Napoleon was an evil man, indifferent to the deaths of millions and the suffering of tens of millions.
He was, however, a genius like other killers of millions, such as Mao Zedong and Caesar.
Lord Andrew Roberts’s 2015 biography of the French emperor, Napoleon: A Life, is very much worth your time and money, but for today’s purposes, we focus on one of his most famous maxims: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
Republicans take note. Just repeat to every reporter and constituent, again and again, that the GOP-controlled House has passed a “clean continuing resolution,” which would keep the federal government open and running while following “regular order” appropriation, and that all but one of the 53 GOP senators are prepared to vote “Yes” on it as well. But the rules of the Senate require 60 yes votes, and Democratic Senate Minority “Leader” Chuck Schumer (NY) won’t vote yes or encourage his caucus to do so. There’s exactly one Democratic senator who wants to keep the government open.
ANDY BARR: WHY I’M INTRODUCING LEGISLATION TO END GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS
“I know there’s part of the base that really wants some kind of action, the fight, whatever that is,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has declared. “I do not believe that is the appropriate response to shut our government down at this point.”
So 52 Republican senators want to keep the government open, and one Democrat. Seven more Democrats in the Senate are needed.
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) are relentlessly messaging the same thing: Democrats get all the blame because Democrats are shutting down the government.
This isn’t very complicated. The Democrats’ “base” — the “progressives” to the looneys — want a fight. The old liberals are afraid of that “base,” so they are going along. The latter knows this is a “Thelma and Louise over the cliff” moment, but they are in the back seat.
Schumer wants his job and is afraid of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who may never win a spelling bee but is most definitely raising a pile of dough off of this and other extremist posturings (her slagging of Charlie Kirk on the House floor days before his memorial service tells everyone all they need to know about her).
So to a shutdown we go. And not a single Republican is worried about the political fallout, though thousands of federal employees know they are being put in harm’s way by this stupid stunt. The executive branch gets broad powers to lay off and fire federal bureaucrats when the government shutters. The director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, is a very, very smart fellow, and he will be sending out the requisite “reduction in force” notifications starting tomorrow. Sixty days later, many federal employees will be out of work. Forever.
Thanks, Sen. Schumer.
There was a time not so long ago when legacy media might have provided cover for congressional Democrats. Even now, they are trying, but nobody is watching. And very few people are going to notice that the government is shuttered because the Trump administration won’t be closing the Washington Monument or Mount Rushmore as former President Barack Obama’s team memorably did when the GOP forced a shutdown more than a decade ago, and learned that it’s incredibly bad politics to do so.
No, Team Trump will keep the stuff Americans like open and running with its designation of “essential employees,” and the Social Security and Medicare checks will keep going out.
But Democrats will hold rallies with fewer and fewer folks forcing themselves to applaud. Schumer, no Cicero to begin with, is going to look increasingly clownish — yes, that is possible — and the Democrats will fold and do so without even a fig leaf.
It may be the dumbest political move in my lifetime. All credit to Schumer for providing the entertainment.
IN FOCUS: WHY SCHUMER HAS TO SHUT IT DOWN
All the GOP needs to do is repeat, repeat, repeat the truth: “We don’t want this. We want to reopen the government. The House passed the measure to do so, and we have 52 senators ready to vote ‘Yes.’ We will assemble the Senate the moment seven Democrats plus John Fetterman decide to end their playground theater.”
The GOP must not forget: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
