Pirate's Cove

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Trump’s immigration offer brings sharp reactions from Dems and GOP

President Trump’s immigration compromise package to end the partial government shutdown drew sharp reactions from Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike.

In a televised White House address on Saturday afternoon, Trump offered Democrats a three-year extension of protections for 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, in exchange for the $5.7 billion he has been seeking for a barrier along the nation’s southern border with Mexico.

“Our immigration system should be a source of pride … not a source of shame as it is all over the world,” Trump said in his plea.

There was plenty more in that offer, which also included an extension of Temporary Protected Status (for people who’ve long been allowed to overstay it. There’s that part about “temporary”) and “allocates $800 million for drug detection technology to secure ports of entry, 2,750 new border agents and law enforcement professionals, and 75 new immigration judges to reduce an immense backlog of asylum requests.”

Democrats would be getting quite a lot in this, but, they really do not want to solve anything. They do not want to compromise. They want to caterwaul and create issues and show their Trump Derangement Syndrome

The president’s proposal was met with disdain from an array of top Democratic lawmakers. Many used the same language in their critiques, accusing Trump of holding the government and federal workers “hostage.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tweeted, “What we didn’t hear from the President was any sympathy for the federal workers who face so much uncertainty because of the chaos of the #TrumpShutdown.”

Deflection

Before Trump made his announcement, Pelosi had called his anticipated proposal “a non-starter.”

“For one thing, this proposal does not include the permanent solution for the Dreamers and TPS recipients that our country needs and supports.”

Had Trump offered a permanent solution, she and the rest of the Democrats would have found a way to poo-poo that, too. Pelosi did not even know what the offer was when she sent out her statement.

For his part, Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, called Trump’s proposal “one-sided and ineffective.”

“It’s clear the President realizes that by closing the government and hurting so many American workers and their families, he has put himself and the country in an untenable position. Unfortunately, he keeps putting forward one-sided and ineffective remedies. There’s only one way out: open the government, Mr. President, and then Democrats and Republicans can have a civil discussion and come up with bipartisan solutions.”

Providing a million people (300K for TPS) the chance to allow something to happen in the future, as well as giving most of the parents of Dreamers a break while DACA continues is one sided? Chuck is the kind of guy who borrows $100 and gives you back $1.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer shared a similar sentiment, urging Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell to “stop holding government hostage and end the shutdown” immediately.

“The president must stop holding government hostage and end the shutdown so federal employees can get back to work serving the American people. There is no reason for Americans to be shut out of work and without a paycheck while negotiations take place on the best way to secure our borders,” he said.

Hoyer said negotiation can progress after the government reopens.

But, we all know that Democrats will refuse to negotiate once the shutdown ends, and, it might be coming to the point where Trump says “hang it all, let’s reopen” and then goes on a tear to rip Democrats when they refuse to talk about border security. Democrats should remember that 1. he has no problem ripping people publicly, 2. his tweets are covered extensively by the media, 3. he knows how to get the media to cover his tweets and speeches, and 4. he has a really, really big pulpit. How will it look when he gives a national address about Democrats refusing to negotiate?

There are many more Democrats whining in the article, along with most Republicans approving of this compromise. And, we’ll have to wait for the polls, but this could shift blame from Trump to the Democrats.