Based on the angry and robust criticism of U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in recent days by House Democrats and party activists, the casual observer might assume that he did something truly awful to his constituents. An abandonment of core principles? Grossly unethical behavior? Had he betrayed his country? Actually, none of the above.

What has the 74-year-old New Yorker in hot water with many high-profile Democrats is that he decided to vote against a government shutdown last week.

Schumer’s willingness to agree to a Republican short-term funding bill displeased many movers and shakers in his party because they saw it strictly as a high-profile capitulation to President Donald Trump. But, as Schumer himself observed, a government shutdown would have been far worse for the American people than anything contained in the stopgap spending bill which needed 60 votes to pass the Senate.

Was the legislation that was eventually approved Friday perfect? Probably not, and bills rarely are. It included some spending reductions that deserve closer scrutiny in light of the recent DOGE gyrations. But given the real possibility of a shutdown — with “non-essential” services interrupted, including some involving Social Security and Medicare benefits, and impacts on air travel security and national parks — Schumer’s decision seems entirely reasonable.

Opposing Trump’s position on any number of policy decisions from cutting lifesaving foreign aid to politicizing the U.S. Department of Justice (ironically in the name of depoliticizing it), would be entirely appropriate, but simultaneously ignoring the real-world negative impacts of a government shutdown on average Americans is not.

Democrats have not yet figured out how to deal with Trump, with their lack of a titular leader playing a big factor. But the party’s problems clearly run deeper than that. One recent poll found that just 27% of registered voters have a positive view of the Democratic Party.

That doesn’t mean things are looking great for the GOP either. After a post-election surge, public opinion is turning. The same poll found 54% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, which is the worst he’s ever polled on economic issues.

Yet Democrats have a serious identity problem. Heckling Trump during his recent address to Congress, as 77-year-old cane-waving U.S. Rep. Al Green did, is less about communicating a political message than political theater destined to get “likes” on social media from Trump haters.

There’s no lack of experience or political talent in the Democratic party, just a lack of discipline. Say what you will about Trump-era Republicans and the authoritarian-like grip the president often demonstrates over the GOP, but the Democrats too often come across as disordered and unserious.

It was regrettable and small-minded when Republicans heckled and booed President Joe Biden in years past, but it is just as childish when Democrats do it as well. There’s certainly no lack of controversial Trump actions that merit criticism, but why force a futile government shutdown just because you can?

Democrats need to read the room and the mood in the country. Americans are worried about the future, as well they should be. The economy is facing serious threats and Trump’s foolish on-again-off-again-on-again tariff policies are a major reason why.

The seemingly unlimited authority Trump has given Elon Musk to toy with matters that deserve far more careful consideration is another. But, tactically speaking, why do some Democrats think embracing chaos — the kind that inevitably comes with temporary shutdowns — work to their advantage? Why not be the party of grownups? There’s going to be a lot of interest in that quality if the economy falls into a full recession and we continue to push away our allies.

Here’s one more interesting polling revelation that Democrats ought to consider: Who is the leader? The most popular person in their party these days among those who no longer hold political office is Barack Obama. Among those who do, it’s U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist. Sanders didn’t vote for the continuing resolution. Instead, he favored the government shutdown.

Taken as a whole, the party’s current circumstances are truly challenging. For Democrats to coalesce around a new leader they’re going to have to find someone who is not only politically progressive like Sanders, but also displays a healthy appetite for pragmatism and practicality as well.

Perhaps Democrats should look to moderates within their ranks, such as Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, for examples of how to appear more unified and reasonable. Golden, who voted for the continuing resolution, gave a more tempered assessment of the bill during an interview with NBC and chided his Democratic colleagues for the political footballing.

A more measured, Golden-like approach to Republican policymaking may be the ticket for Democrats in an era when it seems the party always takes the GOP bait and feeds into the “Trump Derangement Syndrome” narrative.