The way out of the shutdown has been obvious for weeks (opinion)

THE SHUTDOWN of roughly 25 percent of the federal government continued into a sixth day Thursday, with little or no evidence that President Trump and his Democratic opponents on Capitol Hill are moving any closer toward a deal that would break the impasse. Of the roughly 800,000 federal workers directly affected, about 350,000 sit home on furlough while the rest, deemed “essential,” continue working; none of them can get paid. The hardship for them, and for those ordinary citizens who need access to agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service or the national parks, may last into the new year, even past the start of the new Congress on Jan. 3. This shutdown is perhaps even more senseless and frustrating than previous ones because the way out is, and has been, perfectly obvious for weeks.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Mr. Trump wants money for his pet border-wall project so badly that he’s willing to stage a partial government shutdown. Democrats should let him have funding for the wall in return for a permanent fix to the immigration status of the “dreamers,” people brought to this country as children without authorization but who have been living otherwise lawful and productive American lives since then.

This would be a grand bargain that would give both sides something to brag about and, in fact, simply calls on them to do a version of a deal that both Democrats and Republicans have at least tentatively embraced in the past. Mr. Trump says he wants to resolve the dreamers’ plight; Democrats have, in the past, voted for enhanced “border security,” including physical barriers.

[Newt Gingrich and Donald Graham: Fund the wall and save the dreamers]

In that sense, there’s no real issue of principle preventing a bipartisan deal, just the politics of base-pleasing polarization. Congress seriously entertained immigration grand bargains with wall-for-dreamers deals at their core in February and March , but the White House undid them by demanding additional restrictions on legal immigration designed to please the Republican base. That dynamic still informs Mr. Trump’s approach to the current shutdown; his position hardened after he came under attack from right-wing personalities such as Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, who accused him of contemplating a sellout. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, likely next House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), newly beholden to left-wing members of her soon-to-be majority House caucus, has branded a wall “immoral” and sworn that she won’t approve a dollar for it under any circumstances.

Neither side may have as much leverage in this battle as they think. The risks for the GOP are defined by the fact that the border wall remains broadly unpopular outside of Mr. Trump’s base. As for the Democrats, they feel less pressure to deal because of a federal court ruling that has protected the dreamers from deportation. That ruling is by no means permanent, however, especially now that conservatives enjoy a solid 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court. A prolonged battle with Mr. Trump over simply funding the government threatens to detract from the new House majority’s legislative agenda for 2019 before Democrats even have a chance to unveil it.

Both parties are still acting as though prolonging a shutdown, and avoiding the wall-for-dreamers deal, is in their political interest, when in fact it’s the deal that would really benefit them in the long run. It would also be the right thing to do.

I would click the link. Most companies do reporting on what gets more views.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...=.f8de22c91f8c

Everyone should retweet and like this tweet



@ByronYork
52m52 minutes ago
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WaPo editorial board still pushing for wall-for-DACA deal as way out of current 1/4 shutdown. Notes Dems can't count on courts to thwart Trump on DACA indefinitely, so make deal now. http://ow.ly/rUEj30n7Rog



https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status...93927191003137

Everyone but dems calling for deal

Fyck dems

Fox and friends blame dems on daca

Trying to defend Trump's government shutdown, Fox News guest host Rachel Campos-Duffy made believe Democrats had abandoned DACA recipients and actually said, "the Democrats are throwing these DACA kids under the bus."

State-sponsored propaganda is getting desperate on Fox and Friends as we head into 2019.

All morning the F&F team furiously led with an article from Politico, that says when the Dems retake the House, they will pass a new bill -- without giving Trump his wall money -- to reopen the government.

Even as Fox News spreads propaganda saying Trump is on the right side of this issue, a new poll came out showing Trump's approval rating dropping back down to his post Charlottesville, "neo-Nazis are very fine people" comments level.

But that had no effect on super Trump suck-up Pete Hegseth who had the nerve to proclaim, "Trump is on the right side of what American people, law-abiding citizens think about this."

That is a lie.

A December NPR/PBS/Marist poll stated:

"By a 21-point margin — 57 percent to 36 percent — Americans think the president should compromise on the wall to avoid a government shutdown, rather than stand firm."

But not only do most Americans oppose risking a government shutdown over a wall, but more than two-thirds (69 percent) do not believe building a wall should even be an immediate priority for Congress. That includes half who do not believe it should be a priority at all.

And even though Republicans and Speaker Ryan already passed a bill in the HOUSE so they could dump it on the Senate and leave town, much of Fox News is still attacking Nancy Pelosi.

The Trump puppet claimed that Pelosi wants no border security, ignored that Trump and an entire Republican Congress exploded government spending and the deficit and used a security measure of a former president as some sort of proof a thousand mile long walls work.

Hegseth said, "Barack Obama just built a 10-foot wall around his compound in Washington because walls work."

The came Rachel Campos-Duffy.


↓ Story continues below ↓
She wants Trump to put forth whatever deal they are trying to make to the American people.

Campos, "I really believe that there is a deal to be made. American people do want something to be done about DACA."

Wait, what? Did she just say DACA?

Campos continued, "The Democrats have said they want to help these DACA recipients. They have been supposedly fighting for them. Where are all the Hispanic activists out there pressuring the Democrats to come to the table with a deal. Money for the wall in exchange for DACA recipients there is a deal to be made - the Democrats are throwing these DACA kids under the bus. The media isn't even covering that."

That statement took a lot of chutzpah.

Duffy conveniently omits real facts to glorify Donald. Trump derailed a bi-partisan immigration deal that he originally agreed to in early January 18' that focused on DACA recipients.

And then he reneged!

It's easy to see why Trump surrogates would not want to revisit this bit of history. As Senators continued to talk to him about an immigration deal, Trump uttered his infamous "shithole" comments about African-American countries.


https://crooksandliars.com/2018/12/s...medium=twitter

And according to some people on the other thread, we should pack and leave if we believe that democrats are not truly on our side... Last time it was the republicans that did not want to make a deal and it is now clear that this time it is the democrats that do not want to cut a deal.... OK...We'll wait and see.

This is just parroting every editorial puff piece ever written on the subject since last January. President Breitbart will only entertain offers for DACA once SCOTUS takes an axe to it. He's already said as much.

You should look at the comments section! A lot of democrats are stating that no wall deal whatsoever

These left liberals.

Dems: Dreamers arent more important than chain migrants

Dems: Dreamers arent more important than the wall

Only thing dreamers are good for is for Dems to score political points

Straight up voting GOP 4 life. If ever legalized.

So you made a deal with someone that will profit you 1 million

He reneges

Later he proposes again

You deny the 1 million offer because he reneged?

Lol wut