U.S. Government shuts down.

[Nystul]

I'm mostly a dummy when it comes to American politics (but they entertain me so much ), but would it possible for the Democrats to use the same tactics in the next round just to prove a point?

What I am imagining is the Democrats writing up a giant list of demands that Republicans would hate (gun control, funding Planned Parenthood, etc), and then vote on a shut down unless the Republicans capitulate.

It takes two to tango. But in some ways the so called shut down must seem more of a menace to Democrats than Republicans. For one thing, it is simply a matter of who is in power where. Right now the Democrats have control of the executive branch, so logically they would want funding to be approved. Ideologically, the idea of stripping government to "essential" services would be more appealing to the Republican base voters (until it affects them personally in some way of course).