Thursday, January 10, 2019
Political Mayhem Thursday-- the Shutdown
While President Trump is off visiting the border today, the partial government shutdown enters its 20th day-- one day short of the modern record, according to the New York Times (which also provided the photo above, of the President heading up to meet with Republican legislators).
The Shutdown is affecting many people in a very real way. In a nation where even many middle-class workers live paycheck-to-paycheck, the lack of a paycheck matters.
I see a few ways this may end:
1) The President declares a national emergency that allows him to use military funding to build the wall, then re-opens the affected agencies. This may end up being a fine outcome, since it is possible and even likely that a court will enjoin the emergency order, the government will re-open, and nothing really will change.
2) The President may find some other way to declare victory, such as announcing that since the Wall will be funded indirectly by Mexico through foggy math and trade agreements, it doesn't matter and he can re-open government.
3) Mexico could just decide to pay for the wall as Trump always promised. Frankly, at this point a lot of people would not blame Mexico for building a wall to keep Americans out given the way our society seems headed.
4) Democrats could decide to call it a day, give Trump the money he wants, and explain that the wall won't actually be built for many years, if ever. Just obtaining the land in many areas will be a challenge, and if you have been to the Southwest Texas border, you know how hard it will be to build anything there.
So... what do you think will happen? And when?
Comments:
<< Home
My greatest fear is that some disgruntled federal employee will take it into their own hands to end the presidency of Donald Trump, making him a martyr, and Pence will proceed with the steel curtain as a memorial to Trump.
# posted by 
: 6:57 AM
: 6:57 AM
With both sides fighting for purely symbolic victories (it is unfortunate that $5.7b is symbolic, but alas...), I optimistically expect the shutdown to end as soon as the pain gets real, and with an outcome that both sides will spin as a win. Maybe the Democrats will increase funding for a border security package that doesn't include the word "wall" but beefs up other (and better) security options and maybe allows for additional "fencing." Maybe Trump will go the national emergency route, knowing he will likely score a symbolic victory with his base when his declaration is inevitably enjoined.
Or maybe the senseless virtue signaling will continue and I will miss my honeymoon flight because all the TSA agents quit. We'll see! Whatever the result, I could not think less of our national leadership. Trump is the worst of them--and not by a small margin--but the American Gothic Democrats give me exactly zero hope for good governance.
Post a Comment
Or maybe the senseless virtue signaling will continue and I will miss my honeymoon flight because all the TSA agents quit. We'll see! Whatever the result, I could not think less of our national leadership. Trump is the worst of them--and not by a small margin--but the American Gothic Democrats give me exactly zero hope for good governance.
<< Home
