honestly a bit impressed with the dems here, because we've definitely gone beyond the line of expectations the fractious GOP had for this shutdown. they can usually count on just enough dems to fold when bluffed with brinksmanship.
the panic is setting in and trump publicly crapping on the GOP senate for not removing the filibuster exposes that the GOP could have ended the shutdown at any time IF they could all agree.
all of which jives with the GOPs 9+ month victory lap and triumphalism since the inauguration, so the blame is increasingly resting in republicans for everything that has been occuring. they run everything, so the giant turd on the dinner table is all theirs.
i think they're going to panic and actually make an official public try to remove the filibuster (instead of waiting to prove it will pass using back channel discussions first), which may further expose deep dissent within the bloc if it fails, or completely up-end the political calculus of the senate (a historically anti-worker body) permanently if it passes. the filibuster has acted as a check against populist sentiment for so long, its hard to say what might come after, good or bad, in the near and less near term.
and also, the looming lack of payroll for the military continues to haunt imperial aggression and posturing. like how do you give an eff about "duty" when your family back home can't pay the bills heading into winter?
im not really saying all this to be optimistic, but this is all cool zone type shit and its wild af imo to watch unfold.
