Democrats are no strangers to expressing anger, and their recent outrage over the Republican continuing resolution (CR) goes deeper than usual theatrics.
Instead of directing their anger solely at Speaker Mike Johnson or House Republicans, Democrats find themselves frustrated with their own party for allowing the situation to unfold as it did.
The CR passage signifies a strategic move rather than a significant conservative win. It paves the way for maintaining government spending at current levels, hindering funding for new programs—making it challenging for a party that often seeks to expand government—and providing Republicans with an opportunity to implement substantial budget cuts through reconciliation, a scenario that Democrats were keen to avoid.
And progressives are losing their minds over it. They see the writing on the wall: this CR isn’t the endgame, it’s the set-up for budget reconciliation, where real, codified spending cuts can happen. Cuts that will be far harder to reverse once they’re in place.
READ MORE:Shutdown Schumer Folds – After Railing Against Trump and DOGE on the Senate Floor
Democrats had two choices, and neither one was good:
Option 1: Filibuster the resolution and shut down the government, handing Russ Vought—the OMB director and a fiscal conservative who will take a machete to government spending with a mad grin on his face (probably)—full control over what spending gets prioritized.
Option 2: Pass the CR and keep the government open, but in doing so, legitimize the spending cuts that Republicans have been working toward all along (and, more importantly, legitimizing Elon Musk’s work).
They chose the latter, because between letting Vought run wild in a shutdown or dealing with the political fallout of conceding to Republicans, they went with what they saw as the lesser of two evils. But make no mistake—this was a trap, and Chuck Schumer knows it.
Here he is, calling Republicans “bastards” because he’s so mad.
🚨DESPERATE CHUCK SCHUMER CALLS REPUBLICANS “BASTARDS”🚨
“It’s much, much better not to be in the middle of a shutdown, which would divert people from the number one issue we have against these bastards!”
“They’re ruining democracy!” pic.twitter.com/9i90rfOv9z
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 14, 2025
That’s not the sign of a guy happy about his lot in life. That’s the sign of someone who is deeply frustrated with the position he was put in. It was a decision with no right answer and no way out.
Russ Vought: The Name That Puts Fear in Democrats
It isn’t about the rage we’re seeing from the Democrats. Anyone can make Democrats angry. But fear? Real fear? It’s much harder to accomplish that. Vought, however, does that just by breathing… and potentially running OMB during a government shutdown.
Vought, a key figure in Trump’s first administration, is someone who actually believes in cutting government waste—not as a political talking point, but as a mission. If Democrats had filibustered the CR and let the government shut down this weekend, Vought would have had full authority to decide where the limited funding went And let’s just say, he wouldn’t be prioritizing their pet projects. To put it bluntly: Elon Musk makes Democrats angry.
He makes them scared. If the government had shut down, they wouldn’t just be facing temporary disruptions. They would have been watching permanent spending reductions take place in real-time—without their control. Schumer and company knew they couldn’t allow that to happen, so they gritted their teeth and passed the CR, fully aware that they were handing Republicans the long-term win.
Mike Johnson’s Power Move
Then there’s Speaker Mike Johnson, the man who orchestrated this whole thing. His move was nothing short of ruthless—and frankly, a little bit villainous (in the best way possible). In fact, I asked AI to draw what it thinks the Speaker looked like as he rubbed his hands together and cackled like a supervillain.
Frankly, I think AI is getting too good, but that’s an op-ed for another day.
Johnson somehow* rallied his slim Republican majority, secured the votes, and passed the CR. He then sent the House into recess, meaning there was no opportunity to negotiate changes with the Senate. So, Schumer had no choice but to pass the Republican version—or shut down the government and hand power to Vought.
It was a checkmate moment, and the Democrats knew it. That’s why Schumer went on MSNBC calling Republicans “bastards.” He’s not just mad—they got outmaneuvered, and he knows it.
Democrats Did This to Themselves
Here’s the truth, though: Democrats put themselves in this position. They propped up Joe Biden long past his expiration date, refusing to admit his weaknesses until it was too late. They leaned into extreme progressive policies, alienating voters and losing their grip on the middle class. They underestimated Republican strategy, believing that GOP infighting would stop them from executing a well-planned fiscal move.
Now, they’re stuck. Their progressive base is furious, their leadership just suffered an embarrassing defeat, and they’re watching Republicans set up a real shot at meaningful spending cuts.
And they only have themselves to blame. Because deep down, they know—they did this to themselves.
