Sam Stein: Presidents Often Have the Upper Hand in the Shutdowns

EXCERPT:

STEIN: "Democrats don't have necessarily the most cohesive rejoinder to that argument. Now, this could all change because Trump apparently is set to leave town today, go to Mar-a-Lago, do a massive fundraiser-type event at his estate in Mar-a-Lago to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of his election. Those are terrible optics. He could bungle this entire thing. But, again, it's not the easiest argument right now for Democrats to make and it's not clear who would be the Democratic point person to make that argument, which is why often in these instances presidents do have the upper hand. Obama in 2013, for instance, had the upper hand against Republicans. Bill Clinton in the mid-90s had the upper hand against Republicans, in part because they have the bully pulpit. So I don't know if I share the bullishness of the panel about how Democrats fare in light of a shutdown here."