It is now time for the Democrats to act like grownups. They are sounding the alarm on the cost of the cuts in places like USAID. They need to acknowledge the need to reform government and point out that destroying things via Musk is not going to help anyone. They need to continue to go to court for relief.  But most importantly, they need to use the leverage they have.

Without support from the Democrats, the government will shut down and the debt ceiling won’t pass. Since the Republicans control Congress and the White House, they need to get this done. If the Democrats do not extract a high price, and by that I mean correcting some of the mindless changes ( not catering to their identity politics seeking brethren), they will have sacrificed their right to complain.

If the government has to be shut down in order to get things happening in a more orderly way, so be it. The same with the debt ceiling. The Republicans are counting on the Democrats not being willing to be as irresponsible as they were when there was a Democratic majority. It is time to show them they are wrong.