You know there’s such a thing as the filibuster in the Senate, as do I. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is counting on Americans not knowing that the filibuster exists:

The U.S. Senate has voted on a clean continuing resolution seven times; each time a majority of the Senate has expressed a desire to pass a clean CR, but less than the 60 votes necessary to cut off debate. Yes, Republicans control the Senate in the sense of having a majority, but they can’t pass a continuing resolution unless seven Senate Democrats agree to bring it to the floor. So far, they’ve got three — John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and Angus King of Maine.

Now, the filibuster may not be the most commonly known and understood aspect of the legislative process, but it’s not exactly obscure, either. Democrats such as Kamala Harris have argued that the filibuster shouldn’t exist for years now, insisting that it is a relic of Jim Crow, as Barack Obama put it. (Apparently, it’s only a relic of Jim Crow and morally unacceptable when Republicans use it; when Democrats use it, the filibuster magically transforms into a noble and constitutional tool to ensure the rights of the minority party.)

So the entire messaging effort of Chuck Schumer is to hope Americans forget that the filibuster exists, and convince Americans that the 53 Republican senators aren’t reopening the government just because they’re mean.