Shutdown gives Democrats a brief voice in Washington

With no end in sight to the federal government shutdown, a leading California Democrat believes the partisan conflict over health care is worth fighting for, even if it’s wrong for a minority of U.S. senators from both sides of the aisle to bring Washington to a standstill.

Health care “is the issue that people talk about the most,” said Ro Khanna, the Democratic congressman who has a way of being in the center of the political ring when the two parties exhibit their largest contrasts.

At the moment, it is the Senate Democrats who aren’t putting up sufficient votes to keep the government going as Republicans refuse to maintain a crucial health care benefit for 24 million Americans. These workers and retirees awaiting Medicare eligibility at age 65 are among those who rely on coverage via