That was an… interesting… end to the shutdown. Through the course of my Senate campaign I met hundreds of striking workers on strike lines in industries like retail, nursing, trucking, manufacturing, labor, and the building trades.
Not a single one of them took the decision to strike lightly. Many of them were proud of what they made, the work they did, or the people they served. They were scared to go without pay while on the strike line or, even worse, scared that their employer would shut down their worksite and move away rather than negotiate. But, even more compelling than fear was their desire to get a respectable share of the fruits of their labor, have long term security for their families, and live the American dream, a dream that shouldn’t be reserved for just management and shareholders. Frequently, the men and women I met on picket lines were striking because their employer had tried to double or triple their healthcare costs in the latest contract offer. Sound familiar? Supposedly, that’s why certain Members of Congress were holding out on passing the budget year, causing the most recent government shutdown. They were, for all practical purposes, putting America on strike to secure healthcare subsidies for working Americans. But there’s one thing I learned from workers on the strike lines of Missouri that these Members of Congress apparently don’t get: you don’t go on strike unless you mean it, because a strike hurts. And I can tell you right now, when working people decide to put themselves, their coworkers, their families, and their community through a strike, they sure as hell aren’t going to go without work for weeks or months only to settle for exactly what was offered to them on day one. None of the striking workers I met ever failed to stand in solidarity and, because of that, eventually all of them got better than they were initially offered, in many cases, historically more. So if everyday people understand the concept that you don’t go on strike unless you have the grit to see it through, why don’t these Members of Congress get it? Just like basically every worker has made it clear that they are not fond of strikes or the pain that come with them, I’ve made the point many times in the past that I am not a fan of government shutdowns. But you know what? People aren’t stupid. We understand that sometimes fighting for something meaningful for yourself or others is going to hurt. But that it is the right decision if real gains are made. On the flip side, we also understand that it’s both ridiculous and embarrassing to initiate a painful fight you’re not willing to see through to the end. What a waste. In this case, the Members of Congress who put the country on strike and then decided to quit won absolutely nothing for putting everyone through it. When Democrats asked me on the campaign trail why Democrats aren’t liked, or why they are considered weak, this is a perfect example of why. The only thing people are going to remember from this whole ordeal is the confirming feeling that Democrats are spineless and don’t stand and fight for anything. The excuses they are giving are pathetic. Saying things like “the funding bill needed to pass as a ‘clean’ funding bill” and therefore it was wrong to demand the inclusion of healthcare subsidies. Give me a break. Again, people aren’t stupid and nobody is going to accept that. They could toss in something as niche as preventing the unregulated sale of Delta-8, but voting for healthcare subsidies was not possible for the bill to remain “clean?” Try selling an excuse like that as a reason to break solidarity for anyone who has ever walked a picket line. No, really, I mean it. Try it. Because that’s exactly the swath of voters that has switched parties in recent years. And if they don’t buy it, well, that will tell you something about how well it’s going to sell. Lucas As always, the views expressed in this Substack are those of the individual only and not those of the Department of Defense. Use of military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform do not imply endorsement by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. You're currently a free subscriber to Lucas’s Substack. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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Thursday, November 13, 2025
It's All Over Now
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