David Frum: Trump built the trap and walked into it. Pelosi just locked it behind him.

[highplainsdem]

Link to tweet

If Trump now reopens Govt, he visibly surrenders to Pelosi.

If Trump keeps Govt closed, he bleeds support faster. Workers miss next paycheck, air travel delays, govt services fail, and economy stalls.

Trump built the trap and walked into it. Pelosi just locked it behind him.

[UpInArms]

1. And ... took away his megaphone

[gopiscrap]

2. I think that is what will bother him most

[PubliusEnigma]

3. No Pomp for him!

[gopiscrap]

4. yup, exactly and no limelight

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Monumentally stupid

This shutdown was the unforced error of unforced errors. He had two years to get his Wall Funding from Republicans in Congress but didn't decide it was necessary until after Democrats won the midterms, almost as though he was looking to create problems. If he isn't an actual agent of the Kremlin, he's doing a damn good job of acting like it. And now he's supposedly retweeting articles suggesting that permanently losing some of the currently furloughed federal employees would be a good thing is a particularly ominous sign IMHO.

[RobinA]

10. Well, He's Survived

unforced errors before, but agreed, this is a whopper.

[Caliman73]

14. Great post!

This should be repeated over and over again. When President Obama had a completely Democratic Congress for 76 days until Ted Kennedy died and Lieberman defected. He pushed for his signature legislation, the ACA. It was a fight but it got through. Trump had 2 years of uninterrupted Republican support and he did NOTHING on the wall. Why would he wait for 2 years? Wasn't it an emergency? Didn't he have a sense of urgency before the Democrats took over the House. We really didn't hear about anything until election time, then when they lost the House, the GOP and Trump really started to think that the wall needed to be built. Abysmally stupid thinking and they don't care that real people on all sides of this situation are being hurt.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

15. So far they have rationalized it in their reptilian minds

that only "Democrats" are being/will be affected, which is apparently enough to ease their consciences (as if that makes it better somehow).

[Caliman73]

17. Not sure if it is rationalization, that they live in a news bubble, or both.

They certainly have shown the ability to hold very divergent thoughts in the same setting. They do rationalize a lot. They also likely listen to sources that confirm their own ideas like Fox News, so they think that people are on their side despite all other polling (which they call "fake news&quot indicates that the GOP and Trump are being blamed for the shut down.

[RVN VET71]

52. Consciences?

[scarytomcat]

25. rethugs thought they would never lose again

they could keep it all rigged, gerrymandered and locked down with unlimited campaign donations from the rich and foreigners but the people stepped up in 2018 and turned a lot over to the Dems

[erronis]

43. They will probably lose again, this time to autocracy and putinocracy.

Even those fine bearers of the (R) symbol will find that living under the thumb of a police state with omnipotent powers won't be a fun trip. Even McTurtle may be surprised that he's no longer a useful pawn.

[scarytomcat]

53. let's hope they fall back into obscurity where they belong

we need to get over their economic policies and build a fair system that helps everyone to a better life.

[pangaia]

26. "permanently losing some of the currently furloughed federal employees would be a good thing"

exactly.

drown the government in the bathtub...
one goal of repubs

[bearsfootball516]

30. He's not used to people standing up to him, usually they just roll over.

He thought he'd shut down the government, the Democrats would panic and roll over, giving him a big win over his rivals and wall funding in the process.

Instead, Pelosi has stood firm, his approval rating is plummeting, disapproval is skyrocketing and there's no good way out for him other than giving into Pelosi or continue to watch his approval freefall.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/

[leftieNanner]

40. And he's ESPECIALLY not used to

a strong woman standing up to him.

He stormed out of his divorce court proceedings and got what he wanted, so he figured he could storm out on Speaker Pelosi.

Sorry Trump, not gonna work this time.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

6. Scary part is that he will be seeking advice from Putin. nt

[oasis]

7. Trump Shutdown.

He claimed it, he owns it.

[Codeine]

9. "Miss Lindsay"?

Come on, man.

[Raster]

13. Thank you.

[shanny]

22. +1

[smb]

18. He's In Denial About "Everybody Knows Already", So It Still Works As Kompromat nt

[obamanut2012]

27. "Miss Lindsay"? Really, on DU?

Edit yourself.

[Blue_true]

44. People's frustration levels with republican office holders is high.

But some things are out of bounds anytime, insinuations about a person sexuality is one of those things.

[FakeNoose]

12. You think this is bad, what if they cancel the SuperBowl?

It's a very real possibility that SuperBowl 53 will be cancelled if 100,000 people can't fly in Atlanta on the first weekend in February. This affects everyone, including every sports bar in America and many around the world.

Way to go Chump! You really won this one didn't you?

[bdamomma]

24. if that happens

I wouldn't want football fans especially Super Bowl fanatics go after me, cause they will go after him.

[regnaD kciN]

31. Nah...they'll go after "Democrat libtards" instead...

Isn’t it obvious that Trump’s strategy is to not give an inch and ramp up suffering until the public says, essentially, “well, he’s not going to give in, so give him his damned wall so we can get back to normal, or it will become your fault”…?

[Blue_true]

45. I see your point, but don't agree.

People are calculating the cost of the shutdown. Once it passes a number like $30 billion (coming up next) and chaos is increasingly setting it, pressure mounts on Trump.

Someone said that SNAP benefits will be impacted soon, there are a lot of White workingclass Trump voters in that mix. I read an article from the Associated Press that said that his support among working class Whites dropped by 4-7 points while his disapproval among that group rose by around the same amount. Workingclass Whites that vote republican have long bashed democrats, there is no more downside for our politicians in that area. The downside is all for Trump to experience.

[Pepsidog]

16. But isn't he the best deal maker? The greatest businessman ever walk the planet?

[txwhitedove]

19. Sadly, I think tRump would rather everyone suffer than

to give in to a woman.

[Blue_true]

46. He is reaching a point of no return for him.

Working class Whites are starting to turn against him. I guess they need government afterall, after all the shit that republicans and Fox News have pushed through their earholes.

[RestoreAmerica2020]

20. I believe we have checkmate. Speaker Pelosi is brilliant!

[BamaRefugee]

21. What prevents tRump from going on TV at the time SOTU would have been given, and be surrounded by a

throng of Rethuglicans who stand up and scream approval at the end of every sentence?
Do it in the empty chambers of the House, fill all the seats around and behind him with right wing celebrities, and the deplorables will lap it up, and not even know that it's not the real SOTU.

[regnaD kciN]

32. Because most networks wouldn't give him airtime?

[BamaRefugee]

33. THey already all have that time slot set aside, but NOW they can monetize it, tRump just says "we'll

be back in a moment" intot he camera, and then 4 minutes of advertising, the networks would do it in a minute

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

38. Use of the House chamber is not like renting a conference room at a Trump Hotel.

First of all, it's not overpriced so as to transfer even more money into Donnie Two Scoops wallet.

I don't think Trump can just sashay up to the door and expect to be admitted. I imagine use of the chamber is controlled by the Speaker of the House, who just happens to be Nancy Pelosi, and if she won't invite him there for the SOTU I doubt she'll let him use it for a campaign photo-op. If he showed up on his own he'd probably find the doors locked.

The Senate only has 100 seats, so even if McTurtle invited him to use it they'd have to bring in folding chairs for the House Republicans. Plus, if it's not delivered to the entire Congress is it truly an SOTU?

Trump has really backed himself into a corner, SOTU-wise. He's going to be the first president to miss doing a broadcast SOTU since 1947, when Truman's Annual Message (as it was called then) became the first to be broadcast live on television. The first radio broadcast of the Annual Message on radio was made by Calvin Coolidge in 1923.

In 1965 Johnson broke with tradition and delivered the SOTU at night, which he felt would reach a broader audience.

Last February, President Trump’s campaign website offered donors the chance to have their names broadcast on a screen during Tuesday’s address in exchange for a “special State of the Union contribution.” I'm not sure if that came to pass. I would have said it was illegal for Trump to use the SOTU as a campaign fund raiser, but using "Trump" and "illegal" in the same sentence seems redundant.

source: State of the Union Broadcast History, Time

[sarge43]

39. And presidents can not enter the chamber without the inventation of the speaker.

Presidents can enter the Capital as visitors, but only that.

[Blue_true]

47. He can't do that without Speaker Pelosi's permission.

And he won't get that.

[BamaRefugee]

50. ANY Republican held state will give their chambers up for free, 99% of 'Muricans will think the show

Is coming from Washington,

[roscoeroscoe]

54. I expect a campaign rally

With all the usual nonsense, and a pretend 'state of the union' speech that is absolutely disgusting.

[Capperdan]

56. That's what the speech would be anyway

No way would I want to listen to it. Written by Stephen Miller. The dignitaries would be puking in their seats. It would be horrible.

[smb]

23. Dumbass Dolt45 Could Be Trapped...

...by putting some junk-food bait in a jar with a narrow mouth. The only difficulty would be making the mouth narrow enough to trap his tiny little fist.

[bearsfootball516]

28. His approval rating is real close to dropping below 40

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/

[Blue_true]

48. He is starting to lose workingclass Whites.

If he allows the shutdown to run into SNAP benefits expiration, you are going to see a big hit to his workingclass White support, even the one that don't benefit from SNAP, likely have parents, grandparents, ect that do, I see really poor White people all the time when I am out driving somewhere, in my red county such a sight is commonplace. With have of adult Americans having less than $500 in immediate savings, the capacity of people to help a relative that is in need is limited.

[Power 2 the People]

29. I wish Nancy was running the Senate too.

[TrollBuster9090]

34. Yep. The only reason Lindsay Graham and so many others are encouraging Trump to

...to declare a state of emergency is so that he can PUNT the issue. He declares a state of emergency, says "I'm getting the money for the wall that way," so there's no need to keep government closed. The issue then gets punted to the courts, and they'll obviously reject the idea that a wall is an emergency; and then he can blame "ACTIVIST MEXICAN JUDGES" for the lack of wall. Either way, it'll be over with. He'll just yank Susan Rice's security clearance, and the networks will all have a shiny new toy to play with, and the wall will be forgotten.

[Chemisse]

51. I'm starting to think that would be a good idea.

And the only way this thing will be able to end.

[Scurrilous]

35. K&R

[0rganism]

37. i think we're underestimating the appeal of option #2

i really doubt he gives half a shit about the fate of the nation, let alone its government workers. and i don't think he's losing much base support (the only kind he cares about): anyone stupid and/or bigoted enough to vote for him the first time in 2016 is probably stupid and/or bigoted enough to do it again in 2020. meanwhile, he can make a play for juicy small-government neocons on the fringe by wrecking the federal government outright. "see? i really am a small government conservative!"

[Scalded Nun]

41. I agree that it is his pool of shit he is swimming in, but

why is the media not making life miserable for McConnell? He is stopping the funding bill from passing. There are enough votes to pass in both houses. This is now as much of a McConnell shutdown as a Trump shutdown. Use this to take McConnell down as well. The right is always ready to pin things on Dems, why not pin this festering ball of shit on McConnell as well.

If I am missing something someone please tell me because I do not see it.

[orangecrush]

42. Yup.

[zentrum]

49. Hope this is so

....but Mitch won't allow that up or down vote to open OUR government.

These bastards act like OUR government is their personal fiefdom.

[fescuerescue]

55. I don't think Trump cares about the second part

He may not even care any longer about getting re-elected.

Trump may very well be trapped.

But a trapped (and wounded) animal is the most dangerous of all.