In this Substack Live, David Pakman and Jo Carducci (known on social media as JoJoFromJerz) start with some Jersey banter before diving into the shutdown fallout—specifically the eight Democratic senators who broke ranks to reopen government without securing ACA subsidy protections. They argue the move squandered moral high ground, muddied the “Republican shutdown” narrative, and handed the GOP a win after voters had just rebuked them at the polls. The two warn that beyond policy, the optics were disastrous: SNAP benefits cut off while construction cranes reworked the White House—images that cut through spin and risk demoralizing energized voters.
From there, they zoom out: Democrats now look fractured right as MAGA world is publicly feuding, and leadership (Schumer included) faces credibility questions. Pakman and Carducci call for bottom-up pressure and smarter strategy, then torch Trump’s 50-year mortgage pitch as a bank-friendly gimmick that inflates housing prices without adding supply—“affordability theater,” not reform. They close by contrasting GOP priorities (tax giveaways, ICE bonuses) with basic needs like food assistance, arguing that winning power—and using it—requires discipline, clarity, and a refusal to reward political hostage-taking.
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