‘Complete, total surrender’: Why Trump waved the white flag

[The Barbarian]

The sudden erosion of support from Senate Republicans ultimately forced Trump’s hand.
President Donald Trump touted GOP unity for 33 days of a partial government shutdown. But by the 34th day, it was clearly gone — and so was the shutdown by the end of the 35th.


Senate Republicans had finally had it and were struggling to continue to defend the president's position and heap blame on the Democrats. Perhaps no one illustrated that dynamic more than Sen. Rob Portman.

In fact, despite his public hard-line stance, Trump has been quietly looking for a way out of the shutdown for weeks, according to White House aides. In recent days, the president has expressed frustration to allies about how the crisis was being covered on cable news, worrying that Democrats had won the upper hand, even before Friday’s dramatic airport delays.

But the erosion of Senate Republican support — fueled by the increasingly damaged economy and worsening poll numbers — perhaps more than anything is what pushed Trump to reverse course.


On Thursday night, after the pair of failed Senate votes and a tense caucus meeting that demonstrated there could be a large GOP jailbreak if the shutdown dragged on, Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) quietly agreed that it was time to find a way out.


“A lot of the conference wanted to end the shutdown by any means possible,” said a Republican senator stunned by Trump’s about-face. Trump isn’t going to get what he wants in the end, this lawmaker added: “Nothing is going to happen. This is surrender. I don’t see how it becomes anything. It’s just complete, total surrender.”
‘Complete, total surrender’: Why Trump waved the white flag

 

[Go Braves]

Well he was right to worry that Democrats had won the upper hand. Republicans ought to have put their foot down back in December. It was clear Trump was going to lose on account of him fighting for a loser of a wall. They could have done more to not become losers themselves on account of this. He didn't just shoot his own foot.

 

[The Barbarian]

He's threatening to do a shutdown again, but I don't think so. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I don't think he's stupid enough to think it might turn out different the next time.

I suppose he'll toss around doing it by emergency decree, but that would just end up years in court. And he doesn't have years.

 

[com7fy8]

On TV, Donald said he was pleased that the workers have not complained because they believe in what he is doing. How big is the America that he is talking about? How many are those who have not complained?? The uncomplaining America???

Of course, we are plainly told >

"Do all things without complaining and disputing," (Philippians 2:14)

If we are trusting and depending on how God our Father pleases to take care of us, we are not complaining, I see.

I would be glad to have a wall so people who come to the border can be funneled to where they will be taken care of right, and arrangements will make sure they get paid right. And why do men have to leave their families behind? If they prove themselves, their families could be brought to them.

 

[The Barbarian]

I would be glad to have a wall so people who come to the border can be funneled to where they will be taken care of right, and arrangements will make sure they get paid right.

An increasing number of them are coming through ports of entry. So no wall was needed.

 

[mark kennedy]

It's not over, it's just a three week reprieve and there's always the chance he will declare a national emergency. Some kind of boarder security is inevitable, if he meet Democrats half way on DACA dreamers it would definately look like a cave to his base. The worst part is little was accomplished and an historic opportunity to improve security and have meaningful immigration reform has been squandered. It's not too late but the alt-right has again reared it's ugly head, replacing substantive dialogue with slogans and extremism. Trump could reach out to moderates and craft a new direction that affirms his promise of boarder security, giving due consideration to the plight of many unconventional illegal immigrants.

I would be shocked if it actually happened but there is still time, if Trump could expand his horizons and fight his way to the middle. I won't hold my breath waiting.

 

[The Barbarian]

It's not over, it's just a three week reprieve and there's always the chance he will declare a national emergency. Some kind of boarder security is inevitable, if he meet Democrats half way on DACA dreamers it would definately look like a cave to his base. The worst part is little was accomplished and an historic opportunity to improve security and have meaningful immigration reform has been squandered. It's not too late but the alt-right has again reared it's ugly head, replacing substantive dialogue with slogans and extremism. Trump could reach out to moderates and craft a new direction that affirms his promise of boarder security, giving due consideration to the plight of many unconventional illegal immigrants.

I would be shocked if it actually happened but there is still time, if Trump could expand his horizons and fight his way to the middle. I won't hold my breath waiting.

He could easily pivot on this and seek meaningful border security by working with moderates and liberals, but I don't think it's likely to happen.

 

[archer75]

It's not over, it's just a three week reprieve and there's always the chance he will declare a national emergency. Some kind of boarder security is inevitable, if he meet Democrats half way on DACA dreamers it would definately look like a cave to his base. The worst part is little was accomplished and an historic opportunity to improve security and have meaningful immigration reform has been squandered. It's not too late but the alt-right has again reared it's ugly head, replacing substantive dialogue with slogans and extremism. Trump could reach out to moderates and craft a new direction that affirms his promise of boarder security, giving due consideration to the plight of many unconventional illegal immigrants.

I would be shocked if it actually happened but there is still time, if Trump could expand his horizons and fight his way to the middle. I won't hold my breath waiting.

He could reach out, except that he can't. He's not capable of working that way. He has demonstrated zero ability to build bridges, compromise, etc. He has his worshipful base and if he loses them, he loses them. But he can't get anyone else.

 

[archer75]

He could easily pivot on this and seek meaningful border security by working with moderates and liberals, but I don't think it's likely to happen.

If he pivots, he looks like a loser to everyone who signed on to his juvenile "hard-line" fantasy of a giant wall to keep out, um, people who could attack us with the shirt on their back.

 

[Johnny Slick]

The sudden erosion of support from Senate Republicans ultimately forced Trump’s hand.
President Donald Trump touted GOP unity for 33 days of a partial government shutdown. But by the 34th day, it was clearly gone — and so was the shutdown by the end of the 35th.


Senate Republicans had finally had it and were struggling to continue to defend the president's position and heap blame on the Democrats. Perhaps no one illustrated that dynamic more than Sen. Rob Portman.

In fact, despite his public hard-line stance, Trump has been quietly looking for a way out of the shutdown for weeks, according to White House aides. In recent days, the president has expressed frustration to allies about how the crisis was being covered on cable news, worrying that Democrats had won the upper hand, even before Friday’s dramatic airport delays.

But the erosion of Senate Republican support — fueled by the increasingly damaged economy and worsening poll numbers — perhaps more than anything is what pushed Trump to reverse course.


On Thursday night, after the pair of failed Senate votes and a tense caucus meeting that demonstrated there could be a large GOP jailbreak if the shutdown dragged on, Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) quietly agreed that it was time to find a way out.


“A lot of the conference wanted to end the shutdown by any means possible,” said a Republican senator stunned by Trump’s about-face. Trump isn’t going to get what he wants in the end, this lawmaker added: “Nothing is going to happen. This is surrender. I don’t see how it becomes anything. It’s just complete, total surrender.”
‘Complete, total surrender’: Why Trump waved the white flag

If Trump plans to shut down the government in another 2 to 3 weeks if nothing is done to secure the border with Wall funding, how is that a surrender? How did he wave the white flag, so to speak? Please, enlighten me.

 

[archer75]

If Trump plans to shut down the government in another 2 to 3 weeks if nothing is done to secure the border with Wall funding, how is that a surrender? How did he wave the white flag, so to speak? Please, enlighten me.

If the shutdown was such a great idea, he could have kept pushing. But McConnell told him that Senate Republicans were going to buck him and reopen the government anyway. Which would have looked awful.

In other words: he had to give up and do EXACTLY what he said many times he would never do.

When you give in on the thing you said you'd dig your heels in about and you get NOTHING for your trouble...that's surrender.

 

[Johnny Slick]

If the shutdown was such a great idea, he could have kept pushing. But McConnell told him that Senate Republicans were going to buck him and reopen the government anyway. Which would have looked awful.

In other words: he had to give up and do EXACTLY what he said many times he would never do.

When you give in on the thing you said you'd dig your heels in about and you get NOTHING for your trouble...that's surrender.

On the contraray, I believe Trump to be a sort of political genuis. You're just not seeing it.

 

[archer75]

On the contraray, I believe Trump to be a sort of political genuis. You're just not seeing it.

Cool. Why do you think so?

 

[The Barbarian]

If Trump plans to shut down the government in another 2 to 3 weeks if nothing is done to secure the border with Wall funding, how is that a surrender?

Since he declared he wouldn't sign a temporary funding bill without money for his wall, and then caved and did exactly what he said he wouldn't do, that's a complete surrender.

How did he wave the white flag, so to speak?

Ann Coulter said it best:
Good news for George Herbert Walker Bush: As of today, he is no longer the biggest wimp ever to serve as President of the United States.
Trump's Fold on Wall Shutdown Prompts Reaction from Ann Coulter, Conservatives, Republicans

Please, enlighten me.

When you fold and do exactly what your opponent tells you to do...