By now, you are probably aware the government of the United States is not open for business. This GOP shutdown has been in effect since December 22, 2018 and while Republicans maintained full control of government.
The Office of the President, as well as the Senate and House of Representatives were occupied by the GOP for the past two years.
I cannot lead into this story with a flowery beginning, so lets just jump into it. By “it” I mean the ineptitude on the right side of the aisle. The reality is, Donald Trump wants a wall separating the United States from Mexico. This alone is an absurd idea. Why? Because Mexico is an ally of the United States!
If border security is the issue, there are more efficient methods of controlling the flow of traffic and commerce across our countries. A wall is not — nor has it ever been — the right solution.
There are people in positions of authority proposing more cost effective methods for legal immigration.
Finger Pointing
While the Republicans enjoyed two years of total control, the only message they disseminated was that the Democrats were obstructing their efforts. This is from page 1 of the “mislead the public” part of their playbook.
Now as keeping the government open becomes a pressing issue for not only the American public, but the global marketplace, the GOP cannot figure out how to make this happen. Even after Trump agreed to own the shutdown, Republicans are still trying to blame the Democrats for their inability to govern.
“I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck, because the people of this country don’t want criminals and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country. So I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it….
I will take the mantle of shutting down.”
Donald J. Trump, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018
Today I heard Rep. Kevin McCarthy(R) blame the GOP shutdown on his friends on the other side of the aisle saying, “they left town and shut the government down.”
Newsflash Kevin, Republicans were in control of government during the lead up to the GOP shutdown. You and your party are solely to blame for where we are now.
Kevin McCarthy and all Republicans are responsible for this GOP shutdown of government.
Ball is in your court, Mitch
Real American lives are in financial peril as a result of this government GOP shutdown. Trump will soon realize that, “Pride goeth before a fall.”
Workers are not being paid because of Trump’s toddler temper tantrum. You can believe this will have an impact on the ballot box in the 2020 elections.
Creditors couldn’t care less why you’re not getting a paycheck, they just want their money. Nor do they care how far you go into debt so they can get their pound of flesh. Americans who have been struggling with stagnant wages and rising debt — and still seething over the GOP tax cuts for the wealthy — are very sympathetic.
Now that Democrats have control of the House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi easily passed the exact same bill that Sen. McConnell shoved through only two weeks earlier to prevent a GOP shutdown.
The ball McConnell brought to the game is squarely back in his own court and the Republican Party has run out of plays.
If the Senate chooses to pass their own bill, there will be a sufficient number of votes in Congress to override the Presidential veto, and reopen the government of the people. It is an easy win for everyone, except Trump.
The Republican leadership is placed in the uncomfortable position of choosing between stopping their own GOP shutdown and defying the individual who many speculate has kompromat on them.
And as the GOP learned in the November midterms, the voters have a long memory. Failing to reopen the government will likely cost the GOP their majority in the Senate, and assures McConnell’s own reelection loss. The Kentucky Senator is the least popular with his constituents, even less popular than those who saw the writing on the wall and “retired.”
With Pelosi at the helm of a Democratic House, the GOP must now between their own government and Donald Trump.
