Political party strategists give insight on government shutdown

One Republican and one Democratic strategist give their perspectives on the government shutdown.

Wes Gullett, CEO, OH Strategic Communications and Matt Grodsky, Partner & VP, Matters of State Strategies joined “Arizona Horizon” to talk more on their opinions on the ongoing shutdown as it continues to be the longest in U.S. history.

Wes Gullett, CEO of OH Strategic Communications, placed blame squarely on Democrats for accepting a deal he argued should have been reached immediately.

“They made a terrible mistake,” Gullett said. “They put us through the longest shutdown in history only to do what they could have done on the first day.”

He criticized Democrats for allowing SNAP benefits to lapse during the standoff, calling the situation “unbelievable” and faulting the party for failing to clearly articulate its position.

Democratic strategist Matt Grodsky offered a very different reading, rejecting the idea that Democrats had caved.

“The Dems didn’t fold,” he said. “They walked into a back door. They took a bad deal on the premiums,” but he argued the responsibility for the shutdown remains on one side.

“It’s not the Democrats’ shutdown. It’s the Republican shutdown. They own the government.”

Grodsky also pointed to polling that showed public support for Democrats’ position throughout the impasse.

“A lot of Americans have understood our position,” he said, citing recent election results as evidence that Democrats “are making progress” politically.

Gullett countered that Democrats face a deeper organizational problem.

“The problem the Democrat Party has right now is a lack of leadership,” he said, arguing the party struggles to stay unified, message clearly, or “hold the line.”

Meanwhile, he described Republicans as “100%” in step behind a simple, potent message: “Make America Great Again.”

Both strategists agreed on one point: the public paid the highest price.

Grodsky said, “the losers are the American people” as health premiums rise and basic services stall. Gullett echoed that the shutdown exposed fundamental dysfunction on both sides of the aisle.

As Congress moves to finalize the agreement ending the historic shutdown, both strategists warned that neither party emerges unscathed, and that the political consequences are far from over.