Is Trump Still Proud of Shutting Down the Government?

[Salvador]

You're forgetting recent history. On Dec. 19, the Senate passed an appropriations bill that Trump said he would sign. But because it didn't include funding for the wall, Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh lambasted Trump for saying he would sign it. So Trump changed his mind and is now taking the stance that he either gets 100% of what he wants, or there's no deal.

And I'm not engaging in this whole "illegal alien criminality" BS. I'll just note that I'm extremely disappointed to see the Republican Party take such a strong turn to white nationalism.


"Any resolution" except reopening the government.

In order for Trump to keep his political power as the POTUS; he needs to keep or earnestly try keeping most of his campaign promises he made to us Trump supporters. We constitute one third of all voters, we are a political force with whom to be reckon.

**Edited original comment** text revised from *supports* to *supporters* and text revised from *all* to *most of*

 

[Jose Fly]

In order for Trump to keep his political power as the POTUS; he needs to keep or earnestly try keeping all his campaign promises he made to us Trump supports. We constitute one third of all voters, we are a political force with whom to be reckon.

Then reopen the government and talk to Mexico about paying for the wall.

 

[Salvador]

Then reopen the government and talk to Mexico about paying for the wall.

Why should border patrol agents and federal law enforcement agents have to keep on working in conditions that aren't as safe as possible from illegal alien criminality? They shouldn't be expected to work in such conditions; they should return to work as soon as there's ground breaking for a border security barrier that'd soon make their jobs more safe and more effective towards keeping unwanted intruders from trespassing into our nation.

Nobody promised or expected Mexico would immediately write us a check for the wall.

When Mexico sees how well this border security barrier works; they will put up a Mexican border security barrier like ours at their border with Central America; this will help our nation out as well as theirs, we could consider that as payment from Mexico towards our border security barrier.

 

[Jose Fly]

Why should border patrol agents and federal law enforcement agents have to keep on working in conditions that aren't as safe as possible from illegal alien criminality?

I told you, I'm not getting into the whole "illegal alien criminality" racist nonsense.

Nobody promised or expected Mexico would immediately write us a check for the wall.

Then you haven't been paying attention.

Trump claims he 'never said' Mexico would pay for wall with a check

Trump Denied He Said Mexico Would Write a Check for the Wall — But He Did

 

[Salvador]

I told you, I'm not getting into the whole "illegal alien criminality" racist nonsense.


Then you haven't been paying attention.

Trump claims he 'never said' Mexico would pay for wall with a check

Trump Denied He Said Mexico Would Write a Check for the Wall — But He Did

Maybe Mexico wants to see the wall finished first, before she writes us her reimbursement check.. ....

 

[Jose Fly]

Maybe Mexico wants to see the wall finished first, before she writes us her reimbursement check.. ....

Then Trump should get that in writing from Mexico and reopen the government.

 

[Salvador]

Then Trump should get that in writing from Mexico and reopen the government.

Maybe he tried this already; but Mexico just gave us her word. ...

Seriously, Trump is no longer asking for an entire border wall to be paid for by Mexico. The POTUS is now asking for 285 miles of border fencing at less than 6 billion dollars, just an appreciable fraction of his original request for a border security barrier. By the way, many Democrats had until recently approved Congressional funding of similar border fencing.

 

[Jose Fly]

May he tried this already; but Mexico just gave us her word. ...

Then he should first reopen the government, then negotiate with Mexico.

 

[Salvador]

Then he should first reopen the government, then negotiate with Mexico.

Sorry, I edited my comment as you were promptly responding to my original text.

Seriously, Trump is no longer asking for an entire border wall to be paid for by Mexico. The POTUS is now just only asking for 285 miles of border fencing at less than 6 billion dollars from Congress, just an appreciable fraction of his original proposal for a complete border security barrier. By the way, many Democrats had until recently approved such Congressional funding for similar border fencing.

 

[Jose Fly]

Sorry, I edited my comment as you were promptly responding to my original text.

Seriously, Trump is no longer asking for an entire border wall to be paid for by Mexico. The POTUS is now just only asking for 285 miles of border fencing at less than 6 billion dollars from Congress, just an appreciable fraction of his original proposal for a complete border security barrier. By the way, many Democrats had until recently approved such Congressional funding for similar border fencing.

Interesting how your narrative changed. Just a bit ago it was all about how Trump had to keep his campaign promises and if he didn't, the "political force" that is you Trump supporters will hold him accountable. But now that you've been made aware that the campaign promise was for Mexico to pay for the wall, suddenly the narrative changes.

So are you Trump supporters going to hold Trump accountable for his promise to have Mexico pay for the wall?

 

[Salvador]

Interesting how your narrative changed. Just a bit ago it was all about how Trump had to keep his campaign promises and if he didn't, the "political force" that is you Trump supporters will hold him accountable. But now that you've been made aware that the campaign promise was for Mexico to pay for the wall, suddenly the narrative changes.

We never took Trump seriously when he joked that Mexico would actually write a check to pay for a solid 30 foot tall concrete wall that'd span along the border from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[Jose Fly]

We never took Trump seriously when he joked that Mexico would actually write a check to pay for a solid concrete wall that'd span from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.

So one of his primary campaign promises, slogans, and rally chants was a joke. Funny how absolutely no one from the campaign ever pointed that out.

I guess that's like his claim to have a health care plan that would cover everyone, cost less, and provide better care? Or his promise to pay off the national debt?

Thanks for your time. It's been very informative.

 

[Salvador]

As polls show, most Americans blame Trump and the GOP, and they do so for rational reasons, in contrast to the sycophancy that you et al. exhibit.

As I've just recently mentioned, in order for Trump to keep his political power as the POTUS; he needs to keep or earnestly try keeping most of his campaign promises he made to us Trump supporters. We constitute one third of all voters, we are a political force with whom to be reckon.

As I've just recently discussed, my concern is to keep unpaid government workers doing their jobs; this can be done with the previously mentioned measures; allowing them to withdrawal money from their retirement funds without penalty as well as deferring their financial obligations to pay their loans, mortgages or rent. until they get all their back pay when their government shutdown holiday ends.

The last thing we want is a public uproar from those whose flights get delayed or cancelled from a walk-out of unpaid government workers involved with air travel safety. We want this partial government shutdown to be as painless as possible. Unfortunately, we don't how long it'll take Democratic congressional members to come to their senses for approving border security barrier funding in order to keep the American public as safe as possible from illegal alien criminality.

Please write your Congressional representatives expressing your support of the aforementioned legislation to financially help unpaid government workers until they can fulfill their financial obligations when they get all their back pay upon the commencement of their partial government shutdown holiday.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

I'm claiming that the Democrats do not have the power to reopen government. The most they can do is give Trump what he wants, and that wouldn't reopen government. Trump would still have to keep his promise and make it happen.

What specifically is this promise?

The promise to reopen government if the Democrats give Trump what he wants.

Politically, it makes sense for the Democrats to hold firm.

I agree with this. But I find it a heinous goal in light of the resulting damage.

The damage is Trump's because the shutdown is Trump's. He's already said so. His is the heinous goal. The Democrats have no responsibility for the shutdown or the damage done for reasons already given. They lack the power to reopen government. If they had that power, it would have already been done.

I agree, in fact it was clear that was my position if my quote was not taken out of context

Sorry if I misrepresented you. I understood that we were in agreement.

Border patrol agents and law enforcement officials overwhelmingly support a border security barrier that'd make their jobs safer and their goals of reducing unlawful occupants in America, easier to obtain.

Once the government is reopened, I'm sure that the Democrats will be eager to discuss the issue.

My concern is to keep unpaid government workers doing their jobs

All that needs to be done is to reopen government and pay them. If they are expected to work without pay, they should quit their government jobs and find jobs that pay their employees.

we don't how long it'll take Democratic congressional members to come to their senses for approving border security barrier funding

The Democrats have already come to their senses. Trump wants a wall - a very bad idea - and the answer is "No, not on the American taxpayer's back."

There seems to be an assumption coming from the right that the Democrats should take orders from Trump - that what he wants should matter more.to them than what the people that voted for them want. Personally, I'm very pleased with the Democrats' resolve thus far. Most Democratic voters believe that their is no emergency at the border, and that a wall is a bad idea.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It's like only his opinion man, that's not necessarily a lie.

How many times did he have to say it? It definitely wasn't an opinion, and something he lied about because anyone with half a brain should have known Mexico would not pay for it.

 

[Revoltingest]

The promise to reopen government if the Democrats give Trump what he wants.

Why do you believe that he won't open it then?

 

[Salvador]

Why do you believe that he won't open it then?

Here's what anonymous Trump insider wrote:

"President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress are drawing up plans to take on the government bureaucracy they have long railed against, by eroding job protections and grinding down benefits that federal workers have received for a generation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...fits-and-job-security/?utm_term=.880de2692cbb

But it looks like they ran into problems trying to fire government workers.

Has President Trump suckered Democrats and the Deep State into a trap that will enable a radical downsizing of the federal bureaucracy? In only five more days of the already "longest government shutdown in history" (25 days and counting, as of today), a heretofore obscure threshold will be reached, enabling permanent layoffs of bureaucrats furloughed 30 days or more.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/01/trumps_shutdown_trap.html

On an average day, roughly 15 percent of the employees around me are exceptional patriots serving their country. I wish I could give competitive salaries to them and no one else. But 80 percent feel no pressure to produce results. If they don't feel like doing what they are told, they don't.

Why would they? We can't fire them. They avoid attention, plan their weekend, schedule vacation, their second job, their next position – some do this in the same position for more than a decade.

They do nothing that warrants punishment and nothing of external value. That is their workday: errands for the sake of errands – administering, refining, following and collaborating on process. "Process is your friend" is what delusional civil servants tell themselves. Even senior officials must gain approval from every rank across their department, other agencies and work units for basic administrative chores.

Most of my career colleagues actively work against the president's agenda. This means I typically spend about 15 percent of my time on the president's agenda and 85 percent of my time trying to stop sabotage, and we have no power to get rid of them. Until the shutdown.

From some anonymous Trump insider."

I'm in favor of downsizing government Bureaucracies. If keeping this government shutdown going for more than 30 days is the only way to get this done, then yeah...let's do it!

 

[Revoltingest]

Here's what anonymous Trump insider wrote:

"President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress are drawing up plans to take on the government bureaucracy they have long railed against, by eroding job protections and grinding down benefits that federal workers have received for a generation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...fits-and-job-security/?utm_term=.880de2692cbb

But it looks like they ran into problems trying to fire government workers.

Has President Trump suckered Democrats and the Deep State into a trap that will enable a radical downsizing of the federal bureaucracy? In only five more days of the already "longest government shutdown in history" (25 days and counting, as of today), a heretofore obscure threshold will be reached, enabling permanent layoffs of bureaucrats furloughed 30 days or more.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/01/trumps_shutdown_trap.html

On an average day, roughly 15 percent of the employees around me are exceptional patriots serving their country. I wish I could give competitive salaries to them and no one else. But 80 percent feel no pressure to produce results. If they don't feel like doing what they are told, they don't.

Why would they? We can't fire them. They avoid attention, plan their weekend, schedule vacation, their second job, their next position – some do this in the same position for more than a decade.

They do nothing that warrants punishment and nothing of external value. That is their workday: errands for the sake of errands – administering, refining, following and collaborating on process. "Process is your friend" is what delusional civil servants tell themselves. Even senior officials must gain approval from every rank across their department, other agencies and work units for basic administrative chores.

Most of my career colleagues actively work against the president's agenda. This means I typically spend about 15 percent of my time on the president's agenda and 85 percent of my time trying to stop sabotage, and we have no power to get rid of them. Until the shutdown.

From some anonymous Trump insider."

I'm in favor of downsizing government Bureaucracies. If keeping this government shutdown going for more than 30 days is the only way to get this done, then yeah...let's do it!

This sure doesn't indicate to me that Trump intends a more permanent
shutdown, beyond even reaching agreement with Democrats.

Also, it would be political suicide for Trump to refuse to re-open
government after getting what he wanted. He wouldn't do that
when no purpose is served.

 

[Salvador]

This sure doesn't indicate to me that Trump intends a more permanent
shutdown, beyond even reaching agreement with Democrats.

Agreed, once enough unpaid government workers resign in order to have government downsized to an efficient level; then, that'd be the ideal time to the end the shutdown. ...

 

[Revoltingest]

Agreed, once enough unpaid government workers resign in order to have government downsized to an efficient level; then, that'd be the ideal time to the end the shutdown. ...

That's not an efficient way to downsize because it doesn't
relate to who is deadwood & who is productive. He can
downsize anyway without a shutdown.
So I think we're hearing an anti-Trump conspiracy theory.