Eight Senate Democrats caved last night, breaking ranks with their party and partnering with Trump and the Republicans on a deal to reopen the Government.

They do so without the continuations of the ACA subsidies that precipitated the shutdown to begin with—a supposed dealbreaker for the Dems, one that, like so many other party lines drawn to oppose this authoritarian regime, has ultimately proven worthless.

Regardless of the way this will be spun by those breaking ranks and by those who wish to see this as some sort of political victory, this Dem defection is three things:

1) It’s a slap in the face to voters.

Despite a majority of Americans blaming Trump and the GOP for the shutdown, and despite a resounding nationwide victory in last week’s elections, the Dems have once again failed to remain unified and, by doing so, have relinquished the only real power they have right now in Congress. Coming less than seven days after voters unequivocally rejected the GOP and provided fascism-weary Americans a desperately-needed win after a disheartening eleven months, these eight Dems have all but obliterated the goodwill of Election Day.

2) It’s a deadly collaboration.

It’s not hyperbole to say that people will die as a result of this alliance. With nearly 22 million Americans relying on these Obamacare subsidies to make already stratospheric healthcare premiums even remotely affordable, allowing these financial supports to lapse will further drive people into dire circumstances, forced to choose between surgeries or groceries. For Americans already having to forego preventative screenings or go without necessary medications or decline life-saving treatments, having their medical costs rise substantially will mean a slide further into both poverty and illness.

3) It’s an assault on all Americans.

The fierce political tribalism that has become America’s default setting over the last decade often perpetuates a false duality: an Us vs Them narrative where one group’s victory means another’s defeat. We’ve seen this fear-fueled scarcity mindset on display as Republican voters have celebrated the canceling of SNAP benefits that help forty-one million people not starve to death here, as if they are somehow working a system that is irreparably broken to begin with.

Addled by partisan propaganda, MAGA faithful fail to realize that our fortunes and destinies here are tethered together; that the rising healthcare costs, increased sickness, and job loss by some are not self-contained horrors that leave the rest of us unaffected.

By forcing a segment of Americans to have to choose between paying their rent or staying alive, between remaining in the hospital long enough to heal or returning to work unwell, between their children having proper preventative care or being chronically sick, the rest of us will have to carry these financial burdens and social maladies.

The bottom line right now is that we shouldn’t be here to begin with.

A nation with this embarrassment of riches should have long ago figured out how to make universal healthcare a reality, and the fact that it has not is a collective sin that the decent human beings here should be sickened by. These betrayals of oath by our leadership should trigger mass protests on the steps of Congress, national boycotts of complicit organizations, and nationwide disruptions.

This latest Republican attack on the poor and the sick, and the Democratic defection to join them, is a deadly insult to grievous injury for millions of Americans who will be assailed by preventable illness, dogged by physical pain, and crushed beneath the weight of both sickness and worry.

The decent human beings who call this place home, regardless of our political affiliations, should fight for their lives, knowing they and we are in this together.

These are the eight Democrats who are partnering with the GOP. Make them hear you.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of NevadaSen. Dick Durbin of IllinoisSen. John Fetterman of PennsylvaniaSen. Maggie Hassan of New HampshireSen. Tim Kaine of VirginiaSen. Angus King of MaineSen. Jacky Rosen of NevadaSen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire

PROTEST ALERT! Thousands of like-hearted Americans and I will be in D.C. on November 22nd for the REMOVE THE REGIME rally. We’re going to raise our collective voices and demand that our leaders do the will of We the People. I hope you’ll meet us there.

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