The Shutdown Isn't Boosting Democrats

The blame has shifted, and so has the media coverage

How odd. Brendan Buck notes on X this morning that “Here’s a telling sign of where we are: On day 15, there are zero stories about the government shutdown in both the print NYT and print WSJ… Washington Post too.” Maybe this is why?

Americans are more likely to blame Republicans than Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, but a new YouGov/The Economist poll shows that gap is beginning to narrow.

Only 6 points separate the parties in this week’s poll, which shows 39 percent of surveyed Americans blame President Trump and the Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, while 33 percent blame the Democrats in Congress.

Last week, 11 points separated the two sides, with 41 percent of respondents blaming Trump and the GOP in Congress and 30 percent blaming their Democratic counterparts.

In the latest poll, 20 percent of respondents say they blame both sides equally — down from 23 percent last week.

The shift in polling data comes as the government is about to enter its third week of a shutdown, with the standoff between the two parties showing no sign of waning anytime soon.

One of the biggest risks with this whole thing is that Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries would show how weak their hand really is — and in so doing, be blamed for their personal weakness instead of the hand they were dealt.