WASHINGTON —
As the partial shutdown of the U.S. government goes into a second month, neither side can be sure about the long-term political fallout. Public opinion polls show more Americans blame President Donald Trump than opposition Democrats at the moment, and to some the standoff is already serving as a likely blueprint for the 2020 presidential election battle.
The longer the shutdown drags on, however, the more uncertainty there is about its eventual political impact.
“Trump is losing on this, Congress is losing on this, and then federal workers, who are without pay, are losing on this,” said Jim Kessler of Third Way, a center-left public advocacy group in Washington.
Wall or bust
President Trump remains adamant about funding for a wall along the southern border, a key campaign promise from 2016. “I hope that Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi can come along and realize what everybody knows, and no matter who it is, they know that walls work, and we need walls,” Trump told reporters last Saturday as he left the White House.
For their part, Democrats remain firmly opposed to wall funding, including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
“We want the symbol of America to remain the Statue of Liberty, freedom, equality, not a divisive wall. And we will fight for that. Fight for that we will.”
On Thursday, the Senate will vote on competing proposals to end the shutdown, one from the White House and Republicans, the other from Democrats. As of now, neither proposal is expected to garner the 60 Senate votes necessary to pass, though some…
