then you're not invited to speak before us, and the name calling and histrionics, but when the "gutter politics" involves such pain for people that surreal things start playing out:

- yesterday fed employees protested in the Senate office building, and some were arrested by Capital Police, who I presume are also not being paid
- A Coast Guard station in NJ started a food pantry for furloughed employees - although they are not being paid either

And those are just the anecdotes. The hardships are real and growing, and the pettiness of this shutdown taints all who let it continue. This IMO is where the dems are missing a chance to put country before party. Let the repubs be the ones who put party, and really, just a demagogue, first. Making a tough deal with Trump to bring relief to all these people will not encourage similar behavior in Trump in the future. I think he is trapped in a corner, where nothing he does will fully appease his base and the rest of the country blames him much more than his new pal Nancy. IMO, he is highly unlikely to use this tactic again. In fact it seems to be the only thing he's ever done that has brought the wrath of the Coulter set down on him.