We’ve hit that point again.
Government shutdown season. Cue the outrage, the speeches, the finger-pointing. One side blames the other, and somewhere between “fiscal responsibility” and “moral outrage,” the actual governing stops.
Let’s be clear — both parties built this mess. Chuck Schumer and Mike Johnson are just the faces of a system that rewards theatrics over results.
The Democratic Side: Schumer’s Showmanship
Back when I was working in New York City media, we used to joke that Senator Schumer would attend the opening of an envelope.
He was everywhere.
If there was a camera, a ribbon, or a microphone, Schumer was standing in front of it — especially on Sundays. You could set your watch by his press conferences. It became part of the city’s routine: coffee, bagels, and Chuck warning about airline fees or counterfeit Halloween candy.
That relentless visibility made him a household name — and to be fair, he worked hard for it. But that same instinct to perform has followed him into Washington.
In March 2025, Schumer pushed through a Republican-written funding bill he called “very bad” just to avoid a shutdown. Months later, he led Senate Democrats in blocking a “clean” House bill — causing the very shutdown he’d spent weeks warning about. Then, in October, his caucus shot down a military funding bill because it didn’t check every progressive box.
That’s not strategy; that’s choreography.
Schumer’s version of leadership has become a cycle: warn, posture, cave. And while Democrats love to call out Republican dysfunction, they’ve perfected a quieter version of it — endless messaging, no direction, and a lot of Sunday cameras.
The Republican Side: Johnson’s Vanishing Act
Then there’s Mike Johnson — the House Speaker who treats leadership like it’s a part-time job.
While Schumer can’t stop talking, Johnson can’t be found. Congress isn’t in session. The clock’s ticking. And the Speaker is nowhere near a microphone, unless it’s to blame Democrats for the fire he’s been standing next to with a gas can.
Johnson’s speakership has become the political equivalent of a “Closed for Lunch” sign. He talks about fiscal discipline while presiding over procedural chaos. He promises unity, then hides when his caucus splinters. If Schumer’s guilty of performative politics, Johnson’s guilty of avoidance — a leadership style so hands-off it should come with an OSHA warning.
Republicans control all three branches right now. They could set the tone, define the deal, and actually govern. Instead, Johnson’s strategy seems to be praying for a miracle — or at least a headline about someone else’s failure.
The Big Picture: Both Parties, One Dysfunction
The truth is, the shutdown isn’t about ideology anymore. It’s about ego and inertia.
Democrats posture as the adults in the room while dragging their feet through the same procedural mud. Republicans rail against spending while setting fire to their own to-do list.
Chuck Schumer performs. Mike Johnson disappears.
And in the middle, millions of Americans get to live paycheck to paycheck while Washington rehearses its favorite show — “Who’s to Blame This Time?”
If this is leadership, I’d hate to see management.
So yes, both parties broke it.
Schumer perfected the politics of performance. Johnson mastered the politics of absence. And together, they’ve turned governing into a spectator sport the rest of us can’t afford tickets to anymore.