The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    You can only play the cards in your hand

    By Flavius on Tue, 01/16/2018 - 11:52pm |

    How much slack should we give to the democrats in Congress to cut a deal  with Trump? This week.

    My guess is Donald is aiming for a two-for. Not only get his damn  fence  but also damage the Congressional Democrats by forcing them to approve an unsavory bill  as the price for preventing 700,000 DACA immigrants from being deported. Maybe even  save his majority if we're foolish enough.

    Probably figures he can't lose.

    -If he get's his fence in exchange for a DACA reprieve  he's got his fence.

    -If the Dems say " No deal" and the Gov  shuts down not only will millions be inconvenienced ,but people will die. And he will it frame it as the democrats putting the  interests  of "those people" ahead of those of us.  Real Americans !...Sound of  trumpets and  massed  crowds humming America.

    So what do want of our representatives?

    A  digression .Sort of.  I was having  dinner with my wife as the story of  Chappaquidick  trickled  out. At a silent moment she said  "If it happens to you , save the girl. We'll sort things out  afterwards."

    I tend to disagree with a lot of the  criticism  here  on Dagblog when  our  representatives agree to a deal some of us think isn't good enough .We  feel "sold out."  Whereas maybe they've done the best they could. You can only play  the cards etc.

    The "Art of the deal" is for your opponent to have unrealistic supporters 

    How about  contacting our Representatives between now and Friday and  saying "cut  the best deal you can , but don't worry about us , we'll sort things out afterwards". ?

     

     

    Comments

    I think the Republicans will do a continuing resolution. They control the Presidency and both houses of Congress. If there is a shutdown, Republicans look weak.


    by rmrd0000 on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 1:04pm

    Perfectly logical. 

    But my concern is:

    McConnell and Ryan  know  they've got to change electoral sentiment between now and the beginning of  mail ballots .  If they were dumb enough to believe their own talking points they'd think  they could just wait for the public to respond  to the glories of the "tax reform"  . They aren't and they won't. So  they need something.

    A shutdown could be"something". Particularly one which Fox would  present as the Democrats depriving Americans of the services they are entitled to  rather than   sending a lot of illegals back to their shit holes.

     

     

     


    by Flavius on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 1:45pm

    The Democrats gave Trump virtually everything he wanted. Hardline Republicans blew up the deal. Other networks will be reporting enough of the facts to make Republicans look bad. We have s-hole Trump as the face of the problem.


    by rmrd0000 on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 3:28pm

    wheeling and dealing reality report, though through leakers; it's still going on, Kelly with Congressional Dems from Hispanic Caucus and Steny Hoyer in closed door session (is this like the flip side of Wizard of Oz where they are not supposed to be paying any serious attention to the clown performing in front of the curtain?)

    Kelly calls some of Trump’s campaign pledges on immigration, wall ‘uninformed,’ meeting attendees say

    By Ed O'Keefe @ WashingtonPost.com, Jan. 17, 6 pm

    White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly told Democratic lawmakers Wednesday that Mexico will never pay for a wall built by the United States along the entire stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and that some of President Trump’s campaign promises on immigration were “uninformed,” according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.

    The remarks put Kelly at odds with Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to build a border wall that would be paid for by Mexico rather than U.S. taxpayers. Kelly’s statements also add to the mixed signals on immigration sent by the White House in the months since Trump announced the end of an Obama-era program protecting young immigrant “dreamers” in September.

    Democrats and Republicans have warned in recent days that Trump is not clearly stating what he wants as part of a deal to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and bolster security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

    Kelly’s comments were made in a closed-door session at the U.S. Capitol with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). This account of the meeting is based on notes taken by two lawmakers in the room that were confirmed by two additional lawmakers in the room and one senior aide in attendance [....]


    by artappraiser on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 7:39pm

    and there's this @ Politico on the other side's paradox:

    Republicans’ no-win choice: Dreamers or defense

    The government shutdown threat is forcing the party to choose between maintaining a hard-line on immigration and spending more on the military.

    01/17/2018 07:17 PM EST

    by artappraiser on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 7:42pm

    oh they also actually have one on the topic of how Congress is increasingly learning that it's becoming useless to pay attention to the clown:

    Trump's credibility crisis on Capitol Hill

    Lawmakers find it difficult or impossible to negotiate when the president can't seem to stick to a position for more than a few hours.

    @ Politico.com,  01/17/2018 10:42 AM EST

    by artappraiser on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 8:06pm

    same leakers @ the NYTimes from Kelly's closed door meeting with the Hispanic Caucus, they've made it their current headline, same basic message of "pay no attention to the clown performances"

    Kelly Says Trump’s Wall Promises ‘Not Fully Informed’

    By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG 6:03 PM ET

    • White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly told Hispanic members of Congress that he had “tempered” President Trump’s position on the border wall and DACA, Representative Raúl Grijalva said.
    • The president’s views are said to have shifted away from a literal wall to the understanding that “barriers can mean many different things,’’ the representative added.

    by artappraiser on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 8:26pm