When Jimmy Kimmel wants to make a point, he trots his toddler out in front of the cameras. When Democrats need political cover, they trot out Kimmel.

Beginning with the debate over repealing Obamacare and culminating in a gritty technical fight over government funding, the host of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Show” has transformed from a well-meaning funnyman, to a policy advocate, to finally a partisan flak.