Stalled on the wall, his path to victory is murky

[struggle4progress]

Jan. 31, 2019, 5:05 PM EST
By Jonathan Allen

WASHINGTON ... The fight has cost him 35 days of a government shutdown, several points in most surveys of his approval ratings and the pain of criticism from his right flank ...

If Democrats don't put up money for the wall, Trump will have a ready-made issue for his re-election campaign and to help Republican congressional candidates in 2020, said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which seeks to end illegal immigration and reduce legal immigration.

He's "set up the Democrats to look so weak on border security that they're going to get their clock cleaned," Stein said. "The Democrats are falling right into the bear trap."

Yet Trump focused his midterm barnstorming tour for Republican candidates on immigration — and the wall, specifically — and watched the House flip from GOP control into Democratic hands ...

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/stalled-wall-trump-s-path-victory-murky-n965571

[struggle4progress]

1. Democrats' opening offer doesn't include money for wall

William Cummings, USA TODAY
Published 3:03 p.m. ET Jan. 31, 2019

WASHINGTON ... The Democratic proposal did include:

about $22 billion in total funding for Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement
$675 million for scanners at points of entry
$502 million for "humanitarian concerns at the border" such as food and medical care
$400 million in border security technology, 1,000 new customs agents
$156.7 million for new boats, planes and sensors ...

The proposal .. denied the president's request for additional Border Patrol agents because "a staffing model to justify any increase" is "long overdue" ...

Pelosi did indicate she was open to vehicle barriers known as "Normandy fencing" ...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/31/democrats-opening-border-security-offer/2732549002/

[struggle4progress]

2. Says a wall 'is a WALL!'

Published January 31, 2019

... “Lets just call them WALLS from now on and stop playing political games! A WALL is a WALL!” Trump tweeted ...

Originally, Trump reveled in the word “wall,” leading chants at political rallies of “build the wall!”

But as Democrats in Congress pushed back, accusing Trump of demonizing Central American immigrants and promoting “medieval” wall technology, he tried to soften the message, referring to “a barrier.”

Also, instead of a solid concrete structure, Trump began to emphasize that he was really asking for steel slats. “Artistically designed steel slats,” he specified in December ...

https://punchng.com/frustrated-trump-says-a-wall-is-a-wall/

Cool! Mexico is going to pay for artistic steel sculptures along the border!

[keithbvadu2]

5. Emphasis changed to steel when his Russian steel pals saw billions of taxpayer dollars.

Emphasis changed to steel when his Russian steel pals saw billions of taxpayer dollars.

[struggle4progress]

3. Steers clear of Hill talks

By BURGESS EVERETT, CAITLIN OPRYSKO and ELIANA JOHNSON
01/31/2019 08:52 AM EST
Updated 01/31/2019 03:10 PM EST

... he’s largely butting out of the private talks ...

Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference that “there’s not going to be any wall money in the legislation” ...

Trump responded from the White House that he wouldn’t accept a deal from Congress that didn’t contain wall funding ...

Trump also claimed on Thursday, without evidence, that his administration had doled out new contracts for wall construction over the last month, despite the government being shutdown for a majority of that time ...

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/31/trump-border-wall-1138319

[regnaD kciN]

4. Proving that not all delusional conservatives are in Congress or the White House...

Does this idiot really believe that Democrats refusing to fund a border wall that an overwhelming margin of voters reject is going to "get their clock cleaned" in 2020?

I'm guessing he was probably among those predicting fear over those "migrant caravans" would lead to an unexpected Republican landslide last November, too...