EDUCATIONMINNESOTA.ORG.

>> ERIC: ANOTHER FULL SHOW FOR YOU TONIGHT.

PAUL DOUGLAS IS HERE FOR HIS MONTHLY WEATHER CHAT.

PIONEER PRESS REPORTER FRED MELO IS HERE WITH AN UPDATE ON VACANT DOWNTOWN ST. PAUL BUILDINGS.

DOMINIC PAPATOLA HAS AN ESSAY FOR US.

AND WE HAVE PLENTY OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL POLITICS FOR YOU.

>> CATHY: NATIONAL POLITICS IS WHERE WE START TONIGHT.

A BILL TO AVERT A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NARROWLY PASSED THE U.S. SENATE A LITTLE MORE THAN AN HOUR AGO AND SHOULD BE SIGNED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT RUNNING.

KATHRYN PEARSON TEACHES POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.

THE U OF M IS ALSO THE ACADEMIC HOME OF LARRY JACOBS, WHO HEADS UP THE HUMPHREY SCHOOL'S CENTER FOR POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE.

WELL, PROFESSOR PEARSON, THIS CONTINUING RESOLUTION THAT PASSED FEELS DIFFERENT, DOESN'T IT?

IT SETS SOME PRECEDENT?

>> IS IT DOES FEEL DIFFERENT FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.

SO IT KEEPS THE GOVERNMENT FUNDING ROUGHLY AT THE SAME LEVEL IT HAS BEEN THROUGH SEPTEMBER.

IT'S A SIX-MONTHS CONTINUING RESOLUTION, A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY FOR DEFENSE.

BUT WHAT IT ACKS IS A LOT OF THE PROVISIONS THAT DEMOCRATS HAD ADDED DURING THE APPROPRIATION CYCLE IN THE LAST CONGRESS THAT CONGRESS MISSED ALTOGETHER, AND THEN ALSO SOME PROVISIONS THE DEMOCRATS REALLY INITIALLY TRIED TO NEGOTIATE FOR, SUCH AS BREAKS ON SOME OF THE CUTS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS SORT OF INFLICTING ON THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE.

BRAKES.

AND DEMOCRATS WERE IN A ERY HARD POSITION.

ON THE ONE HAND, THEY DIDN'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT A SHUTDOWN THIS TIME MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT, SAY, THAN IN 2019, IS BECAUSE ONCE WORKERS WERE FURLOUGHED, THAT WOULD MAKE IT EVEN EASIER FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP TO ONTINUE TO DOWNSIZE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

ON THE OTHER AND, IT ALSO FEELS DIFFERENT BECAUSE THIS WAS DEMOCRATS' ONE OPPORTUNITY TO SORT OF HAVE SOME LEVERAGE.

THEY HAD A TACTIC HERE OF PREVENTING THE SENATE FROM PASSING THIS BECAUSE OF THE FILIBUSTER, IT REQUIRED 60 VOTES IN THE SENATE, WHICH NECESSITATES AT -- NECESSITATED AT LEAST EIGHT DEMOCRATIC VOTES WHICH THEY ULTIMATELY GAVE HIM BECAUSE CHUCK SCHUMER WHO SAID HE WOULDN'T DO SO SWITCHED HIS POSITION ON WEDNESDAY AND NOW DEMOCRATS ARE DEEPLY DIVIDED OVER THIS.

>> Cathy: SAY, I SEE THAT AMY KLOBUCHAR VOTED AGAINST THIS.

AND SHE WENT AGAINST CHUCK SCHUMER.

ISN'T THAT KIND OF INTERESTING IN TERMS OF GOING AGAINST YOUR LEADER.

>> IT'S VERY INTERESTING.

AMY KLOBUCHAR'S BEEN VERY CAREFUL TO STAY WITH THE LEADERSHIP.

SHE'S PART OF LEADERSHIP NOW.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK THERE WAS SOME FREEDOM HERE TO VOTE.

THIS WASN'T A KIND OF, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THOSE "MUST-HAVE" VOTES BECAUSE HE WAS ALREADY ABLE TO OVERCOME THE FILIBUSTER, THAT WAS THE KEY THING.

BUT THE KEY THING HERE IN SCHUMER'S THINKING AND THE DEMOCRATS, THINGS ARE GETTING DIFFICULT FOR DONALD TRUMP.

YOU SEE IT IN POLLS AND A LOT OF OTHER THINGS.

AND IF THE DEMOCRATS WERE TO NOT PROVIDE THE VOTES FOR PASSING THIS, THEY WOULD BECOME PART OF THE STORY, PART OF THE REASON THAT THINGS ARE GOING SOUTH.

IN D.C.

THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT.

THEY WANT THE SPOTLIGHT TO REMAIN ON DONALD TRUMP AND THE POLITICAL COSTS OF THE CHAOS, OF THE CUTS, AND THE FUTURE CUTS TO BE SQUARELY ON THE REPUBLICANS.

>> Eric: DO WE HAVE ANY INFORMATION AS TO WHETHER HE 77 MILLION VOTES THAT TRUMP GOT ARE SHRINKING, THAT HIS BASE IS ABANDONING HIM?

>> WELL, CERTAINLY POLLING SUGGESTS THAT INDEPENDENTS ARE ABANDONING HIM.

IN PART, BECAUSE OF ELON MUSK'S ROLE AND DEMOCRATS ARE REALLY TRYING TO PLAY THAT UP.

AND, OF COURSE, IN PART, BECAUSE OF THE TARIFFS AND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE STOCK MARKET AND THE ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY, AND THE PRICE OF EGGS, YOU KNOW, HASN'T GONE DOWN AS PROMISED.

>> Eric: BUT THE TRUMP BASE?

>> I THINK THE TRUMP BASE IS STILL QUITE ENTHUSIASTIC, BUT A BASE ISN'T ENOUGH TO WIN AN ELECTION IN THE MIDTERMS.

IN 2026.

>> THE ISSUE ABOUT THE BASE IS, WILL IT TURN OUT?

AND WE MAY SEE, YOU KNOW, IN A YEAR AND A HALF'S TIME THAT SOME OF THOSE REPUBLICANS JUST STAY AT HOME.

AND THAT'S OFTEN A PROBLEM FOR THE INCUMBENT, PART WILL STAY AT HOME.

WE HAVE SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT CUTS COMING UP PROBABLY TO MEDICAID.

AND IF YOU FOLLOW CLOSELY WHAT'S BEING TALKED ABOUT IN CONGRESS, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS 11% CUT.

THERE ARE 26 HOUSE RACES -- HOUSE SEATS HELD BY REPUBLICANS IN WHICH 30% OR MORE OF THE POPULATION RELIES ON MEDICAID.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF PAIN HEADING THE REPUBLICAN WAY.

AND I THINK DONALD TRUMP IS GOING TO FIND IT INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT.

>> AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THIS IN TOWN HALL MEETINGS, THAT REPUBLICANS ARE HOLDING, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE REPUBLICAN CONSTITUENTS COME TO THESE TOWN HALL MEETINGS WHO ARE UPSET ABOUT CUTS TO THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MORE FEDERAL WORKERS IN THE D.C. METRO THAN SORT OF IN MOST PLACES, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF FEDERALLER WORKERS SPREAD OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND MEMBERS -- REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE STARTING TO HEAR FROM THEM.

>> Cathy: SAY, CAN I ASK YOU GUYS ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC SCHISM HERE, THE HOUSE DEMOCRATS WERE REALLY NOT HAPPY WITH THE SENATE DEMOCRATS.

THEY'RE A LITTLE YOUNGER, RIGHT?

SO N NEW YORK TIMES HAD A VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE TODAY ABOUT THE GENERATIONAL DIVIDE IN THE PARTY.

WHAT OF THAT?

>> WELL, THERE'S NO DOUBT THE DEMOCRATS ARE DIVIDED ABOUT THE FUTURE, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK FOR KEN MARTIN, WHO'S NOW, YOU KNOW, THE LEADER OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, HIS STRATEGY'S BASICALLY THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE TRUMP POLICIES, THE CUTS, INFLATION PROBABLY COMING UP AGAIN, PERHAPS ECONOMIC RECESSION S BEING TALKED ABOUT MORE AND MORE.

ALL OF THAT IS GOING TO PLAY TO THE DEMOCRATIC FAVOR.

WHEREAS, THE YOUNGER DEMOCRATS, THEY WANT A NEW AGENDA.

THERE'S TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS THE 2025 PROJECT FOR THE REPUBLICANS.

THERE ARE PROGRESSIVES WHO ARE TALKING ABOUT THE 2029 AGENDA.

AND THEY WANT TO SEE A WHOLE NEW APPROACH, THEY DON'T WANT TO JUST BE FIGHTING TO GO BACK TO WHERE THINGS WERE.

YOU KNOW, TO JOE BIDEN.

>> Eric: THE STOCK OF CONGRESS GOING DOWN, THE TOCK OF THE COURTS GOING UP, IS THAT FAIR?

>> OH, I MEAN, ABSOLUTELY.

CONGRESS IS BASICALLY ABDICATED ITS RESPONSIBILITY AS A BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT.

IN OUR SYSTEM.

I MEAN, CONGRESS IS SUPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE SOME SORT OF GUARDRAILS AND E'RE JUST NOT SEEING THAT AT ALL.

AND, OF COURSE, -- >> Cathy: WHY DO YOU THINK DO NAH >> WELL, OF COURSE, IT'S BECAUSE PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE ARE ACTING AS A TEAM INSTEAD OF SEPARATE INSTITUTIONS SHARING POWER IN OUR GOVERNMENT.

SO, AS A RESULT, WHERE IN EARLIER TIMES EVEN UNDER UNIFIED GOVERNMENT AND IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES UNDER DIVIDED OVERNMENT, WE WOULD SEE OVERSIGHT HEARINGS, WE WOULD SEE A LOT GOING ON, WE WOULD SEE LEGISLATION, WE WOULD SEE A LOT GOING ON THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING BECAUSE REPUBLICANS ARE ACTING AS A TEAM AND THEY'RE ACTING AS A TEAM TO A MUCH GREATER EXTENT THAN THEY WERE IN TRUMP'S FIRST TWO YEARS.

>> AND LET'S REMEMBER, DONALD TRUMP IS DOING A LOT OF THREATS.

WE SAW THE HOUSE PASS BY A TINY MARGIN THE BUDGET.

AND DONALD TRUMP WAS TOWING FOLKS AROUND, YOU DON'T VOTE FOR THIS, I WILL BE PUTTING UP A CHALLENGER IN YOUR PRIMARY.

AND THERE WERE PROBABLY A HANDFUL OF MEMBERS, REPUBLICANS, WHO FOLDED.

AFTER ALL, EVERYONE REMEMBERS WHAT HAPPENED TO LIZ CHENEY.

>> YEAH.

>> Eric: YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO COME ACK BECAUSE THERE'S MORE TO TALK ABOUT BUT