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Media Agrees: Democrats Lost the Government Shutdown Fight

January 23, 2018

The media largely agreed: Democrats took a beating on the government shutdown fight.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) got excoriated by left-wing groups for "caving" to Republicans, as Democrats ended a brief shutdown by approving a stopgap spending measure Monday that did not address the "Dreamers," the term for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) recipients.

Instead, Schumer got assurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) that an immigration bill would be taken up by the Senate by Feb. 8, but nothing else.

"Democrats wanted a DACA fix. They didn't get it. The Democrats lost," Fox News host Shepard Smith said bluntly.

CNN reporter Jim Acosta remarked Democrats "caved" and the White House had declared victory in the standoff, and CNN's Chris Cuomo said Democrats got "spooked and the GOP got a boost."

"They got a deal to make a deal. Maybe," Cuomo said.

CNN's John King and Chris Cillizza pondered aloud why Democrats bothered to shut the government down and what they got out of the arrangement, and CNN's Brooke Baldwin quizzed Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.) over why it was worth forcing an impasse.

Even ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who got liberal health care talking points from Schumer for monologues in 2017, said the minority leader got "nothing" in the deal.

MSNBC's Katy Tur summarized the situation and said the Democratic base was worried they were getting "played," and MSNBC reporter Kasie Hunt said it appeared Democrats had "lost this fight."

One activist on MSNBC called it a "terrible deal," and far-left advocate Linda Sarsour told Chris Hayes she was "outraged."

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D., Ill.) said Democrats were "caving" on the immigration issue and said while they were good at articulating principles, they weren't as good at defending them. Rep. Cedric Richmond (D., La.) said of Senate Democrats: They are "getting their butts kicked."