The Ego That Ate America may be completely gumming up the government through his irrational demands for a wall, but what’s remarkable is how little in charge of anything he actually seems to be.
For example, Trump’s decision immediately pull out of Syria has been effectively countermanded by John Bolton, who has laid out conditions for a pullout that pretty much resets Syrian policy back to where it was before Trump’s announcement. So who’s in charge of foreign policy, again?
Were it not causing so much harm to people, the government shutdown would be a joke. Republicans owned the Senate, House, and White House for two years, yet Trump couldn’t get his wall funded. Now he’s grandstanding to force House Democrats to give it to him.
Greg Sargent points out that there’s only one man protecting Trump — Mitch McConnell.
President Trump would almost certainly not be able to continue shutting down the government over his megalomaniacal border wall obsession if it weren’t for Mitch McConnell. The Senate majority leader is refusing a Senate vote on the bills that House Democrats have passed funding the government — shielding Trump from possibly having to veto a bipartisan measure reopening it, which would be politically disastrous for him.
There’s a plan afoot to pressure McConnell.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) tweeted over the weekend that Senate Democrats should block any and all measures in the Senate that are unrelated to funding the government until the Senate votes on reopening it. Since then, several progressive groups and a handful of Democratic senators have endorsed the strategy.
However, it may take a few days for this strategy to have any impact.
I like what AOC tweeted
If this doesn’t get resolved soon, somebody will get hurt. Air traffic controllers are working without pay, and airport security people are staying home.
Well said, Moonbat. This is hostage taking. It doesn't represent negotiation and if Trump gets his wall by this method, we've entered an era of government by the most ruthless. I opposed the repeal of Obamacare with this method in 2012 and it failed because Democrats called it what it was – extortion!
My daughter is an Air traffic controller. During the last shutdown (2013) she was scheduled for planned vacation just when that shutdown hit. Her Husband was returning from his tour in Afghanistan and they were planning a stress free reunion.
It was the first time my daughter had encountered a government shutdown and she was quite distressed at the idea that her planned reunion with her husband was going to leave them without her paycheck. As it turned out, she was retroactively paid for her vacation and her vacation time wasn't charged against her, it was reverted to and charged as furlough time. Meaning that she was paid for her time off and her vacation time remained intact. Essentially paid double.
Now she says that the people who she works with are using their allotted sick days and personal leave days to game the system knowing that any of their allotted time they take off won't be charged against them, but will be put into the furlough basket. Vacations have to be scheduled so not everybody can grab hold of that blessing in disguise, but they are not letting any benefit slip through their fingers.
The Trump shutdown is consistent with Trump's negotiating strategy over the years. Break your word and screw the people you are negotiating with in the end. Everybody learns that you can't make deals with Trump. The Dems learned it sooner rather than later.
And why is McConnell protecting Trump? The shutdown is a lost cause. Isn't the Reps best strategy for 2020 to let the House impeach Trump and the Senate remove him in time to have a record that Pence can run on?
Bilikin – it's hard to keep up with the lies and deception but the con that's been almost unnoticed is the 'negotiations' in the first week of the shutdown where the VP floated the idea of 2.5 billion instead of five. The Democrats didn't bite. Since then, Trump has denied he would ever accept less than 5.6 billion. What that says is that Trump sent Pence out with a deliberate lie – an offer Trump never planned to honor – to find out if the Democrats were refusing on principle or on price. This isn't illegal as a strategy, but the Democrats weren't and aren't negotiating with Pence. They sent people to listen this weekend and repeat the "no wall" standard, but Pence has as much credibility in negotiations as a lamp post. McConnell can end this or Trump. Everyone else is window dressing for the reality show.
Not to give McConnell any cover for being a major dirtbag, but from McConnell's perspective I can understand why he's doing what he's doing. If McConnell passes and sends the bill that both the House and the Senate agreed to along to the president and the president refuses to sign it within 10 days it becomes law. That would give Trump an excuse to appear honorable and committed to his base, and an opportunity to lay the blame for his failure on McConnell. McConnell would get the Jeff Sessions treatment. "I'm disappointed my Senate majority leader Mt. Palomar McConnell. He failed to keep the American people safe. Sad"
McConnell knows Trump is a back stabbing snake and not to go near him with any kind of a deal.
As a country, when John Bolton is the voice of "sanity," ya gotta know we're in some deep serious deep major deep fuckin' DEEP DOO-DOO!!!
OY!!!
And as for Mitch, he just made his "beloved" Senate into something like an appendix!
Nice to have!
Sure.
But essentially, useless…
Mitch, you can't send another bill up to the president* because he might not sign it? He won't approve it? So you, chickenshit, don't have the "balls" to even try it?!??
No wonder – Mitch "Yertle the Anti-gay Turtle" McConnell – you didn't get married until you were 160 years- old!!!!! I have one question about your marriage?: Does your beard's beard tickle?
Also, too: As for tRUMP being a Dictator (DICK-tator? Or, with Putin: DICKTOOTER?!?!!), ya just can't be one if you don't have the balls to fire someone!
And he can't!!!
Also three: I look forward to to the comedy break on the news tomorrow evening that will be El Orange Dope-O's border wall speech in Prime Time
Because, JAYZOOS H. FECKIN' KEEEERIST!!!!!
If these are our last few moments of living in this life/universe, nothing should be funnier than watching this narcissistic "MORAN!!!!!" trying to sell an unnecessary usurpation of his limited presidential powers for a completely unnecessary attempt to stop an ever diminishing number of immigrant people – mostly refugee's – from crossing our Southern border
Excuse me.
After all of this talk about RUMP, I gotta vomit…
G' nightlll
<em>And why is McConnell protecting Trump?</em>
I think there's about a 40% chance that Putin has compromising information on Ol' Turtle, as well as on Trump, and that the Majority Leader has been told by Putin that he must support Trump no matter what.
McConnell quashed public discussion of the Russian penetration of party servers and election systems before the election. The two hypotheses that explain that are :
1. McConnell knew that the Russians were acting to help the Republicans, and welcomed the assistance.
2. Someone with something on McConnell told him to quash it.
Both 1 and 2 can be true.
I have read McConnell took 3.5 million from Russian sources. I am hearing Republicans may be bending in face of the coming national emergency declaration because it will go straight to court. They are leaning toward approving the reopen bills.
I have been wondering about the air traffic controllers as when they decide they need to be paid it will be game over.
If we can be shut down indefinitely then there is no emergency.
If there was no national emergency 12/30/18 then there is no emergency 1/6/19.
The republicans have had 2 years to do something and did not.
Gee, it looks like Il Trumpe may declare a national emergency and direct the Pentagon to build his mythical wall. I have been wondering: If so, wouldn't that negate the rationale for Trump's shutdown, as there would be no ostensible reason for it anymore. If Trump declares a national emergency and in the next breath says that the shutdown will therefore end, I will take it back about Trump not being a strategic thinker. Even if the courts declare the shutdown to be illegal or Congress ends the state of emergency, Trump can say he gave it his best shot to build the wall. It would be a face-saving way of getting out of the shutdown. (OTOH, I think Trump really likes the shutdown, as it shows how much power he can wield.)
" So who’s in charge of foreign policy, again? "
Actually as far as the middle east is concerned Israel is in charge, and have been for the last 30 years or so, trump just forgot about that when Erdogan hung some "dirt" over his head. As far as the shutdown, I'm still not sure why the democrats aren't using the fact that the CBP and TSA aren't getting paid, thereby putting the "homeland" at risk for a "terror attack". Announcing vague senate strategic moves will not wrestle the PR narrative away from Trump?
Walled in, boxed in, lost in a maze of lies, deception, and shady dealing. Caught in their own webs of deception and underhanded plots of power and money. In bed with gangsters, spin men, money scrubbers, and even bone saw hit men. Now in violation of Rule # 1. This is the rule of any organization – church, school, business, family- that the existence and function of the organization comes first. To shut down or impair it's function, is a violation. Remember, in this case, the organization is the United States government itself.
Doug, I would like to expand on a point you made.
A deal with Trump or any agent of Trump is a deal without a deal. This is what Erdogan of Turkey found with the recent Syria situation. As reported by the BBC, Erdogan was incensed when he found his "deal" was no deal and not a deal with the United States. He was quick to shout about this to other world leaders. There is little chance they did not listen and understand. An offer Trump never planned to honor or in this case a deal of a man with no honor. A deal with a person without honor is a deal without a deal. Honor lost can never be fully regained.
Misdeals, reneges, slights of hand, are a good sign you are not playing at an honest table, or in this case playing with a leader who lacks a full deck.
This one goes out to Trump and Half Pence…It's the night of nights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-t8PngHgWY
Swami: " It's the night of nights "
Too funny, that’s about the size of it! I'm not convinced Trump is going to lose this whole shit show? Contrary to some polls I think the "wall" is actually quite popular in flyover country, all Trump has to do is convince McTurtle and some red-state "senators" to stay on his side, eventually the shutdown will fizzle out in some sort of deal that he claim victory. If the democrats are going to win they need to start tonight, start to explain how shuttering the department of homeland security (making border patrol and TSA work without pay is much more dangerous than not having a wall). Explain that 99% of the four thousand terror watch list stops are made at airports not at the southern border. Chuck and Nancy are giving a democratic response after tRumps 8 minutes hate, I hope they perform more forcefully than they have thus far, take the fucking gloves off already!
I think Trump should Capitalize every Second word That he Tweets. at Least that Would be A consistent System.
What do you mean 8 minutes? Is that how long he's going to speak for? Wow, bummer! I went out special an bought a king size box of Junior Mints for tonight's show. I kinda figured that since he was being billed as the Ego that ate America that tonight's presentation would be in keeping with or along the lines of other cult classics like, The Tomato that ate Cleveland.