The Senate kinda, sorta, halfheartedly tried today with two doomed votes on (1) Trump’s terrible proposal and (2) the same spending bill Republicans approved unanimously before the shutdown, but now is unacceptable.

So the next move has to be a counter proposal from Pelosi and Company.  I think they should have made a counter proposal earlier in the week already.  But now they have to, ASAP.  It should include:

1. A vote on HR 1 the House bill on electoral reforms
2. A vote on a $15 minimum wage
3. Permanent DACA and TPS
4. $5.7 billion in spending on border security and humanitarian relief, the moneys to to be spent by the decisions of a Bipartisan Commission on Border Security which would include experts and border state lawmakers.

This is both a reasonable proposal and a great PR strategy to intravenously inject the first 2 Democratic planks into the public debate.  Everybody should know what the first bill the Democrats passed in the new Congress was.  Everybody should know Democrats stand for a $15 minimum wage.  And Republicans should be made to vote on those things, which they would never do if McConnell had his way.

So far the shut down has been just awful and painful, but is almost completely being blamed on Trump (although not enough on McConnell) and pressure should continue to build on them.  Nevertheless, to stay on the right side of the public on this Dems have to be be seen to be willing to negotiate in good faith to end this.  There’s no both sides on this.  Trump closed the government and McConnell has enabled it.  But for this to be a total win for the party, which it is so far, in a media landscape that just can’t help bothsidesing, Dems have to play the game.