Realistically, the democrats could probably get some things on their bucket list done if they negotiate for the wall....
At least that is what I'd be going for anyways. Everyone wins something.
No. This is economic terrorism, and if you give in to terrorism you just get more terrorism. I don't think you understand the situation, and how stupid this all is.
On dec. 19th, the senate proposed a clean funding bill to avoid a shutdown. Trump supported the bill, and it passed the senate 100 - 0.
On dec. 20th, after listening to his daily dose of hard-right TV pundits slamming him, trump changed his mind and opposed the bill.
On dec. 21st, the outgoing republican controlled house passed a funding bill that also included 5 billion in funding for trump's wall, instead of passing the senate bill.
Also dec. 21, trump demands mcconnell suspend the filibuster and pass the house version of the bill with only republican support. Mcconnell knows the support is not there and refuses.
Congress is adjourned for the holiday.
Jan. 3rd the new, democrat controlled house is seated. The same day, they pass two bills to end the shutdown - both are almost identical to the clean spending bill that the senate already passed 100 - 0
Also jan. 3, mcconnell refuses to put either of the bills the house passed up for vote, because trump has threatened to veto them if they pass
TL;DR - congress has the votes to stop the shutdown. The senate refuses to do so, or rather mcconnell even
refuses to let them vote on it because it would look really, really bad for the GOP - either a bill passes with strong bipartisan support and trump vetos it and they let it die, or the congress is forced to publicly break with him and override his veto enraging his base. The shutdown is 100% trump and mconnell's fault - either one of them could end it tonight, and the idea that the democrats are somehow to blame for a bill that passed 100 - 0 is so completely absurd it's almost unbelievable, even these days when unbelievable things happen constantly.
Fake edit: Trekkin is also absolutely right. Trump is not stable, he might demand more funding... he might demand the concessions made to the democrats are removed from the bill before he signs it. He might demand something else - who knows? The democrats have no incentive to negotiate with him because I don't think he's ever negotiated in good faith in his life.