Americans will blame Congressional Republicans if historically irresponsible & unnecessary shut down occurs

History and polling clearly demonstrates why Republicans will own a potential shutdown 

“With unified Republican control of government, we already know that the American people will rightfully blame House Republicans for a costly government shutdown,” said DCCC Spokesman Tyler Law. “If a shutdown occurs, it will further demonstrate that Republicans are unfit to govern, and that we must elect Democrats who will pass bipartisan compromises to ensure Congress can meet its basic functions.”

In polling released yesterday, 53% of American voters said they would blame President Trump and Republicans in Congress if the government shuts down, including 53% of independents. That’s even worse than 2013, when 44% of Americans blamed Republicans in Congress for the shutdown and only 35% blamed President Obama and the Democrats in Congress.

According to the Real Clear Politics average, when the government shutdown on September 30, 2013, the generic congressional ballot was a +2.4 Democratic advantage. On the last day of the 2013 shutdown, the generic congressional ballot had shifted rapidly to a +5.5 Democratic advantage. The current generic congressional ballot is a +9.1 average Democratic advantage. If the government shuts down now – during an election year with a political environment that currently favors House Democrats – it stands to reason that the generic ballot shift could cost Republicans even more seats.

To summarize, here are five reasons why this Republican shutdown would not only be irresponsible, but also one of the most politically inept shutdowns in history:

1. Republicans have full control of Washington. A party with unified control of the government has not shut down the government in nearly forty years.
2. In the House, only a simple majority is required to pass legislation. Therefore, by definition, the minority House caucus cannot shut down the government.
3. Many Republicans have already publicly acknowledged they will take the blame.
4. Republicans would be shutting down the government during a critical election year where they are already getting trounced in the generic ballot.
5. The Republican shutdown would be a result of their inability to pass existing bipartisan legislation addressing very popular issues, including long-term funding for our military, CHIP, as well as a permanent solution for DREAMers. To be clear: there are existing bipartisan agreements that can be brought to the floor of both Houses today. Republicans refuse.