For years, many people have complained that we need an “outsider” in government to grab the reins of power from “special interests” and the “Beltway crowd” and return them to “the people.”
Well, in 2017 we got one with Trump. And, concerning the wall that he wants to construct along the border with Mexico, he clearly doesn’t understand the politics involved, which is why we’re in the midst of a partial government shutdown as I write.
Yesterday he reportedly left a negotiating session in a huff when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wouldn’t promise him the $5.7 billion he wants for the wall. What he doesn’t quite understand that she can’t get the votes to approve that expenditure (although, in fairness, she probably doesn’t want to do so anyway). But none of the folks in Congress who represent the border areas directly affected want the wall, either, for numerous reasons.
It may be that Trump has, if you’ll excuse the expression, hit the wall. In his position you can’t simply snap your fingers and get things done the way he has always had things go.
Another issue is that too many Trump supporters confuse their personal ideology with America’s interests, never mind that too many Americans disagree strenuously with Trump’s agenda (witness not only the midterm elections in November but also related anti-Trump vehemence, Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s comment that “we’re gonna go in and impeach the motherf---er" only the strongest).
And according to Univsion TV anchor and author Jorge Ramos, writing in The New York Times, “Trump promised it in 2015, in the same speech in which he announced his candidacy, the same speech in which he called Mexican immigrants rapists, criminals and drug traffickers. His goal was to exploit the anxiety and resentment of voters in an increasingly multicultural, multiethnic society” — especially given that “people of color,” even those of an evangelical bent, tend to vote Democratic.
In other words, concerns about “border security,” especially considering that such border cities as San Diego, Calif.; Tucson, Ariz.; and El Paso, Texas, are among the very safest in the country, represent a xenophobic excuse.
The fight over the wall might very well be Trump’s Waterloo in that folks who oppose him are not only willing to fight, as indeed they always were, but also have received the political power to do so effectively. If they can leverage that power, they can make Trump look as weak as he already is.
And then we’re back to Square One.
It may be that Trump has, if you’ll excuse the expression, hit the wall. In his position you can’t simply snap your fingers and get things done the way he has always had things go.
Another issue is that too many Trump supporters confuse their personal ideology with America’s interests, never mind that too many Americans disagree strenuously with Trump’s agenda (witness not only the midterm elections in November but also related anti-Trump vehemence, Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s comment that “we’re gonna go in and impeach the motherf---er" only the strongest).
And according to Univsion TV anchor and author Jorge Ramos, writing in The New York Times, “Trump promised it in 2015, in the same speech in which he announced his candidacy, the same speech in which he called Mexican immigrants rapists, criminals and drug traffickers. His goal was to exploit the anxiety and resentment of voters in an increasingly multicultural, multiethnic society” — especially given that “people of color,” even those of an evangelical bent, tend to vote Democratic.
In other words, concerns about “border security,” especially considering that such border cities as San Diego, Calif.; Tucson, Ariz.; and El Paso, Texas, are among the very safest in the country, represent a xenophobic excuse.
The fight over the wall might very well be Trump’s Waterloo in that folks who oppose him are not only willing to fight, as indeed they always were, but also have received the political power to do so effectively. If they can leverage that power, they can make Trump look as weak as he already is.
And then we’re back to Square One.
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