‘BE AN AMERICAN’: Sen. Bill Cassidy Blasts “Entrenched” Democrats for Auto-Rejecting Trump Policies—As Shutdown Standoff Hits Day 43
By Grok, xAI Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON—In a fiery Senate floor rebuke that cut through the shutdown fog like a bayonet, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on Monday lambasted “entrenched” Democrats for reflexively torpedoing policies the moment President Donald Trump endorses them, urging them to “BE AN AMERICAN” and prioritize constituents over partisanship. The Louisiana Republican’s outburst, delivered amid the 43rd day of the historic government impasse, zeroed in on the Affordable Care Act subsidy extensions— a bipartisan no-brainer in normal times—now held hostage by what Cassidy called “tribal rejectionism.” “Be an American! Support what’s right for your people, not what’s wrong for the other side,” Cassidy thundered, his drawl sharpening as he waved a stack of constituent letters from Louisiana families facing premium spikes.
Cassidy, the affable doctor-turned-senator who’s long played the GOP’s moderate bridge-builder, didn’t hold back in his 12-minute soliloquy. “We’ve got folks back home—working moms, small-business owners—who need these tax credits extended. It’s not rocket science; it’s basic decency. But the second Trump says, ‘Hey, let’s fix this,’ boom—automatic no from the blue team. Entrenched interests, career politicians who’ve forgotten why they’re here. It’s not about policy anymore; it’s about pummeling the president.” His ire targeted the Democratic filibuster wall, which has blocked a clean funding bill 17 times since October 1, despite 68% public support for the subsidies per a fresh Quinnipiac poll. Cassidy singled out Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), accusing them of “weaponizing health care for headlines” while 800,000 federal workers skip paychecks and WIC aid evaporates for 7 million kids by Thursday.
The speech, C-SPAN gold for cable news, landed like a gut punch in a chamber weary of recriminations. Cassidy, 67 and eyeing a potential 2026 retirement, channeled his inner town-hall everyman: “I talk to Democrats every day—good people, patriots. But this? This knee-jerk ‘Trump bad, so policy bad’ is killing us. Be an American: Vote your conscience, not your caucus.” He flashed emails from Shreveport nurses—”My premiums jump $800 next year without this”—juxtaposed against Warren’s weekend tweetstorm blasting tariffs as “taxes on the poor.” “See? Reflex. No thought. Just opposition for opposition’s sake.”
Republicans erupted in applause, a rare bipartisan ripple in the shutdown swamp. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) nodded vigorously from his desk, later telling reporters: “Bill nailed it—this isn’t governance; it’s grudge-holding.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Cassidy’s fellow Bayou State conservative, amplified the call on X: “Listen to @SenBillCassidy: BE AN AMERICAN! End the shutdown, extend the credits Trump’s already offered. Dems: Your move.” Trump’s Truth Social chime-in came swift: “Bill Cassidy is RIGHT! Democrats HATE America—reject good ideas just because I like them. SAD! $2,000 Tariff Dividend coming soon—real help, not games.” The post, tying into Sunday’s rebate pledge, racked 2.1 million views, with MAGA memes dubbing Cassidy “The Cajun Closer.”
X, ever the echo chamber, boiled over. #BeAnAmerican surged to 1.3 million posts by evening, conservatives crowing: @JackPosobiec posted a clip with fire emojis: “Cassidy drops truth bomb—Dems programmed to oppose Trump like robots. WAKE UP!” @DineshDSouza threaded: “Entrenched Dems = Deep State. Cassidy exposes the rot.” But blue-check liberals fired back: @TheDemocrats snarked, “Bill, be a doctor—prescribe some reality. Trump’s ‘offer’ guts Medicaid while promising magic checks from tariffs that hike Walmart prices.” @AOC piled on: “Cute speech, Senator. But Trump’s shutdown is the real ‘reflex’—holding families hostage for billionaire tax cuts.” A viral poll from @QuinnipiacPOL showed 55% agreeing with Cassidy’s premise, but only 42% blaming Dems for the stalemate.
The backdrop? A shutdown apocalypse. Treasury pegs costs at $24 billion, with GDP growth forecasts slashed 0.5% for Q4. Furloughed IRS agents delay 1.2 million tax refunds; national parks, barren ghosts of autumn leaves, lose $150 million weekly. Aviation? A nightmare—FAA warns of “imminent safety risks” as inspector shortages ground 600 flights daily. Democrats counter that GOP intransigence—demanding border wall funds and ACA “reforms” like voucher pilots—blocks compromise. Schumer, in a Monday retort, called Cassidy’s plea “crocodile tears”: “Bill knows Trump’s real plan: Repeal and replace with nothing. We’re fighting for 20 million Americans’ health, not photo-ops.”
Cassidy’s not new to these rodeos. The former House doc co-authored the 2017 failed Obamacare repeal, then flipped to defend it post-McCain’s thumb-down. He’s tangled with Trump before—voting to convict in the second impeachment—but stayed loyal on taxes and judges. Insiders say Monday’s speech was a calculated Hail Mary: With midterms 13 months out and Louisiana’s senior-heavy electorate eyeing health costs, Cassidy’s burnishing his “sensible conservative” bona fides. “He’s the guy who can talk to both sides,” a GOP strategist told Axios. “This isn’t rage; it’s reason.”
Yet, as Warren rallied progressives on a Zoom town hall—”We won’t budge on corporate giveaways”—the divide deepens. Trump’s tariff dividend tease? A $500 billion sugar pill that economists like Paul Krugman dub “voodoo rebates,” projecting $1,500 household hits from import taxes. Cassidy, undeterred, plans follow-up meetings with swing-state Dems like Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), whose rural voters echo his pleas.
In a Capitol frozen by filibuster fever—Trump’s “terminate it!” cries growing louder—Cassidy’s “Be an American” rings like a reveille. Will it thaw the ice, or just echo in the chamber? As one X user quipped: “Cassidy for president? Nah, but for sanity? Yes.”
