REPUBLICANS: Why wasn't the wall taken care of in Trump's first two years?

[Mac1958]

This all seems pretty silly. If this is a "national emergency", why is Trump willing to shut down the government NOW, all of a sudden, when the GOP's strength has decreased so much?

It was his biggest promise. And he waits until the Democrats have the House?


.

 

[JoeB131]

Oh, Stormy, no one believes you aren't totally behind the Republicans and their Racism.

 

[theHawk]

Because the Republicans needed 60 votes in the Senate to pass thanks to Dems filibusters if there was any wall funding.

 

[SNAFUBARIFIC]

Because the establishment of BOTH "parties" SUCKS ASS!!!

 

[sparky]

No, Mexico isn't paying for wall through Trump's trade deal

~S~

 

[Mac1958]

Because the Republicans needed 60 votes in the Senate to pass thanks to Dems filibusters if there was any wall funding.

If he couldn't get it done for two years with the GOP in control of both chambers, this seems like a pretty bizarre gambit.
.

 

[Mac1958]

No, Mexico isn't paying for wall through Trump's trade deal

~S~

Fantasy. Amazing.
.

 

[playtime]

because it was steak tartare for the deplorables to choke on whilst whoring for their votes. the reason why he chose now to have his hissy fits & hold fed workers hostage, is because of a few rw loudmouths pulling his strings here, much to the delight of putin, who doesn't have to do it....for now.

 

[Olde Europe]

This all seems pretty silly. If this is a "national emergency", why is Trump willing to shut down the government NOW, all of a sudden, when the GOP's strength has decreased so much?

It was his biggest promise. And he waits until the Democrats have the House?


.

Good question. The answer isn't that hard to find, though. A year from now, primaries are set to start, and he needs the struggle over the wall as his campaign prop, and Democrats in the House as his foil. Also, creating the perception of a national emergency out of thin air takes some time, the electorate needs to be properly propagandized into the necessary xenophobic frenzy, sliced and diced, and the endless repetition of "national crisis", "national emergency", and "Democrat invasion in the South" doesn't do its work overnight. Only after the Democrats were set to take over the House were all the necessary ingredients present on the national stage for the drama to begin. And that's why it's happening now. Just as the war on Iraq to address another "national emergency" didn't happen until after the Midterms.

 

[NightFox]

Because the Republicans needed 60 votes in the Senate to pass thanks to Dems filibusters if there was any wall funding.

If he couldn't get it done for two years with the GOP in control of both chambers, this seems like a pretty bizarre gambit.
.

It's not a "bizarre gambit" at all, He's getting tons of mileage out of the issue and his intransigence on it with his base. He has to be seen as having fought "the good fight" with his supporters before he capitulates and moves on to other things, I suspect the issue will come back to the forefront when election time comes around.

If he REALLY wanted the $5 billion to begin the construction of this wall/curtain/whatever the fuck he's calling it now, he could have used executive transfer authority to get it (instead of just making veiled threats to use it) but that wouldn't have given him a political issue to rile up his base with.

 

[Mac1958]

Thinking this through a bit, he probably knew (or, more accurately, was informed) that he'd never get it through, even though the GOP held all the cards. There were too many Republicans who saw the writing on the wall (no pun intended) and knew what a bad idea this is.

So, he waits (or, more accurately, is instructed to wait) specifically until the Democrats have the House to suddenly scream NATIONAL EMERGENCY. Since his top priority has always been his base, maybe he knows this won't happen but wants to keep them happy, assuming 100% of them are still obediently with him and will follow along.

I dunno. Tossing out guesses.
.

 

[Mac1958]

Because the Republicans needed 60 votes in the Senate to pass thanks to Dems filibusters if there was any wall funding.

If he couldn't get it done for two years with the GOP in control of both chambers, this seems like a pretty bizarre gambit.
.

It's not a "bizarre gambit" at all, He's getting tons of mileage out of the issue and his intransigence on it with his base. He has to be seen as having fought "the good fight" with his supporters before he capitulates and moves on to other things, I suspect the issue will come back to the forefront when election time comes around.

If he REALLY wanted the $5 billion to begin the construction of this wall/curtain/whatever the fuck he's calling it now, he could have used executive transfer authority to get it (instead of just making veiled threats to use it) but that wouldn't have given him a political issue to rile up his base with.

I was typing my post as you posted this. This could just be about the base. Again.

He doesn't seem to see outside that group.
.

 

[mudwhistle]

No, Mexico isn't paying for wall through Trump's trade deal

~S~

Fantasy. Amazing.
.

Define what the word "MUCH" means. He said much of the wall has already been renovated.
Do you know how much of the wall has been already renovated?
If you don't know then STFU.
I get a little tired of people constantly calling Trump a liar when in fact they are lying themselves.

 

[NightFox]

Because the Republicans needed 60 votes in the Senate to pass thanks to Dems filibusters if there was any wall funding.

If he couldn't get it done for two years with the GOP in control of both chambers, this seems like a pretty bizarre gambit.
.

It's not a "bizarre gambit" at all, He's getting tons of mileage out of the issue and his intransigence on it with his base. He has to be seen as having fought "the good fight" with his supporters before he capitulates and moves on to other things, I suspect the issue will come back to the forefront when election time comes around.

If he REALLY wanted the $5 billion to begin the construction of this wall/curtain/whatever the fuck he's calling it now, he could have used executive transfer authority to get it (instead of just making veiled threats to use it) but that wouldn't have given him a political issue to rile up his base with.

I was typing my post as you posted this. This could just be about the base. Again.

He doesn't seem to see outside that group.
.

I'm pretty sure it's all about his base and not much else, consider the fact that he let slip his willingness to sign an appropriations bill sans "wall funding" back in December and only reversed himself after his base went ape shit.

I suspect that he doesn't really give a damn whether or not this "wall" gets built and never has, it was a political tool from the get go and he's going to continue to use it until it's no longer an effective one, it fits his bluster, bullshit and blame style to a tee.

Can't really fault him for using something that works though.

 

[sparky]

 

[Mac1958]

No, Mexico isn't paying for wall through Trump's trade deal

~S~

Fantasy. Amazing.
.

Define what the word "MUCH" means. He said much of the wall has already been renovated.
Do you know how much of the wall has been already renovated?
If you don't know then STFU.
I get a little tired of people constantly calling Trump a liar when in fact they are lying themselves.

Okay, fair enough.

In Trumpworld, "much" can mean "anything more than 0.01%".

Stipulated. You got me.

Now, why is this only a NATIONAL EMERGENCY now that the Dems have the House?
.

 

[Mac1958]

I suspect that he doesn't really give a damn whether or not this "wall" gets built and never has, it was a political tool from the get go and he's going to continue to use it until it's no longer an effective one, it fits his bluster, bullshit and blame style to a tee.

Bingo.
.

 

[sparky]

Now, why is this only a NATIONAL EMERGENCY now that the Dems have the House?

because Trump wants to blame them for it ,in order for them to pass it

~S~

 

[Olde Europe]

He has to be seen as having fought "the good fight" with his supporters before he capitulates and moves on to other things, I suspect the issue will come back to the forefront when election time comes around.

It's dicey business to predict what Trump is going to do. Still, he will never "capitulate" on that fight - he patently can't afford to, as the recent weeks demonstrated. Coulter and Limbaugh went after him at the first sign of compromise, and their efforts were wildly successful when Trump dropped the Senate-approved compromise like a red-hot lump of coal. What would you think the two learned from that? ... Exactly.

The government, one way or another, needs to be re-opened. The only thing left to be resolved is the narrative that paints the Democrats as the weak-on-national-security villains, and the fight will restart with every continuing resolution funding government for a few weeks or months. ... or so would be my guess.

 

[NightFox]

In Trumpworld, "much" can mean "anything more than 0.01%".
.

So far the Administration has been primarily engaged in renewing or upgrading existing "wall" and hasn't added a whole lot of new "wall", so it really depends on how you classify "new" wall versus renovating "wall" (i.e. if you consider replacing older, shorter wall with new higher wall as "adding" wall), but from looking at the sections that have been worked on (or are currently under construction) principally in the Juarez, Mexicali and Tijuana areas, it looks to be more like 10% (a rough guestimate) of the 700 or so miles of the existing "wall".