Shutdown

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:06 pm

While I can't imagine this tit-for-tat pettyness is going to end well, I do love that Pelosi won't bend one iota for Trump.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:20 pm

Spoiler:

Tony Schwartz is the the ghostwriter and co-author of Trump: The Art of the Deal.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:34 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:20 pm

Spoiler:
There is one reason I can imagine Trump finding a way to open the government by January 29. He desperately wants to give the State of the Union to Congress. It's always, always about his vanity.
Tony Schwartz is the the ghostwriter and co-author of Trump: The Art of the Deal.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I've been thinking of this SOTU business as political pettiness, but I think there's a real chance that it actually motivates Trump to make a deal.

I do also wonder whether Democrats should be listing a long laundry list of demands (basically their agenda) in exchange for the full $5.7 billion in wall funding. Trump has a long history of overpaying for a "win" - seems like that's exploitable.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 5:06 pm

I give a 50 percent chance he does the Speech at the border. He’s pretty much in full troll mode so why not?

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 5:27 pm

About a million families can't pay their bills but at least we're fighting over the important things like which room someone will give the world's most useless speech in.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 5:43 pm

The federal government is in the midst of a political civil war. Sometimes it manifests in absurd ways.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 5:44 pm

WaPo

White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has pressed agency leaders to provide him with a list of the most high-impact programs that will be jeopardized if the shutdown continues into March and April, people familiar with the directive said.

Mulvaney wants the list no later than Friday, these people said, and it’s the firmest evidence to date that the White House is preparing for a lengthy funding lapse that could have snowballing impacts on the economy and government services.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:14 pm

YellowKing wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 2:33 pm I'd love to see the President physically and forcefully prevented from entering the House.

Well, I wouldn't be opposed to the Sergeant at Arms breaking out the Mace of the House of Representatives and giving Trump a thrashing if he tried to enter.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:17 pm

‘Will work for pay’: Furloughed federal workers stage sit-in outside senators’ offices in Washington

On the 33rd day of a partial government shutdown that has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay, some staged a sit-in Wednesday outside the offices of the senators they blame for helping to keep the government closed.

The protest, led by union leaders from the National Federation of Federal Employees, was meant to draw attention to the plight of federal workers — many of whom have had to dig into their savings, take on side jobs and seek help from food banks and other charitable programs to stay afloat.

Twelve protesters, many of them union leaders, were arrested Wednesday.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:20 pm

Trent Steel · Post by **Trent Steel** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 7:20 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:20 pm

If only reality played out like that episode where Trump would do what the Gromflomite President did and then the entire GOP leaves the planet.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 7:24 pm

$iljanus wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:14 pm
YellowKing wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 2:33 pm I'd love to see the President physically and forcefully prevented from entering the House.
Well, I wouldn't be opposed to the Sergeant at Arms breaking out the Mace of the House of Representatives and giving Trump a thrashing if he tried to enter.

It's a fasces. Getting spanked with it would give Trump a small-to-moderate mushroom boner.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:45 pm

Dems offering $5.7B for border security, but not a wall.

House Democratic leaders said on Wednesday that they were prepared to offer President Trump a substantial sum of money for border security — perhaps even the $5.7 billion he has requested — but not for a wall and not until he agreed to reopen the government.

“We are going to be talking about substantial sums of money to secure our border,” Representative Steny D. Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic leader, told reporters.

Representative James E. Clyburn, the No 3. Democrat, told reporters separately that Democrats could back a $5.7 billion funding measure that included drones and refitted ports of entry — but no wall. That is the amount Mr. Trump has demanded for the wall he wants to build on the southwestern border.

While I certainly think that could be spent on better things, I'd be fully on board with that offer if it meant an end to the shutdown.

Trump won't take it, of course.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:51 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 5:27 pm About a million families can't pay their bills but at least we're fighting over the important things like which room someone will give the world's most useless speech in.

The other option is those million families can't pay their bills and the president *isn't* slightly inconvenienced in any way.

Better?

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:54 pm

Trump needs to be set up in a Truman Show world where he can be told that the Democrats caved. Then he can be flown to a construction site in San Antonio where they are building a shopping center and tell him it is the wall.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:54 pm

The binkies are a nice touch.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:24 pm

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:45 pm Dems offering $5.7B for border security, but not a wall.

House Democratic leaders said on Wednesday that they were prepared to offer President Trump a substantial sum of money for border security — perhaps even the $5.7 billion he has requested — but not for a wall and not until he agreed to reopen the government.

“We are going to be talking about substantial sums of money to secure our border,” Representative Steny D. Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic leader, told reporters.

Representative James E. Clyburn, the No 3. Democrat, told reporters separately that Democrats could back a $5.7 billion funding measure that included drones and refitted ports of entry — but no wall. That is the amount Mr. Trump has demanded for the wall he wants to build on the southwestern border.
While I certainly think that could be spent on better things, I'd be fully on board with that offer if it meant an end to the shutdown.

Trump won't take it, of course.

It's about time they offered up some constructive smart border wall funding to lay bare how idiotic drumpf's wall is. They also need to start saying every chance they get that we already got a wall, it's 650 miles long and imo it makes sense to offer funding for the extra 50 miles of wall that could actually still make sense and fund fixes needed on the 650 section.

Chrisoc13 · Post by **Chrisoc13** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:55 pm

Enough wrote:
Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:45 pm Dems offering $5.7B for border security, but not a wall.

House Democratic leaders said on Wednesday that they were prepared to offer President Trump a substantial sum of money for border security — perhaps even the $5.7 billion he has requested — but not for a wall and not until he agreed to reopen the government.

“We are going to be talking about substantial sums of money to secure our border,” Representative Steny D. Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic leader, told reporters.

Representative James E. Clyburn, the No 3. Democrat, told reporters separately that Democrats could back a $5.7 billion funding measure that included drones and refitted ports of entry — but no wall. That is the amount Mr. Trump has demanded for the wall he wants to build on the southwestern border.
While I certainly think that could be spent on better things, I'd be fully on board with that offer if it meant an end to the shutdown.

Trump won't take it, of course.
It's about time they offered up some constructive smart border wall funding to lay bare how idiotic drumpf's wall is. They also need to start saying every chance they get that we already got a wall, it's 650 miles long and imo it makes sense to offer funding for the extra 50 miles of wall that could actually still make sense and fund fixes needed on the 650 section.

It really is a great move and sensible. So of course it most likely won't work.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:15 pm

The frustrating thing about this is that it's not like we're squabbling over two competing proposals that have equal merit. One side is arguing for modern border security methods that have been requested and asked for by people doing the work. The other side is asking for a five-year old's vision of HOW DO I KEEP BAD GUYS OUT?

And the Dems are WILLING TO GIVE HIM WHAT HIS ULTIMATE GOAL IS. That money could be spent on things that actually made sense and ACTUALLY make our borders secure. But he's so hung up on his goddamn stupid fucking piece of concrete that he can't even see that.

God damn I'll be glad when this fucking moron drops dead. I seriously don't think I've been more angry at a single human being in my entire life.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:53 pm

A couple of points.

The Dems under Obama have done more for border security than anything this administration has even tried to do.

The Dems have put money on the table repeatedly right from the beginning for border security. The idea that *finally* they are doing something is ludicrous. Only a "both sides" narrative could even hope to pretend that the Dems haven't been acting in good faith for months.

Only one side is holding the government hostage. When people refuse to pay hostage money, they are not equally responsible for the kidnapping and the carnage that results. How is that not obvious? Particularly in a nation famous for their "we will not negotiate with terrorists" stance.

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:37 am

You think Pelosi will finally take the stick out of her ass and compromise now?
Unlikely.....

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... spartandhp

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:38 am

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:38 am

Until he reads Fox in the morning and changes his mind.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:44 am

Octavious wrote: ↑Thu Jan 24, 2019 2:38 am Until he reads Fox in the morning and changes his mind.

I'm not convinced he can read, even with a twitter account.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:27 am

Trump is willing to drive the bus off the road and off the cliff. He can't govern, or provide any leadership.

The State of the Union is fucked.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 9:41 am

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:53 pm A couple of points.

The Dems under Obama have done more for border security than anything this administration has even tried to do.

That seems like half truth. I think Dems under Obama enacted more for border security fulfilling the requirements form the GWB administration in earnest. They didn't do a great job but they were tasked with shitty budget and a shitty timeline.

Cheap
Fast
Right

Pick two.

They chose cheap and fast. Trump is doing the same only he's doing it for points and nothing more.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 10:05 am

Chrisoc13 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:55 pm
Enough wrote:
Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:45 pm Dems offering $5.7B for border security, but not a wall.

House Democratic leaders said on Wednesday that they were prepared to offer President Trump a substantial sum of money for border security — perhaps even the $5.7 billion he has requested — but not for a wall and not until he agreed to reopen the government.

“We are going to be talking about substantial sums of money to secure our border,” Representative Steny D. Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic leader, told reporters.

Representative James E. Clyburn, the No 3. Democrat, told reporters separately that Democrats could back a $5.7 billion funding measure that included drones and refitted ports of entry — but no wall. That is the amount Mr. Trump has demanded for the wall he wants to build on the southwestern border.
While I certainly think that could be spent on better things, I'd be fully on board with that offer if it meant an end to the shutdown.

Trump won't take it, of course.
It's about time they offered up some constructive smart border wall funding to lay bare how idiotic drumpf's wall is. They also need to start saying every chance they get that we already got a wall, it's 650 miles long and imo it makes sense to offer funding for the extra 50 miles of wall that could actually still make sense and fund fixes needed on the 650 section.
It really is a great move and sensible. So of course it most likely won't work.

This could be a win for Trump as well, if he played it right.

Gets him off the shutdown hook by grudgingly accepting the offer "for the good of the country", but lets him continue to loudly beat both the "Dems are bad" (because they didn't give him the wall) and "brown people are coming to kill you OOGA BOOGA" drums. He can declare enough of a victory to satisfy most of his base (outside of the most loudly shrieking deplorables), and he can finally memory hole the whole "Mexico will pay for it" bit once and for all.

All that said, he's a complete moron and Coulter/Rush/Hannity fall into the "loudly shrieking deplorables" group, so he'll likely reject it outright and just dig himself further.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:20 am

I will punch anyone in the nuts that repeats the stupid phase he's trying to coin now. Build the wall and crime will fall. Seriously what f'n world am I living in right now? That's something a 5 year old would come up with. He probably spent weeks on different ones.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:49 am

Octavious wrote: ↑Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:20 am I will punch anyone in the nuts that repeats the stupid phase he's trying to coin now. Build the wall and crime will fall. Seriously what f'n world am I living in right now? That's something a 5 year old would come up with. He probably spent weeks on different ones.

Make sure to hit them hard enough to eliminate them from the gene pool.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 11:51 am

People like this are unreal - that an adult says this shit out loud on tv boggles the mind. Frankly, this is why I'm shocked the pitchforks haven't come out. If you actually pay attention to what they say and do it is pretty clear that they are so disconnected from the reality of the hardships they create for so many.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:06 pm

Wait a second. I don't have to work? I can just go get loans? Why didn't I think of that first!

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:07 pm

Ross has been tied to Trump since the 80s.

In the 1980s, Donald Trump was in financial trouble. His three casinos in Atlantic City were under foreclosure threat from lenders. Ross, who was then the senior managing director of Rothschild Inc., represented investors in the casino. Along with Carl Icahn, Ross convinced bondholders to strike a deal with Trump that allowed Trump to keep control of the casinos.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:22 pm

I should probably be getting numb to it by now, but these garbage human beings and their continual stream of "let them eat cake" moments still utterly infuriate me.

"It doesn't inconvenience ME...what's everyone complaining about?"

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:23 pm

LordMortis wrote: ↑Thu Jan 24, 2019 9:41 am
GreenGoo wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:53 pm A couple of points.

The Dems under Obama have done more for border security than anything this administration has even tried to do.

That seems like half truth. I think Dems under Obama enacted more for border security fulfilling the requirements form the GWB administration in earnest. They didn't do a great job but they were tasked with shitty budget and a shitty timeline.

Cheap
Fast
Right

Pick two.

They chose cheap and fast. Trump is doing the same only he's doing it for points and nothing more.

There are two components to my statement.

So you're saying the current administration has done comparably or better?

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:28 pm

I think "let them eat cake" would actually display more empathy for other humans than most of these folks are capable of. It's more like "I have plenty of food, so what's the problem?"

Jaymon · Post by **Jaymon** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 3:13 pm

well, if they have no food, why don't they just go to the food bank and get a food loan?

Oh right, they are going to the food bank.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 3:19 pm

"I will eventually have money" is a gambit I should use more often.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 3:45 pm

While Trump backing down from the SOTU is being celebrated as a victory for Pelosi, I can't help but fear some other shoe dropping. I keep expecting Trump to just declare a national emergency, declare war on Mexico, or so some other batshit crazy thing that explains why he gave in.

The loan thing is particularly laughable though.

Me: "I'd like to take out a loan, please."
Bank: "Great, let's get started on your application. Are you currently employed?"
Me: "Yep! I'm just not getting paid."
Bank: "NEXT!"

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 3:46 pm

Is it Trump administration dopes say (extra) stupid shit day?

The audio is a little hard to hear but Kudlow loses his mind when someone points out that people aren't volunteering to show up unpaid. They will get fired if they don't.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Thu Jan 24, 2019 4:22 pm

Trump/GOP: "A WALL WILL STOP ALL CRIME, DRUGS, AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!"

110 immigrants this week: "You do know ladders are a thing that exists, right?" (with bonus video of the dastardly deed)

Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended a group of more than 110 Central Americans on Monday evening who scaled the border wall with the assistance of a smuggler with a ladder, officials say.