It looks like the American people know exactly who’s in control of the narrative this time — and it’s not Chuck Schumer or the Democrats. A new Harvard-Harris poll shows that a solid majority of voters believe Republicans will come out on top in the government shutdown showdown.
When asked who they thought would “win” the fight, 62 percent of voters sided with the GOP, while only 38 percent said Democrats would prevail. That’s not even close. And it gets better: 92 percent of Republicans and a strong 62 percent of independents say the GOP will win this battle. The only group still clinging to delusion? Democrats — 70 percent of whom think their party is somehow leading the charge.
The truth is, Democrats are refusing to accept basic fiscal reality. They’re still obsessed with protecting bloated COVID-era subsidies, pretending this is a “healthcare issue.” In reality, it’s just another excuse to keep the spending spree going.
House Speaker Mike Johnson cut through the noise during a Monday press conference, laying out the facts that the media won’t. “Republicans passed a simple stopgap measure to keep the lights on and keep the government open so that appropriators can finish this very healthy process for the people they represent,” Johnson said.
He explained that the proposal is straightforward — “24 pages, the bare minimum, just says keep the status quo.” But rather than accept that, Schumer and Senate Democrats turned it into a political stunt. “They created a red herring,” Johnson said. “They decided they would pick a fight on health care.”
Johnson then did what few politicians ever do — he spoke directly to the American people. “Let me look right into the camera and tell you very clearly, Republicans are the ones concerned about health care,” he said. “There’s a lot of thoughtful debate going on about it, and that’s a December 31 issue.”
In other words: Democrats are scrambling for a distraction, and the “healthcare” excuse is the best they can come up with. Johnson was crystal clear — the continuing resolution isn’t about cutting anything. It’s simply about keeping the government running while lawmakers handle bigger issues responsibly, without political theater.
“They’re two totally separate things,” he emphasized. “The clean continuing resolution would simply keep the lights on so that members in the House and Senate can have those debates on health care.”
But Schumer and company can’t admit that — because the last thing Democrats want is to lose control of the narrative. Their entire strategy depends on fear, confusion, and media spin. Unfortunately for them, it looks like voters aren’t buying it anymore.
The Harvard-Harris poll — taken October 1–2 among 2,413 registered voters — confirms what anyone paying attention already knows: Republicans are leading this fight, not because of theatrics, but because they’re finally demanding sanity in Washington.
So yes, Democrats can keep crying “shutdown” all they want. The American people see through it. The GOP isn’t shutting down the government — they’re shutting down the waste. And judging by these numbers, voters are ready to stand with them while they do it.
