23 votes

US President Donald Trump announces deal for government to reopen for three weeks, ending longest shutdown; no money for his border wall

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14 comments

  1. [3]
    teaearlgraycold
    Link
    Has Trump said anything like this? Or is the national emergency idea just speculation?

    If a “fair deal” does not emerge by Feb. 15, Trump said, there could be another government shutdown or he could declare a national emergency, a move that could allow him to direct the military to build the wall without congressional consent. Such an action would likely face an immediate legal challenge

    Has Trump said anything like this? Or is the national emergency idea just speculation?

    9 votes
    1. JamesTeaKirk
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      He has said that he can and may "do a national emergency". And recently documents came out showing the administration has drafted a plan for declaring a national emergency and identified 7 billion...
      15 votes
    2. Deimos
      Link Parent
      He's mentioned the national emergency possibility many times. It was one of the first things he talked about in the announcement today. I don't remember the exact wording, but something like "as...

      He's mentioned the national emergency possibility many times. It was one of the first things he talked about in the announcement today. I don't remember the exact wording, but something like "as you know, I have a different powerful option that I could have used, but I didn't want to do that yet".

      12 votes
  2. [7]
    rkcr
    Link
    What are the chances that the government doesn't shut down 3 weeks from now, given that it sounds like Trump hasn't fundamentally changed his position at all?

    What are the chances that the government doesn't shut down 3 weeks from now, given that it sounds like Trump hasn't fundamentally changed his position at all?

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      NaraVara
      Link Parent
      Leaving the door open for that is just his attempt at saving face. In 3 weeks he will be able to emerge claiming he "made a deal" of some kind despite doing nothing and changing nothing from the...

      Leaving the door open for that is just his attempt at saving face. In 3 weeks he will be able to emerge claiming he "made a deal" of some kind despite doing nothing and changing nothing from the "deal" we have now.

      The Democrats have zero incentive to acquiesce to any demands because they know the optics of this are on their side. That and the Senate Republicans are already getting restive. I don't see them being able to come together on anything but a Supreme Court nominee at this point.

      What's even more significant is that this is the first time we've seen advocacy for a "general strike" among our, previously sedate labor unions. Combine the AFA-CWA (representing Flight Attendants) and the Teacher's Strikes and we're starting to notice a renewed force behind labor agitation the likes of which hasn't been seen since Reagan broke up the Air Traffic Controller's union. This will have far reaching effects, not least of which because these are largely service sector unions that target services that professional/managerial types value: travel and education.

      They can hit the donor class where it hurts, and that's a lever they can use to make even corporate stooge politicians (across the aisle) come to the table and deal with them.

      9 votes
      1. Archimedes
        Link Parent
        I have a feeling that if Trump shuts the government down again Feb 15, it will only be a matter of days before the situation starts becoming as serious as when airports started shutting down....

        I have a feeling that if Trump shuts the government down again Feb 15, it will only be a matter of days before the situation starts becoming as serious as when airports started shutting down. People know he'll fold once critical infrastructure starts failing and serious pressure builds up.

        2 votes
    2. [4]
      Hypersapien
      Link Parent
      Keep in mind how easily distracted Trump is.

      Keep in mind how easily distracted Trump is.

      4 votes
      1. [3]
        nacho
        Link Parent
        I don't think it's so much about distraction as the fact that Trump doesn't have any cards to play or things to give in trades. The democrats won't trust his word for making deals, so he can't...

        I don't think it's so much about distraction as the fact that Trump doesn't have any cards to play or things to give in trades. The democrats won't trust his word for making deals, so he can't make deals.

        That's what he gets for burning too many bridges and being unreliable.


        No longer controlling both houses really limits his options unless he's to spend a bunch of political capital and end up doing a ton of stuff by executive power when he's got a government that sorely lacks people (because he's struggling with hiring and passing appointees through congress).


        Then again, so far it's seemed like Trump wants government to be dysfunctional as a way of building down and reducing government impact. That also weakens his options because that's his apparatus to use.


        The whole idea of a wall is hugely unpopular with voters. Polls has put support or the wall at less than 10% of likely voters. There's no way that's the hill Republicans in the senate want to die on.

        Trump's talked himself into a wall and he's gonna lose face in a big way.


        If he goes down the route of declaring a state of emergency at the border, etc. His wall will be stuck in the courts for a long time.

        Even after how he again today talked down the wall further to not even be along the whole border, but some "sections". You know, kinda like things are today.


        This whole wall-saga has been so weird. Why in the world does he keep going on and on about something so few of his own supporters even care about?

        Is he completely out of touch two years after being the one to pick up a sentiment all the other Republican presidential candidates couldn't understand?

        Was Trump a broken clock who was right just at the right time to become president? I really don't know. It'll be interesting to look back on 10 years from now.

        9 votes
        1. [2]
          arghdos
          Link Parent
          That's incorrect. I believe you are thinking of a recent poll that put stated that 7% of those who oppose the wall would support it if it's the only way to end the shutdown. Overall support for...

          The whole idea of a wall is hugely unpopular with voters. Polls has put support or the wall at less than 10% of likely voters. There's no way that's the hill Republicans in the senate want to die on.

          That's incorrect. I believe you are thinking of a recent poll that put stated that 7% of those who oppose the wall would support it if it's the only way to end the shutdown. Overall support for the wall varies, but most of the numbers I've seen have it ~40% (i.e., the majority of Republicans, some independents and a smattering of Dems)

          7 votes
          1. nacho
            Link Parent
            You're right. I misremembered and mixed those two numbers.

            You're right. I misremembered and mixed those two numbers.

            3 votes
  3. patience_limited
    Link
    Keep in mind that there's a hard-core base of at least 20% of the U.S. population which wholeheartedly believes Russia-fostered, racist, nationalist propaganda. They perceive immigration as an...

    Keep in mind that there's a hard-core base of at least 20% of the U.S. population which wholeheartedly believes Russia-fostered, racist, nationalist propaganda. They perceive immigration as an existential threat to their version of America, and those are the people for whom Trump's wall posturing remains meaningful.

    It was a model that factored heavily in the success of the Nazi Party; you don't need to convince everyone, you just need a large enough faction to remain united in its convictions when everyone else is fractionated. The only thing holding Trump back is that there's a powerful corporate faction supporting both Democrats and Republicans, and that faction benefits from looser immigration policy.

    5 votes
  4. [2]
    Hypersapien
    Link
    I think I can answer that one. The Republican party has spent the past 30 or 40 years turning their voting base into a machine of hate and ignorance. Trump has built a career on bullying people...

    Was Trump a broken clock who was right just at the right time to become president? I really don't know.

    I think I can answer that one. The Republican party has spent the past 30 or 40 years turning their voting base into a machine of hate and ignorance. Trump has built a career on bullying people and tricking dumb people by catering to their egos. The one thing the Republican party didn't expect was that someone would come along who is better at controlling their machine than they are.

    4 votes
    1. Algernon_Asimov
      Link Parent
      It looks like you intended to reply to @nacho's comment here.

      It looks like you intended to reply to @nacho's comment here.

      2 votes
  5. Nitta
    Link
    (I'm sorry) If this comedy continues the wall will be needed for stopping people from running in the opposite direction...

    (I'm sorry) If this comedy continues the wall will be needed for stopping people from running in the opposite direction...

    2 votes