Revisiting the original post for posterity
1) The Democrats didn’t help them, for 6 weeks. The longest shutdown in history. During that time they swept elections, their numbers went up, and they came back at the end with the Epstein bomb to take control of the news. I criticize Democrats nonstop, but this was flawless weathermaking.
2) The GOP did wear it, and their president wore it more than either House or Senate Leadership, and it did seem to surprise him, and he did throw it in Congress lap when it didn’t go the way he wanted. Nothing they tried for 6 weeks worked. Now he’s rattled, the base is rattled, Thune is rattled, and everyone is mad at Mike Johnson.
And on top of all that, because the oversight Dems were apparently sitting on the Epstein emails for this moment, Trump was unable to take a victory lap at his signing ceremony ending the shutdown and had to run from questions.
3) The Democrats did find a way to cock this up, by setting the bar for success awkwardly high, but didn’t pay any price for it and are coming out in better shape than they went in.
Correct. Despite coming out ahead, Democrat base voters are still convinced their leaders chickened out, because they did! But honestly, that anger is a great outcome.
Democrats won the shutdown, QED: