As the costly government shutdown reaches its 32nd day we take a moment to examine the lunacy behind this political stalemate.
On December 20, 2018 the president announced that he would NOT sign a continuing resolution to fund the government that had past with bi-partisan support in both the Republican House and Senate. His refusal to sign the funding bill effectively shut down the government.
The bill contained $1.6 billion earmarked for border security and the president’s controversial wall. The president had previously informed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he would sign the bill if passed and it was on that assertion that McConnell allowed the bill to move to the floor for a vote.
But then conservative pundit Ann Coulter called the president a weenie.
Coulter was pissed that president was caving on his promise to build a wall along our southern border to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country. She was going to hold the president to his promise. Never mind that Trump had promised that Mexico would pay for the wall. Coulter said $1.6 billion was peanuts and she blasted him out for being weak on border security.
Nothing concerns Trump more than losing the support of his rabid base. Ann Coulter holds a prominent place in the minds of that base. Coulter speaks…the base listens. Coulter called the president weak on border security. Trump could not stand the rebuke; so Trump reneged on his promise to sign the bill.
To be clear…Trump refused to sign the funding bill because Ann Coulter called him a weenie.
Fast forward to January 19, 2019. The shutdown is having a disastrous effect on the lives of millions of Americans. In an Oval Office meeting with Pelosi and Schumer, Trump had publicly proclaimed that he would be happy to shutdown the government over border security. The American people listened and took him at his word. The president’s approval ratings were in freefall.
The White House announced that on January 19 the president would be delivering a major statement on border security and the shutdown. The president had cobbled together what he believed to be a reasonable compromise to end the shutdown: an extension of protections for DACA and TPS immigrants in exchange for $5.7 billion to fund the wall.
(It should be noted that $5.7 billion dollars will only pay for 234 miles of the over 1900 mile long southern border. Which poses the question…how effective can a 234 mile wall be if 1666 miles of the border remain unprotected? But I digress.)
The president delivered his offer from the Oval Office. The country was listening. So was Ann Coulter.
Coulter wasn’t happy and she said so publicly. She excoriated the president over what she called “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. “We voted for Trump…” She said. “…and we got Jeb.”
To review…
Trump agreed to a funding bill that would keep the government open and give him $1.6 billion for a wall that he had promised would be paid for by Mexico.
Trump reneged on that promise when he learned that conservative pundit Ann Coulter had called him out for being weak on border security.
Trump then delivered a much ballyhooed compromise that resulted in him being called out once again by Coulter for being weak on border security.
The government is shutdown because Donald Trump is afraid of Ann Coulter.
The government shutdown has reached its 32nd day. Millions of people are struggling to feed their families and pay their rent. All because Ann Coulter called the president a weenie for caving on a promise to build an ineffective barrier along our southern border. A barrier that the president had promised would be paid for by Mexico.
The president refused to sign a funding bill because the bill angered Ann Coulter. Then the president offered a compromise bill that once again angered Ann Coulter.
Hard as he might try, Trump just can’t seem to please Ann.
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