familiarity breeds eye-roll- loaded up the reopeningbill with six years needs to take the Senate. As it is, the shut-
ing. It is nevertheless remarkable that the of funding for the Children’s Health Insur- down’s brevity and the lunatic speed of
world’s pre-eminent power so frequently ance Programme, which provides health news in the Trump era means it will prob-
failsto payforitsgovernmenton time. And insurance to poor children. Mitch McCon- ably be forgotten by November when the
though the shutdown is over, the disputes nell, the Senate majority leader, suggested mid-term elections roll round.
that provoked it remain unresolved, and he would bring a DACA bill up for a vote
looklikely to recurin the comingweeks. before February 8th. Maine-stream
Republicans have an inherent advan- Mindful of future primaries, and of the And yet despite all the energy of cam-
tage in shutdown politics. The party’s ani- more than a million people who took to paigners, the fraught negotiations, the pos-
mating philosophy is that government the streetsin the Women’sMarch two days turing and the welcome emergence of a
should be smaller and do less. A closed earlier to protest against Mr Trump, Demo- moderate caucus, huddled in the office of
government does less. When Democrats cratic senators with presidential aspira- Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Congress
backa shutdown, as happened this time, it tions voted no. Ben Wikler of MoveOn, a isnotmuch closerto fixingthe status ofthe
undercuts their claim to be the non-crazy pressure group allied with the Democrats, DREAMers, which should be the easiest of
party of governance and regular order. saysthatonce the partyhad made the deci- immigration questions to resolve. The Re-
This bias towards stability can enrage the sion to stand and fight, the best thing to do publican stance on immigration seems to
party’s left flank, whose members have a would have been to “make yourcase to the be hardening. MrTrump atfirsturged legis-
grudging respect for Republican intransi- public…Democrats and pro-DREAMers [as lators to craft a bipartisan “bill of love”,
gence. Afterthe deal wasdone, demonstra- DACA recipients are known] have a win- which he would sign. Lindsay Graham
tors chanting “Undocumented, Unafraid” ning argument to make.” Polls back Mr and Dick Durbin, Republican and Demo-
and “They say get back; We say fight back” Wikler’s claim. Majorities in both parties craticsenatorsrespectively, came up with a
packed the hallway outside the office of believe thatDREAMers, who are American bill that gives DREAMers a path to citizen-
Charles Schumer, the Democrats’ leader in in all but paperwork, should be allowed to ship, funds some of Mr Trump’s border
the Senate. stay, eitherascitizensoraspermanent legal wall (hisinsistence thatMexico will payfor
The blockage was cleared by a face-sav- residents. But Michael Steel, who was itseemsto have evanesced) and eliminates 1