It does not matter what lie Senator Schumer and the other senate democrats tell themselves or American citizens, when they voted for cloture they voted for the Republican budget’s massive cuts to food programs for hungry Americans and to programs tens of millions of Americans rely on for health care – and for a large tax cut for the wealth and corporations.

Given the Republican’s small Senate majority and the way republican members of the Senate have obeyed their lord and master Trump, the cloture vote WAS the true vote on the Republican budget assault on working Americans and the Republican trillion dollar gift to their billionaire funders.

In voting to keep the US government open Senator Sell-out Schumer et al voted not simply for the Republican budget but to enable Trump and his minions to continue their attack on the US and its citizens via their destruction of the of the ability of  US  government to function effectively,

A betrayal that was made worse by Trump’s speech at the ex-Department of Justice setting Trump’s agenda for using the FBI and US attorneys of Trump’s newly repurposed Department of Injustice to serve as his agent of revenge and persecutor of dissent and opposition.

Sell-out stated that he voted for cloture because shutting down the government was bad, which may be a reasonable argument under normal circumstances but the current circumstances have never existed in the history of the USA.

The current resident of the White House has a long well demonstrated business history of incompetence, failure and bankruptcy. Trump’s business record also demonstrates a total lack of character, a focus on filling his own pockets at the expense of everyone else and the negative economic cost suffered by anyone doing business with Trump. In addition, Trump’s 2024 campaign demonstrated not just a stunning lack of knowledge [a giant tap to turn on water to Southern California??] about basic facts and history but Trump’s willing embracing of ignorance and unwillingness to learn.

Setting aside questions and concerns over the long record of management incompetence and wilful ignorance established by the current resident of the White House, it is unfathomable how Sell-out Schumer et al could view King Donald’s assault on the Constitution, the rule of law and US democracy in conjunction with the ongoing destruction of the ability of the US government to function, economic warfare against not simply long time allies but against non-wealthy US citizens and the establishment of a police force to eliminate dissent [the newly repurposing of the DOJ into the Department of Injustice and Persecution] as business as usual and nothing of any special concern.

Shutting down the US government represented a difficult, major decision with negative consequences; but choosing not to shut down the US government was a decision that carried major negative consequences as well.

The Democrats are, correctly, censuring Republicans for running away from hearing from or listening to their constituents; a hypocritical behaviour when Democrats fail to consult their constituents on decisions that will – either way – have major, long term negative consequences for their constituents and the future of the existence and nature of the US itself..

Of course avoiding consulting his constituents made taking the easy way out, voting for cloture and then, after removing the filibuster and enabling a simple majority vote, sophistically claiming he voted against the Republican budget and Trump’s continued subversion of the US constitution.

No level of sophistry will change the facts, the reality, that in voting YES to cloture Schumer voted YES, not just to the Republican budget and cutting food support and healthcare support to US citizens, but YES to allowing Trump and the Republicans to continue the reign of terror and destruction of their assault on the  US Constitution and democracy.

A sell-out not only of their constituents, but also of the Constitution, democracy and all US citizens – a sell-out that no lies or mummery can hide, much less deny.

‘He either fears his fate too much

Or his deserts are small

That puts it not unto the touch

To win or lose it all’

James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose