Congressional Democrats reportedly plan to continue the government shutdown standoff for several more weeks in an attempt to force Republicans to accept their healthcare demands.
Democrats are digging in, even as active-duty military service members risk missing a paycheck on October 15, because they believe they are “winning the messaging war,” as CNN put it.
One senior Democrat aide told CNN that as long as public perception is in their favor, the party will not concede short of “planes falling out of the sky,” presumably due to air traffic controller staffing shortages.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday called that comment “one of the most disgusting statements I’ve ever read.”
Early polling of the shutdown showed clear majorities of Americans blaming Republicans for the standoff, but the polls have tightened since then.