If I were given a microphone on the floor of the U.S. Senate, this is what I'd say:

"In our democracy, government is not some sort of make believe thing that has some independent will of its own. In our democracy, government is just how we describe the things that 'we the people' have already decided to do together.

You can do your best to make it look like government doesn’t work when *you* stop it from working. You can do your best to make government look paralyzed when *you* paralyze it. You can do your best to make government look incompetent through *your* incompetence, and ineffective through *your* ineffectiveness. But sooner or later the government will reopen. Because this is a democracy, and this democracy has already rejected your views. We have already chosen to do these things together. Because we all know that we are stronger when we come together.

When this government reopens, when our markets are safe again, when our scientists can return to their research, when our small businesses can borrow, when our veterans can be respected for their service, when our flu shots resume and our Head Start programs get back to teaching our kids, we will have rejected your views once again.

We are not a country of anarchists. We are not a country of pessimists and ideologues whose motto is ‘I’ve got mine, the rest of you are on your own.’ We are not a country that tolerates dangerous drugs, unsafe meat, dirty air or toxic mortgages. We are not that nation. We have never been that nation. And we will never be that nation.

Today a political minority in the House that condemns government and begged for the shutdown has had its day. But like all the reckless and extremist factions that have come before it, their day will pass and our democracy will return to the important work that we have already chosen to do together."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTxWMkW8s_c#t=239

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