The stalemate between Trump and Congress regarding the government shutdown and the wall keeps going. Already, it is the second longest government shutdown in history, and Trump hinted that it might last a long time, maybe as long as months or even a year. Right now, it has been over 17 days. The longest government shutdown in history lasted 21 days.
All to build Trump's vanity wall. Remember when he promised to make Mexico pay for that wall. His specific words of reassurance were "Mark my words."
Except Mexico did not pay for the wall. Each Mexican president, past and president, all stood united together in making it clear that there was no way in hell that Mexico would ever pay for the wall in any way, shape or form. And guess what? The self-described master of making deals could not get them to do it, either by sweet-talking them, or by trying to bully them. His supporters did not mark his words, but simply, conveniently, forgot about them. But they insisted that Trump follow through and build the wall, and so Trump turned to the American taxpayer. And even then, he could not make a deal. He has tried again and again, and now, after seemingly agreeing to a budget deal late in December with the Democrats, he turned around and decided to have a showdown with the Democrats instead. He claimed that he would take pride in shutting down the government, and that he would own the partial government shutdown if and when it came, making one inevitable.
This is not a minor point. This was a major part of his platform during the 2016 campaign, and he insisted - promised - to make Mexico pay for the wall. Now, we are in a government shutdown in order to force Congress to agree to some terms that will force the American taxpayer to pay for the damn wall. Oh, and need I remind anyone that Trump continues to believe firmly in tax breaks and incentives for the wealthiest Americans and corporations through it all. All of this has contributed to the continuing decline of our national standard of living, but Trump does not care. He is willing to sacrifice the paychecks of working Americans, so long as he gets his way, and gets a purely symbolic victory for himself with this vanity wall.
So much winning.
Once the shutdown became inevitable, he once again, in typical fashion, tried to distance himself from this failure. He blamed the shutdown on the Democrats, and that has been his stance since, even though it should be noted that he also claimed that the government shutdown might last a very long time. Months, and even possibly a year, he suggested.
Except Mexico did not pay for the wall. Each Mexican president, past and president, all stood united together in making it clear that there was no way in hell that Mexico would ever pay for the wall in any way, shape or form. And guess what? The self-described master of making deals could not get them to do it, either by sweet-talking them, or by trying to bully them. His supporters did not mark his words, but simply, conveniently, forgot about them. But they insisted that Trump follow through and build the wall, and so Trump turned to the American taxpayer. And even then, he could not make a deal. He has tried again and again, and now, after seemingly agreeing to a budget deal late in December with the Democrats, he turned around and decided to have a showdown with the Democrats instead. He claimed that he would take pride in shutting down the government, and that he would own the partial government shutdown if and when it came, making one inevitable.
This is not a minor point. This was a major part of his platform during the 2016 campaign, and he insisted - promised - to make Mexico pay for the wall. Now, we are in a government shutdown in order to force Congress to agree to some terms that will force the American taxpayer to pay for the damn wall. Oh, and need I remind anyone that Trump continues to believe firmly in tax breaks and incentives for the wealthiest Americans and corporations through it all. All of this has contributed to the continuing decline of our national standard of living, but Trump does not care. He is willing to sacrifice the paychecks of working Americans, so long as he gets his way, and gets a purely symbolic victory for himself with this vanity wall.
So much winning.
Once the shutdown became inevitable, he once again, in typical fashion, tried to distance himself from this failure. He blamed the shutdown on the Democrats, and that has been his stance since, even though it should be noted that he also claimed that the government shutdown might last a very long time. Months, and even possibly a year, he suggested.
Trump went so far as to threaten to declare a State of Emergency in order to get his wall built, even though there are quite a few questions regarding whether or not he could actually do that.
Meanwhile, Trump claims that he "can relate" to government employees who are going without their paychecks.
I wonder how that could be, given that Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. This is a man who was officially making $200,000 a year at the age of three, and who has hardly grown up much since, in terms of maturity. He never had to wonder where his next meal was coming from, and regarded the White House as some trashy place that would be a step down from the glitz and glamour that he was used to.
Yet, we are supposed to believe that he can relate to working class families struggling to try and pay bills and make ends meet?
Still, he insists that he has met with many government workers who, he claims, are with him. They are willing to forsake their paychecks and do whatever they have to do to find ways of paying their bills in order to finally see a wall along the southern border erected. According to him, they are essentially encouraging him to stand strong, to keep the government shutdown intact until he gets exactly what he wants, even though experts seem to all feel that the wall is unnecessary. According to him - and let us remember that this man has an extensive track record for lying like a fish drinks water - his vanity wall is so important to them, that they will go as long as necessary without a paycheck, because they feel that a wall truly is urgent and needs to be built right away.
Yeah, sure. Once a con artist, always a con artist. Unfortunately, though, there are tens of millions of people - presumably some of the workers who are now losing their pay for his damn wall are among them - who still support this clown act, this Fake President.
Trump is the most ridiculous figure to pose as head of state for any nation - let alone what still is, for the time being - the world's leading superpower. I used to say that he was a joke, albeit a cruel one. But any humor was lost a long time ago. This man is actively hurting people's lives now with his nonsense and his reality television-style theatrics. His posturing as a caring politician and champion of the working class, and his claims to be able to relate to the people who rely on those government checks, stands in stark contrast to his actions, which speak of his indifference, and of his typical tendency to let his legendary, enormous ego get in the way of anything positive. He has no real solutions, and does not care for one. All he wants is to be able to claim that he really did something, that he accomplished something in his years in the White House, and the stupid and unnecessary wall, which is a complete waste of time and energy and would be a huge waste of taxpayer money, would serve as physical proof of something that he accomplished.
He was ready to make a deal just weeks ago, and seemed on the verge of doing so. But then, he apparently tuned into FOX News, and heard how they were describing him as having folded, having caved, in this regard. And so he got all up in arms, and wanted to pose with a tough guy stance.
The art of the deal.
Except government is not business, and cannot be run like a business. The fact that an estimated 800,000 federal employees are now going without a paycheck because of his posturing is a clear indicator of that. He does not seem to care, even though he claims otherwise. But many of them are also having a hard time believing that he has the first clue of what they are going through on his account.
Yet, we are supposed to believe that he can relate to working class families struggling to try and pay bills and make ends meet?
Still, he insists that he has met with many government workers who, he claims, are with him. They are willing to forsake their paychecks and do whatever they have to do to find ways of paying their bills in order to finally see a wall along the southern border erected. According to him, they are essentially encouraging him to stand strong, to keep the government shutdown intact until he gets exactly what he wants, even though experts seem to all feel that the wall is unnecessary. According to him - and let us remember that this man has an extensive track record for lying like a fish drinks water - his vanity wall is so important to them, that they will go as long as necessary without a paycheck, because they feel that a wall truly is urgent and needs to be built right away.
Yeah, sure. Once a con artist, always a con artist. Unfortunately, though, there are tens of millions of people - presumably some of the workers who are now losing their pay for his damn wall are among them - who still support this clown act, this Fake President.
Trump is the most ridiculous figure to pose as head of state for any nation - let alone what still is, for the time being - the world's leading superpower. I used to say that he was a joke, albeit a cruel one. But any humor was lost a long time ago. This man is actively hurting people's lives now with his nonsense and his reality television-style theatrics. His posturing as a caring politician and champion of the working class, and his claims to be able to relate to the people who rely on those government checks, stands in stark contrast to his actions, which speak of his indifference, and of his typical tendency to let his legendary, enormous ego get in the way of anything positive. He has no real solutions, and does not care for one. All he wants is to be able to claim that he really did something, that he accomplished something in his years in the White House, and the stupid and unnecessary wall, which is a complete waste of time and energy and would be a huge waste of taxpayer money, would serve as physical proof of something that he accomplished.
He was ready to make a deal just weeks ago, and seemed on the verge of doing so. But then, he apparently tuned into FOX News, and heard how they were describing him as having folded, having caved, in this regard. And so he got all up in arms, and wanted to pose with a tough guy stance.
The art of the deal.
Except government is not business, and cannot be run like a business. The fact that an estimated 800,000 federal employees are now going without a paycheck because of his posturing is a clear indicator of that. He does not seem to care, even though he claims otherwise. But many of them are also having a hard time believing that he has the first clue of what they are going through on his account.
I added a link to an article by New Yorker Magazine that suggests that Trump literally did not know what a government shutdown would do. This is where some political experience, and some concern about the job that he was actually elected to do, would come in handy, eh? Frankly, I can believe it. Indeed, Trump looks and acts completely clueless too often to make these appearances truly deceiving. And yes, it is all too easy to believe this his enormous wealth of ignorance stretches to government shutdowns, as well. The fact that he seems so willing to boldly put all of his chips on the table, even though those chips are the fortunes of other people's lives, reveal just how reckless and dangerous this man is, and how willing he is to trample over anyone in order to get what he wants, just like the overgrown, spoiled child that he has always been.
We're in Week 2. How long did the longest government shutdown stretch? 21 days By Doug Criss, CNN Updated 11:05 AM ET, Thu January 3, 2019
Trump Literally Did Not Understand What a Shutdown Would Do By Jonathan Chait of the New Yorker, January 7, 2019:
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