Post by Old Badger on Feb 14, 2019 23:24:15 GMT -5
This is what Members of Congress and Administration officials have to deal with when a child occupies the White House:
"After three weeks of pained negotiations to keep the federal government open, President Trump almost blew the whole thing up again on Thursday. Headed for another defeat on his signature promise to make either Mexico or U.S. taxpayers pay for a southern border wall, the president was frustrated after a briefing by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and others on details of the final deal to avoid a shutdown, according to officials involved in the discussions. Trump threatened not to sign the legislation, the officials said, putting the government on the brink of another damaging shutdown...
"Shelby and McConnell were often forced to not only navigate Democrats’ demands, but also to keep a reluctant and grousing president from rebelling. McConnell spoke to Trump many times this week, one adviser said, seeking to ensure the chief executive would sign the bill. Meanwhile, as lawmakers met at the Capitol and finalized details of the spending agreement in recent weeks, Trump and his aides frantically scrambled to get barriers built by any means and to convince his political supporters that he was fulfilling his signature campaign promise. A national emergency declaration was seen as likely because their expectations for the bipartisan group were so low.
"The president huddled with contractors to review designs; his budget gurus identified pots of money that might be tapped by executive fiat for wall construction; his lawyers reviewed the U.S. Code and drafted orders; and his political hands debuted a new slogan designed to convey that nonexistent action was already underway: 'Finish the wall.' All along, however, Trump and top aides privately acknowledged they would probably never secure the more than $5 billion he had sought from a divided Congress. And the White House Counsel’s Office expressed concerns that the emergency declaration would be legally dicey...Time and again, Democrats demonstrated during the negotiations that they — not Trump — had the leverage. As rattled Republicans plodded forward, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and fellow Democrats were brimming with confidence...
"Just before a Monday night meeting with the top four negotiators, Democrats on both sides of the Capitol concluded they would give Trump and Republicans $1.45 billion for non-wall border funding in the final negotiation to clinch a deal, two aides said. Then, an emboldened House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), a Pelosi confidante, took a page from her friend’s playbook of driving a tough bargain: She walked into the room and surprised her Senate counterparts by lowering the offer to $1.375 billion. Shelby accepted without a fight...When Shelby called Trump to brief him on the deal, he tried to sell the president on the idea that the $1.375 billion figure was merely a 'down payment' on his wall, according to three people briefed on the call. The money will actually pay for just 55 miles of fencing, not a concrete or steel wall of the kind repeatedly promised by Trump.
"In the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.)...set out to spin the agreement as a win nonetheless, noting that Pelosi had once vowed Trump would only receive $1 for a border wall. McConnell echoed that point in his repeated phone calls with Trump on Thursday, those familiar with the conversations said. Democrats, privately, were amused but made a conscious decision not to gloat — concerned that if they celebrated what they considered a victory Thursday they might anger Trump enough to veto the deal." link
Note how everyone had to walk on eggshells to keep Trump from wrecking the deal and forcing another government shutdown--and even then he nearly did it. No doubt he was being influenced by the idiotic talking heads on Fox, who can be as irresponsible as they want because they don't have real jobs. So, Republicans had to spin this to Trump as some kind of victory, or rather something that could be spun to his base as a victory. And Democrats had to cover their mouths while laughing at the Republicans lest the Little Boy in the WH create another pointless crisis. It's like a kindergarten where the only kid in the room is running the place. This used to be a great country, but that was 'way back in 2016.
"After three weeks of pained negotiations to keep the federal government open, President Trump almost blew the whole thing up again on Thursday. Headed for another defeat on his signature promise to make either Mexico or U.S. taxpayers pay for a southern border wall, the president was frustrated after a briefing by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and others on details of the final deal to avoid a shutdown, according to officials involved in the discussions. Trump threatened not to sign the legislation, the officials said, putting the government on the brink of another damaging shutdown...
"Shelby and McConnell were often forced to not only navigate Democrats’ demands, but also to keep a reluctant and grousing president from rebelling. McConnell spoke to Trump many times this week, one adviser said, seeking to ensure the chief executive would sign the bill. Meanwhile, as lawmakers met at the Capitol and finalized details of the spending agreement in recent weeks, Trump and his aides frantically scrambled to get barriers built by any means and to convince his political supporters that he was fulfilling his signature campaign promise. A national emergency declaration was seen as likely because their expectations for the bipartisan group were so low.
"The president huddled with contractors to review designs; his budget gurus identified pots of money that might be tapped by executive fiat for wall construction; his lawyers reviewed the U.S. Code and drafted orders; and his political hands debuted a new slogan designed to convey that nonexistent action was already underway: 'Finish the wall.' All along, however, Trump and top aides privately acknowledged they would probably never secure the more than $5 billion he had sought from a divided Congress. And the White House Counsel’s Office expressed concerns that the emergency declaration would be legally dicey...Time and again, Democrats demonstrated during the negotiations that they — not Trump — had the leverage. As rattled Republicans plodded forward, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and fellow Democrats were brimming with confidence...
"Just before a Monday night meeting with the top four negotiators, Democrats on both sides of the Capitol concluded they would give Trump and Republicans $1.45 billion for non-wall border funding in the final negotiation to clinch a deal, two aides said. Then, an emboldened House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), a Pelosi confidante, took a page from her friend’s playbook of driving a tough bargain: She walked into the room and surprised her Senate counterparts by lowering the offer to $1.375 billion. Shelby accepted without a fight...When Shelby called Trump to brief him on the deal, he tried to sell the president on the idea that the $1.375 billion figure was merely a 'down payment' on his wall, according to three people briefed on the call. The money will actually pay for just 55 miles of fencing, not a concrete or steel wall of the kind repeatedly promised by Trump.
"In the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.)...set out to spin the agreement as a win nonetheless, noting that Pelosi had once vowed Trump would only receive $1 for a border wall. McConnell echoed that point in his repeated phone calls with Trump on Thursday, those familiar with the conversations said. Democrats, privately, were amused but made a conscious decision not to gloat — concerned that if they celebrated what they considered a victory Thursday they might anger Trump enough to veto the deal." link
Note how everyone had to walk on eggshells to keep Trump from wrecking the deal and forcing another government shutdown--and even then he nearly did it. No doubt he was being influenced by the idiotic talking heads on Fox, who can be as irresponsible as they want because they don't have real jobs. So, Republicans had to spin this to Trump as some kind of victory, or rather something that could be spun to his base as a victory. And Democrats had to cover their mouths while laughing at the Republicans lest the Little Boy in the WH create another pointless crisis. It's like a kindergarten where the only kid in the room is running the place. This used to be a great country, but that was 'way back in 2016.
