**OFFICIAL Government Shutdown thread PT 2**

Original thread

[quote]Yet privately, Mr. Trump dismissed his own new strategy as pointless. In an off-the-record lunch with television anchors hours before the address, he made clear in blunt terms that he was not inclined to give the speech or go to Texas, but was talked into it by advisers, according to two people briefed on the discussion who asked not to be identified sharing details.

[quote]“It’s not going to change a damn thing, but I’m still doing it,” Mr. Trump said of the border visit, according to one of the people, who was in the room. The trip was merely a photo opportunity, he said. “But,” he added, gesturing at his communications aides Bill Shine, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kellyanne Conway, “these people behind you say it’s worth it.”

A frustrated Mr. Trump put his hands in the air—two open palms on either side of his face—and said, “Bye-bye,” and left the room, according to people familiar with the meeting

Bye bye. Is he twelve years old?

Ugh. The Republican Senators are all in. They squashed any talk of compromise because Mitch is afraid to stand up to Trump (plus they think it plays well with their base). I am afraid it will take a disaster for anything to change. Hannity is planning to interview Trump at the border.

Mitch is up for re-election in 2020, we need to send him back to the farm, or wherever the FUCK he came from

Doesn’t this all seem like gaslighting? The Mueller report is being prepared and the Republican Senators are still sticking with Trump. History will record them as cowards and traitors.

Their party is on its way down to the abyss, and as they circle the drain, trump is the piece of flotsam they’ve grabbed onto.

Holy crap. All of this was predicted in a 1958 TV WESTERN called TRACKDOWN. Someone posted a clip. It's a legit TV episode, even snopes comfirmed it. It's all about this con man who is trying to persuade the town to build a WALL. And the con man's name.......

WALTER TRUMP.

No joke.

R9- This is so TRUE it's bizarre----

dialogue from that clip--

Narrator: [speaking about Trump] "The High Priest Of Fraud"

Trump talking to the town, trying to convince them to build a wall---"I am the only one. Trust me. I can build a wall around your homes that nothing will penetrate." [apparently he convinced them a comet was coming to destroy the town]

Man in crowd: "You're a liar, Trump!"

This is just too freaky.

[R8] an apt metaphor.

The whole Trackdown episode is available on YT-

USA now on way towards the Track Down. It was written in 1958. This weirdness has happened before.

OMG...and the episode was directed by DONALD McDougall !

If Robert Culp was still alive we could ask him about it.

There was a poster who claimed to be able to speak to ghosts on another thread...

Here's my prediction. Trump will go down to the border. The local Senators will kiss up to him and appear in a photo op. Trump will find some MAGA-hat-wearing yokel border guard, preferably one who has been wounded in some manner, to talk about the "tide of illegals". Hannity will ask the questions he's been given, and do everything to make Trump's case but fellate him on TV.

Trump will announce the Democrats have not solved the problem, so HE WILL. He says HE will reopen the government, but is declaring a national emergency. The Democrats and some other organizations will likely sue, and the whole thing will be held up in the courts.

Trump gets out of the corner he painted himself into, and will continue to make the case that HE tried to do something but THE DEMOCRATS blah blah blah. The wall still won't get built, but his base will be happy.

He will do his the day before people stop getting paid, so Congress can pass quick legislation to reopen the government and then there will be a flurry of activity and cursing as everyone gets back to work and tries to clean up the mess left by three weeks of the shutdown, literally and figuratively.

R16 - “He will do his the day before people stop getting paid, so Congress can pass quick legislation to reopen the government....”

What do you mean by “he will do this the day BEFORE people stop getting paid”?

The 800,000 affected workers haven’t been paid for three weeks. And that has been the case whether they were forced to work during the shutdown or not. The damage has already been done.

Sure, they will all receive retroactive pay once this shit show is over, but right now they’re not seeing a penny.

Hero who takes down Trump on "Trackdown" is played by Robert Culp.

Robert Culp= Robert Mueller.

I now believe in time travel.

I have a naive question: Are the "essential" federal workers being paid? Or are they required to go and work for no pay?

Also, over at Fr€€pers, it's very quiet. You know these people are solidly in Dumps base and will burn down everything for this fucking wall. They will search for mentions over the net so be careful. They will also troll here. (And damn it, NO, IM NOT A TROLL!!)

R19 The 800,000 affected workers haven’t been paid for three weeks. And that has been the case whether they were forced to work during the shutdown or not.

the government shutdown is a form of saying there is an emergency. But, this is a lie to shutdown the government. No federal employees are getting paid right now, on programs that were furloughed. Because the republicans are saying there are not funds to pay them. However, there is a way to pay them, also you can raise taxes. Trump then states he want 10 billion for building the wall. If there is a shortage of funds, I would prefer to pay EPA Scientists, not ICE and certainly not that stupid wall.

Everyone knows the government shutdown was a bullshit tactic, which should not be used in this manner. The Republicans in congress, both McConnell and Paul Ryan's leadership passed the tax scam bill, which collect significantly reduced taxes from billionaire and corporations were paying to us.

Holy moly R9... Talk about life imitating art. That is crazy... what a premonition. Thanks for the clip.

R16 I tend to agree he will try to pull the state of emergency /courts ploy, so he can say I tried to get a wall but the courts blocked me, while at the border BUT it still will already be too late to get a check to the furloughed workers by this pay period (Friday).

R7, i've already taken to referring to them as "Vichy (r)epublicans"

The NY Times headline says the State of Emergency is a way out of this mess! I can't believe they would print something like this. I guess it's true but it gives him credibility!

I think you've nailed it R16. I was thinking something similar would happen myself.

As long as he can say he pulled out all the stops and tried everything then his base will be thrilled and project their anger/hatred onto the Democrats.

R17 please stop saying they haven't been paid for three weeks. They were paid in late December because those checks were already set to go out. Friday is when a lot of them will not get their paychecks - their first actually missed under this closure. They're paid two weeks at a time and the payment is a week ahead of time worked. This has been discussed on the news etc.

There's people who aren't getting paid as a result of the shutdown, but the big actual date that a significant nber of those 800k will not get a paycheck is this Friday. Surely you have seen this mentioned in the reports and such, they have been reminding us of this Friday for awhile.

So, what's a good response to relatives that keep sending me a meme about Obama, Pelosi, have walls around their homes. They don't understand that it's not the same thing.

Tell them they're idiots and to stop sending you stupid memes. You can't reason with people like that, they are dug into their respective positions.

R29

Wow. And you’re on speaking terms with these people? Good luck.

Obama does not have walls around his home. His house has walls but all houses do, unless we want him to live under four sticks with a canvas roof.

We don't really speak. They just send these stupid memes...all the time. I just got another one about how Obama was a Black Panther with photo shopped picture of course. They are idiots.

Those people seem to be like many others in this country -- spreading lies to peddle a false vision.

Someone posted a link to his trainwreck of a presser in the previous thread. The comments seem to be dominated by "alt-right" trolls. Amazing.

The steel slat border wall being tested by Homeland Security is a big FAIL. You can cut it with a SAW.

What a great way to spend taxpayers money.

Walls. Did someone mention walls? Yep, Donald Trump did at a commencement speech.

[quote]The steel slat border wall being tested by Homeland Security is a big FAIL. You can cut it with a SAW.

He'll just say it is all Pelosi's fault.

Speaker Pelosi's press conference

TSA is represented by a union, so why don't they strike or organize a sick day or something? You shut down air traffic in this country for 24 or 48 hours and this shit ends with a quickness.

Fucking Cher is asking Nancy to give Trump the money so the shutdown can end! Sorry not sure if it's been posted!

Yes, Trump has painted himself into a corner. He’s gonna have a hell of a time getting out of it. This is the art of the deal???? What a loon.

He claims he is likely to declare a national emergency. Why not do it now and reopen government?

[quote]Fucking Cher is asking Nancy to give Trump the money

What an asshole -- letting Trump hold the government hostage to his deplorable campaign promises.

[quote]He claims he is likely to declare a national emergency. Why not do it now and reopen government?

Because it's a threat to get the democrats to cave. Even someone as witless as he is has got to know that he's likely to lose much of the little credibility he has left with independents if he claims there's a "state of emergency" because he's not getting his way regarding a stupid construction project.

Oh, c'mon now! Whose "brilliant" idea was this? This is just as bad as when "they" had Obama skeet shooting to try and convince everyone that he loves guns and hunting...

Look here's a plastic bag with money in it. Now give me $5 billion dollars.

Someone keep an eye on POTUS near that bag of money.

I’m reading comments across the net of people who are not getting paid reading posts of facebook friends and even family saying Trump should continue the shutdown. They say it’s demoralizing as they are finding their deplorable loved ones don’t care if are not getting paid and are facing a hard time surviving this. When did these people they know become cold with hearts of stone? When did they give up their Christian values for those they know?

So if Trump declares a national emergency, he still needs money to fund the stupid wall bullshit -- it doesn't give him a magic wand he can wave to Make It So.

The money has to some from something else congress had allocated money for. Guess where? As the BBC puts it:

[quote]Mr Trump has been briefed on one plan that would involve diverting funding allocated to reconstruction projects in disaster areas, including Puerto Rico, to pay for the wall, NBC reports, citing three unnamed US officials.

^^^Shitty politics of vengeance, as usual.

He's heading towards crossroads either of losing his base and keeping or (only potentially) growing independents, or keeping his base while his independent support trickles away (and he settles on approval finally sticking in 30%s).

Either case, he's losing an election without phenomenal cheating.

The Republicans should at least be ready to lose at least one more branch of government in 2020 regardless.

To some, it'll all be worth it for having up to decades more of a right-wing Court.

R46- The funny thing about the photo op is that the border guard pointed out to Trump that people were able to DIG UNDER the wall. I doubt Trump realized what bad optics that are for his argument. Also it was pointed out to Trump that they were showing drugs seized at LEGAL entry points.

I wonder if the CBP decided to stick a few pins in Trump during this photo op?

[quote]The steel slat border wall being tested by Homeland Security is a big FAIL. You can cut it with a SAW.

We'll be doing the Mexican economy a big favor. Some of the people there will simply cut into the wall and steal the steel.

R46, actually Obama’s ability to go skeet shooting, to rodeos, to wear cowboy hats, to go to megachurches, and to go to NASCAR Events is pivotal to his ability to win over votes in purple states. If only Hillary did the same

I would not be surprised if the wall thing is all about financial dealings with his business associates, domestic and/or foreign. Trump probably told them that they will benefit in some way. It's not happening and he's being pressured.

R57: Yep.

[quote]To some, it'll all be worth it for having up to decades more of a right-wing Court.

Speaking of:

Politico reports that the White House and senior Senate Judiciary Committee Republican aides are preparing for the possibility of a Supreme Court vacancy due to Justice Ginsburg's illness, including putting together a shortlist of possible nominees.

Re: R59

Fuuuuuuuccccckkkkkk

They’ve been preparing since November 2016

RBG will hold on until 2021

What the heck are the doing? A government coup just to rally the minority racists?

With the government shut down, people are running rampant in national parks such as Joshua Tree —

[quote]According to National Parks Traveler, visitors are creating illegal roads and driving into some of the park’s most fragile areas. They are also chopping down trees, setting illegal fires, and graffitiing rocks. With Joshua Tree being roughly the size of Delaware, the eight on-duty law enforcement rangers had no way to stop all the prohibited activity.

It’s still gonna take a plane to fall out of the sky or an epidemic for Republicans to not support Trump. They really drank the KoolAid and are all in supporting this stupid fat orange man.

Sadly, I think you are right, r65.

It’s getting bad with TSA so Trump will declare his national emergency on Monday? He is such a narcissist he probably wants the record for longest shutdown. Why doesn’t the White House get bombed? He and Spence need to go to heaven and then we can rebuild.

[quote]Why doesn’t the White House get bombed?

BITE YOUR TONGUE! CURSES TO YOU!!!

Why destroy such an historic and important symbol of our nation?

Social Security and its workers won't be losing any pay as they're funded throughout the entire year. They're even getting paid overtime. What other agencies got funded and aren't be affected by this shutdown? Anyone know?

and the people being hurt by tariffs, many still support him. "Well something drastic had to happen". Fucking idiots.

The WH is tarnished. We can rebuild after the occupants are terminated.

Air Traffic Control is effected. They are not receiving a pay check and their federal contractors that help back stop them are not showing up to work because they are contractors. The contract is frozen. They are stressed out, over worked and not back up with contractors. Air travel is dangerous.

ABC News: Miami International Airport closing a terminal today due to TSA officers calling in sick during government shutdown. Watch to see if other airports follow suit.

There IS something going around, though. My workplace has been half empty for about a week and a half due to it, and we have no government funding.

WH’s chief economic advisor says that furloughed fed workers “in a sense are better off,” because they’re getting “vacation”

Why is CNN obsessed with a 13 year old girl?

TSA should walk out - all of them

I see you're not flying anytime soon, r76.

How soon until planes start falling from the sky???

DOD is funded, I believe Labor and HHS are as well.

I'm getting a vacation as a furloughed federal worker? I have been everywhere putting in applications for temp work and tutoring... my landlord isn't up to negotiating for lawn work in January.

R79 what about having a garage sale or asking your local church for support?

R80, don't forget babysitting and dog walking.

R79, Do you know any babies or dogs?

I wouldn't be eating a Caesar salad on an airplane flight right now if I were you.

Going without a paycheck is not a vacation!

Now on Craigslist, Facebook: Household items from furloughed workers trying to make ends meet.

A federal worker in Morgantown, W.Va., took to Facebook this week to sell welding tools, left behind by his deceased father-in-law. Another, a die-hard Star Wars fan in Woodbridge, Va., did the same with a life-size replica of Kylo Ren’s lightsaber. A single father in Indiana hosted a sale on eBay with five pages of things found around the house, including Bibles, Nintendo bedsheets and Dr. Seuss neckties.

“Sells for $93.88 at Walmart. Asking $10,” a government worker wrote on a Craigslist ad for a Lulu Ladybug rocking chair. “We need money to pay bills.”

I was supposed to take a vacation later this month, but I'm too scared to fly if we're still in shutdown mode.

This is seriously fucked up. And very concerning is seeing Deplorables really blaming this on the Dems.

Not sure about this but I would be concerned about the government not paying for health insurance premiums. A serious illness or accident could bankrupt someone. This is all just such nonsense. Trump needs to open the government and deal with his bloody wall later.

I sympathize with the workers, I do. But I'm a little surprised that if today is their first missed paycheck, why are they so cash-poor already?

What r87 said

I got some excellent bargains from local government workers selling their accoutrements! It's a savings bonanza! Praise Trump!

Because they used their last check for Christmas and bills

[quote]Not sure about this but I would be concerned about the government not paying for health insurance premiums. A serious illness or accident could bankrupt someone. This is all just such nonsense. Trump needs to open the government and deal with his bloody wall later.

I heard Feb. 1st is the date where this becomes a huge issue.

[quote]But I'm a little surprised that if today is their first missed paycheck, why are they so cash-poor already?

The Sydney Morning Herald has the answer:

"In the United States, living pay-packet to pay-packet is disturbingly common, regardless of profession or location.

A recent report from the Federal Reserve revealed how little cushion most Americans have in their budgets: Four in 10 adults say they couldn't produce $US400 in an emergency without sliding into debt or selling something, according to the figures that surveyed households in 2017, a relatively prosperous year for the American economy."

Many of the paycheck to paycheck feds are on the lower end of the pay scale. Duh.

R92 the Sydney Morning Herald doesn't realize that the economy statistics don't necessarily mean higher wages for workers.

It's disturbing but it's not just in the US. Actually the British are even more in hock than we are. The average Briton carries far more credit card debt than the average American. That's because (and I don't mean this as a dig) the average salary tends to be a bit less in the UK than the US, but in the West everyone wants to have and do all the nice things.

True. Most TSA agents only make about $30,000 a year, so it's easy to see how making ends meet would be difficult.

I've always been surprised since they are low-paid, and, one might assume, undereducated, that they haven't been bribed by rich terrorists to allow them or weapons through.

This feels like the terrible social experiment that Republicans have been wanting for decades:

Smaller government

They get their way no matter what (fuck democracy)

Eventually cutting off food stamps and entitlements

It’s very discouraging that Trump is whipping up blame game and poor rich me victim psychology.

Trump the asshole, always blaming everyone else for his shortfalls. Will we ever see retribution? He is getting ready to replace Ginsberg with some right wing ideolog. Could Mueller take the hint? He needs to move, our democracy is being destroyed.

@scotusreporter

BREAKING: No remaining signs of cancer for Justice Ginsburg, and no additional treatment required, Supreme Court says. She'll miss next week's arguments but continue to participate in cases from home.

Oh yeah, r87...you are willing to work long hours for free? I guess you are way into sacrifice for the orange douchbag?

You would think that even Deplorables would get sick of his constant stream of lies?

R99 - YEA!!!!! We needed some good news!

I'm a non exempt civilian employee for the military. I was able to make my mortgage payment for January...after that, I don't know what I am going to do. Hopefully I get approved for UC and I'll be sending my resume' out. It sucks to be over 40 looking for work. They just don't want to hire youth for youth's sake, but they can hire them for less money.

I hate Donald Trump.

R103 I think gov will open up before February.

Sorry to hear this. Good luck. I keep reading that even Republicans are telling Trump to not declare a national emergency because it will be challenged, fail, and no wall will be built.

Why aren't the Republicans going balls out and trying for a national identity system? That seems like it would be like cat nip for them, especially if you followed it up with stiff penalties for hiring illegals?

Because Republicans don't want to hold employers accountable, R106.

Wasn't that a big debate when Obama was in office? All the Rs wanted a national identity card?

Angela Rye weighs in.

Miss Lindsay announced she had tea with Rump today and then declared an emergency must be declared!

Trump’s Traveling Shitshow

R80, 81, LOL. I actually have some dog sitting gigs lined up. Tutoring bored HS and college students is painful enough, but babysitting?? Too bad it's in the 20s here, not the best weather for a garage sale.

Some neighbors and I are looking into a local church hall for a big community sale. They have been wonderful, but this should not be on local organizations for a federal government issue.

I am over 60, so I have limited options overall. I was putting away the maximum for retirement, so I don't have a large cushion in savings. I am doing OK right now, but I know the bills that will be coming in at the end of the month.

I am ready and willing to work. The "catch up" is going to be a nightmare since we were working short-handed before.

Are the TSA not being paid? They should announce they are ALL unavailable for work starting Monday and not come back until their wages are restored.

This is all about another cash-grab for this stupid, amoral, grifting, lying orange motherfucker! He has been enriching his crime family via the oval office since day ONE! The office of the POTUS is just another criminal enterprise for fat Donnie. He got there illegally, and it's all bee "business as usual" for the Trump crime family. When will we finally remove this cancer which has eaten away our country and all that it is SUPPOSED to stand for? I know the rot that has infested Congress and the White House runs deep and wide, but this fucker, his bad-seed children, and all his corrupt cronies in the Senate (and those judges placed on the SCOTUS by this ILLEGITAMATE administration) need to be DESTROYED. We either have to stand together as a nation trying to save itself, or all just say "Fuck it! The coup d'etat happened in 2016, and we are now in a dictatorship with the waste-of-life Donald Trump at the helm".

If he's allowed to build the wall he will probably want his name on it.

Don’t you mean The Donald J. Trump Steel Fence Barrier Whatever You Want to Call It

R115 I'll bet you were the brightest in your class, weren't you?

[quote]Miss Lindsay announced she had tea with Rump today and then declared an emergency must be declared!

... Oh i do declare Mr Boagart!

~Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls

There's some gay TSA, ex-military dude going on all the networks today. He and his partner planned to purchase a house.

It seems like The Manchurian Candidate! Putin Trump want to tear down the US for oligarchs. He must be stopped!

I am weary. Do I file taxes? I got my W2 this wk

I would say he's been profiting since wayyyy before Day One.

Doesn't it fell like the last hurrah of the white slave owners? McConnell going home to Kentucky for the weekend. I don't think people realize a lot of high level, important people are furloughed that help maintain public safety. All across the country. This fixation on the Mexico border is a giant red herring.

And while we are being distracted....

What's the plan here?

A natural disaster needs to hit a very heavily Red State area now. FEMA is furloughed.

Let us all mentally join our hands together to pray....

Ooooooooooo r126, yes. I’m going to light a candle for that.

This morning's missives;

Donald J. Trump Verified account @realDonaldTrump

Wow, just learned in the Failing New York Times that the corrupt former leaders of the FBI, almost all fired or forced to leave the agency for some very bad reasons, opened up an investigation on me, for no reason & with no proof, after I fired Lyin’ James Comey, a total sleaze!

...Funny thing about James Comey. Everybody wanted him fired, Republican and Democrat alike. After the rigged & botched Crooked Hillary investigation, where she was interviewed on July 4th Weekend, not recorded or sworn in, and where she said she didn’t know anything (a lie),....

....the FBI was in complete turmoil (see N.Y. Post) because of Comey’s poor leadership and the way he handled the Clinton mess (not to mention his usurpation of powers from the Justice Department). My firing of James Comey was a great day for America. He was a Crooked Cop......

.....who is being totally protected by his best friend, Bob Mueller, & the 13 Angry Democrats - leaking machines who have NO interest in going after the Real Collusion (and much more) by Crooked Hillary Clinton, her Campaign, and the Democratic National Committee. Just Watch!

I have been FAR tougher on Russia than Obama, Bush or Clinton. Maybe tougher than any other President. At the same time, & as I have often said, getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. I fully expect that someday we will have good relations with Russia again!

Lyin’ James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter S and his lover, agent Lisa Page, & more, all disgraced and/or fired and caught in the act. These are just some of the losers that tried to do a number on your President. Part of the Witch Hunt. Remember the “insurance policy?” This is it!

Democrats should come back to Washington and work to end the Shutdown, while at the same time ending the horrible humanitarian crisis at our Southern Border. I am in the White House waiting for you!

23% of Federal inmates are illegal immigrants. Border arrests are up 240%. In the Great State of Texas, between 2011 & 2018, there were a total of 292,000 crimes by illegal aliens, 539 murders, 32,000 assaults, 3,426 sexual assaults and 3000 weapons charges. Democrats come back!

Democrats could solve the Shutdown in 15 minutes! Call your Dem Senator or Congresswoman/man. Tell them to get it done! Humanitarian Crisis.

I just watched a Fake reporter from the Amazon Washington Post say the White House is “chaotic, there does not seem to be a strategy for this Shutdown. There is no plan.” The Fakes always like talking Chaos, there is NONE. In fact, there’s almost nobody in the W.H. but me, and...

....I do have a plan on the Shutdown. But to understand that plan you would have to understand the fact that I won the election, and I promised safety and security for the American people. Part of that promise was a Wall at the Southern Border. Elections have consequences!

We have a massive Humanitarian Crisis at our Southern Border. We will be out for a long time unless the Democrats come back from their “vacations” and get back to work. I am in the White House ready to sign!

Orange Marmalade is doing SOP, pooping his diaper and tweeting, BFD.

Who writes this crap for him? These seem like the crazy ramblings of a methed out homeless person on the subway.

He writes it, R130

No. He has someone else write them. They are very deliberate with the initial caps - like a serial killer.

Wow he is deranged. Has any major nation ever survived such insane leadership?

"I sympathize with the workers, I do. But I'm a little surprised that if today is their first missed paycheck, why are they so cash-poor already?"

I think the percentage of people living paycheck-to-paycheck is really high. True, for SOME it might be due to living above their means, but I'd think in the majority of cases it's genuine - and it exists across a wide range of incomes and classes. So, there are six-figure households with kids , who have mortgage, student loan, insurance, car payments, household expenses, and all the expenses relating to the kids who are paycheck to paycheck. Even more so if they live in an expensive metro area where a lot of the good jobs are. Even if they're single and/or don't have kids and living in an expensive location, it all adds up quickly.

[quote]I am weary. Do I file taxes? I got my W2 this wk

Even if the IRS were open, they never start accepting/processing returns until the end of January, at the earliest. You can file, but nothing will happen.

[quote]Who writes this crap for him? These seem like the crazy ramblings of a methed out homeless person on the subway.

I am thinking Stephen Miller. It did seem pretty manufactured today. I saw a comment saying something like how sad is it when you are speaking as the president, you think it will be most believable when you sound like a deranged fool.

Totally agree ^

[quote]I think the percentage of people living paycheck-to-paycheck is really high. True, for SOME it might be due to living above their means, but I'd think in the majority of cases it's genuine - and it exists across a wide range of incomes and classes.

I posted earlier somewhere that nearly 80% of the country lives paycheck to paycheck, and yes, it's because most of us are living beyond our means, But, I must admit that even I am shocked at quickly people are resorting to food banks, crying over not being able to pay bills--if all of these stories are true. It just REALLY underscores how serious the lack of incomes increasing and income disparity, etc is.

[quote]It just REALLY underscores how serious the lack of incomes increasing and income disparity, etc is.

But our shareholders!

Tweet writer

Gross, 140. I googled him; he looks mobbed.

Dan Crenshaw, the pirate eyepatch Republican, proves that he is, in fact, either willfully stupid or a proven liar.

---

‏Verified account @DanCrenshawTX

In an alternate universe where Republicans still held the House, the government would be open, federal workers would have their paychecks, and Border Patrol would have the funding and tools they need.

Just something to think about.

r140 no one believes that he actually writes the majority of Trump's tweets, considering they usually take place in the early mornings during "Executive Time", i.e., when he's watching Fox and Friends on the toilet and looking at his headlines.

If they break our government functions, then they can privatise it. I think that’s the republican long term goal. There is no hurry to re-open government when the ultimate goal is to break it.

Good response to Crenshaw's Tweet above:

@SpryGuy

Replying to @DanCrenshawTX

Just something to think about:

1) The GOP Senate voted UNANIMOUSLY

2) The GOP House refused to vote, causing shutdown

3) The Dem House passed the Senate bill

4) The GOP Senate refuses to even bring it to a vote.

This shutdown is ENTIRELY on Trump, McConnell, & the GOP. Not Dems.

How do you know he is not in the toilet with Trump? He is a paid toady to drive the Trump Train.

I don’t think you read the article. He drafts and posts Trump’s tweets.

R138, real wages in this country have stagnated since the 1970s. I think the idea that most people are “living beyond their means” isn’t true; it’s basic living expenses, such as housing and medical insurance, that are the real killers.

The American people are all suffering. Not just the employees, who I sympathize with, but these employees do serve a purpose. They serve the People. They ought to strike, starting with the congressional police.

Just hope the Kardashians are okay.

R147 not all of the tweets. Not even the majority. He may claim otherwise, but no.

You really don’t get it. All these tweets by Trump today were heavily vetted before posting.

[quote]All these tweets by Trump today were heavily vetted before posting.

Vetted by who? There's no one really left in this White House.

I am surprised too. Aren't Federal employees well paid? They have benefits and shit. They are going to the food bands? This is what emergency funds are for! Don't they even have savings?!

*banks

No, R154, they're not, not the ones who are most hurt by this shutdown. Like all too many Americans, they're living paycheck to paycheck. And while their benefits tend to be better than their peers in the private sector, you can't use those benefits to pay rent. Or put food on the table.

[quote] But, I must admit that even I am shocked at quickly people are resorting to food banks, crying over not being able to pay bills

46% of Americans said they don't have enough money to cover a $400 emergency expense. Missing one paycheck is certainly greater than $400. Some of the damage can be postponed using credit cards, help from family, friends, churches, etc., but too many of us, including those furloughed workers, are just one setback away from bankruptcy and/or homelessness.

I’m surprised anyone here thinks Trump can compose a tweet with numbers sitting on the toilet. You can tell from the man’s signature that he barely reads or writes.

r154, as I said on the first thread, I took a $15k per year pay cut to work for the government.

Having a life was worth it. I had to give up some material things but now I can sleep at night without medication.

The severance I got from my other job is what I am using to pay my bills now.

But I don't have kids to support so I can get by. Others with kids or parents they are supporting just can't save with the constant needs of others draining their savings.

No, we do not make a lot of money. That is a myth the repugs have continued to spread. Don't believe it. I make about $45k per year. And I am pretty average for my site and job.

R159 is correct. Republicans lie about EVERYTHING. Federal workers aren’t rolling in dough. The cost of living has dramatically increased while wages have been stagnant for decades. A single person can barely scrape by on 45k. If you’ve got kids, fucking forget about it.

“I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made,” Comey tweeted today, quoting former President Franklin D. Roosevelt

r160 They may not be rolling in dough, but the majority of them are overpaid - considering their awful work ethic and limited talents.

Government workers get a bad rap. Many are attorneys, systems engineers, architects, project managers, etc. that keep thousands of national projects moving. Of course there are some lazy people that take advantage of the system, but that is true in any profession. It's a weird diss for people who don't contribute to undervalue public service.

R162 Well, that applies to all sectors of the work force. It's probably the norm these days.

Latest from das Fuhrer:

Donald J. Trump Verified account @realDonaldTrump

I will be interviewed by Jeanine Pirro at 9:00 P.M. on @FoxNews. Watch @JesseBWatters before and @greggutfeld after. All terrific people. I am in the White House waiting for Cryin’ Chuck and Nancy to call so we can start helping our Country both at the Border and from within!

Okay Weird Donald

And, the latest from the GoFundMe project:

Update 21 Posted by Brian Kolfage 3 hours ago Share

DO NOT BELIEVE the FAKE NEWS! The Gofundme campaign is NOT cancelled, It's still going, and everyone is NOT being refunded!

If you want to continue with our NEW Mission to BUILD THE WALL click opt in right here: ( )

$20,371,830 of $1.0B goal

Raised by 340,979 people in 26 days

He's pretending that he can actually build the wall, so it's become a standard Republican grifting operation.

[quote] In the update, Kolfage said the group was "highly confident" that it could "complete significant segments of the wall in less time, and for far less money, than the federal government, while meeting or exceeding all required regulatory, engineering, and environmental specifications."

[quote]In a statement to INSIDER, Kolfage said the group was "already taking action on identifying the most densely crossed areas of the border, soliciting affected landowners along the Southern border, and ascertaining the willingness of border landowners to provide no or low-cost easements on their property for wall construction."

[quote]He added: "Better equipped than our own federal government, we have made significant progress in less than a month, having begun extensive due diligence and commenced feasibility studies."

Total bullshit, of course, but he'll milk it for all he can get for as long as gullible idiots will contribute.

Maybe Putin has a slightly used Iron Curtain he can sell The Donald.

OH!!!

But, how can the money be refunded? I thought with GoFundMe (unlike KickStarter) the money immediately goes directly into the designated bank account and is not held in escrow.

It's absolutely disgusting what FOX does.

The wall / shutdown = last obfuscation before Mueller report comes out

R171 - That title reminds me of something from 150 years ago:

“Jews, Jesuits, and Journalists - the case against the anti-German supremacy conspiracy”

r149 Federal employees are not allowed to strike. Do you not remember the air traffic controllers and Reagan?

R170 because he said in his original posts for the GoFundMe that he would refund the money if the goal wasn't met. GoFundMe used that to essentially cancel it when the goal was predictably not met.

Him saying reports of that are fake news when it came directly from the company are a strong indication this has become just another Republican grift, as stated above. The "wall building company" I expect is just a way to launder the money.

Oh, and the GoFundMe had a goal, so I think the money is held until the goal is met. It's not entirely clear from their website how all that works though.

On the other hand, if these rubes are giving their money to this grifter, at least they aren't donating it to Republican candidates, unless the grifter suddenly decides to run for office.

By a wide margin, more Americans blame President Trump and Republicans in Congress than congressional Democrats for the now record-breaking government shutdown, and most reject the president’s assertion that there is an illegal-immigration crisis on the southern border, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Support for building a wall on the border, which is the principal sticking point in the stalemate between the president and Democrats, has increased over the past year. Today, 42 percent say they support a wall, up from 34 percent last January. A slight majority of Americans (54 percent) oppose the idea, down from 63 percent a year ago. The increase in support is sharpest among Republicans, whose backing for Trump’s long-standing campaign promise jumped 16 points in the past year, from 71 percent to 87 percent. Not only has GOP support increased, it has also hardened. Today, 70 percent of Republicans say they strongly support the wall, an increase of 12 points since January 2018. Concerning the allocation of blame, 53 percent say Trump and the Republicans are mainly at fault, and 29 percent blame the Democrats in Congress. Thirteen percent say both sides bear equal responsibility for the shutdown. That is identical to the end of the 16-day shutdown in 2013, when 29 percent blamed then-President Barack Obama and 53 percent put the responsibility on congressional Republicans. A predictable partisan divide shapes the blame game, with 85 percent of Democrats citing Trump and Republicans as the cause and 68 percent of Republicans pointing the finger at congressional Democrats. Independents fix the blame squarely on the president and his party rather than on the Democrats, by 53 percent to 23 percent. Women blame Trump and Republicans by a margin of 35 points, and men blame the president and the GOP by 13 points.

I'm a tiny bit less misanthropic after reading that, R177. Thank you.

[quote]By a wide margin, more Americans blame President Trump and Republicans in Congress than congressional Democrats for the now record-breaking government shutdown, and most reject the president’s assertion that there is an illegal-immigration crisis on the southern border, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

But...but CSPAN had a poll on Twitter! Trump is winning this!

People are going into their battle corners R177. Look... Republicans know that Trump is a mess. But, many of them would rather slit their own wrists than admit that--especially after all of the noise and trouble that they gave President Obama.

But, putting on a partisan hat, this is SUCH an opportunity for Democrats! It's time to define the Republican party as the faces of Donald Trump, Steve King, and nothing more! And, if treason (or, something very close to that), can be pinned on Trump who is supported by the Republican party, then it could be "good night" for this party.

The problem is Trump Only cares about his base.

But will his base's economic anxiety trump (so to speak) their racism. The farmers are already getting screwed.

First tweet of the morning! How odd... it's almost 11:00 AM/EST

Donald J. Trump Verified account @realDonaldTrump

The damage done to our Country from a badly broken Border - Drugs, Crime and so much that is bad - is far greater than a Shutdown, which the Dems can easily fix as soon as they come back to Washington!

R181, that's true but Republican Senators are looking ahead to 2020 and are getting increasingly nervous. As long as Republicans continue to be blamed for this shutdown (and justifiably so, of course), the longer this continues, the more damage it does, the more likely it is that they will cave. And if Trump really is the lone holdout, that makes it even more likely that he will assume the sole responsibility for this damage. That hurts both him and his party in 2020 and at some point Republicans in Congress will cave and will pass the continuing resolutions with veto-proof majorities.

[quote]But...but CSPAN had a poll on Twitter! Trump is winning this!

WaPo says the opposite.

Trump calls WaPo: "FAKE NEWS AMAZON LIBERAL PRESS!"

R184 Mitch McConnell is refusing to bring any bills before the Senate because he is up for re-election in 2020.

Unfortunately Trump is more popular than ever with Republicans. No one in his own party will challenge him.

R187, so he thinks he can get away with Congress and the entire government, being shut down for a whole years’ time and still be re-elected?

Some of those Deplorables are poor. They might need something in that time period.

How can Mitch McConnell keep the government shutdown for 2 years and still get reelected? Okay, someone very wealthy and liberal has to move to Kentucky and run for senate. MOVE NOW!

Oprah, Bloomberg, someone. They are not qualified for President, but for Mitch's senate seat this is an upgrade for the people there and all Americans.

CHER, the dickie chicks, REBA, Dolly Parton. MOVE THERE AND RUN.

[quote]How can Mitch McConnell keep the government shutdown for 2 years and still get reelected? Okay, someone very wealthy and liberal has to move to Kentucky and run for senate. MOVE NOW!

There are several good candidates who are native to Kentucky. The last thing we need is some carpetbagger.

I thought people love an OUTSIDER. The OUTSIDER campaign BS is really in vogue, even more so with Republicans and Independents. Registered Democrats already hate Mitch and will vote for someone else.

VOTE MITCH OUT IN 2020

Fucking Mitch just needs to bring the bills up for a vote and that's that. If POTUS vetoes it, override the goddamn veto. Why keep pandering to Trump and his base? Mitch is relinquishing the legislative branch's co-equal power to POTUS. He is not doing his constitutional duty. But then again, this guy stopped abiding by the constitution years ago. Vote this mf out!

Please. Kentucky elected that carpetbagger, Bevins.

Hopefully Brashears or Allison Grimes (I think it is) will run against that useless back of pus.

And this asshole wonders why he gets run out of restaurants and confronted on the street. Do you goddamned job!

This short bite is good

[quote]Hopefully Brashears or Allison Grimes (I think it is) will run against that useless back of pus.

More likely to be Beshears, since I think Grimes is going to run for governor.

R171-The thing about Pirro, Carlson, Coulter and the rest of them is that they don't really believe the crap they spew. It's a paycheck to them. Supporting Trump is all about getting ratings and support for any kind of book deals or talking gigs. They all know that Trump is a total loon but admitting that won't get their bills paid.

^^^ I'd say that is probably true of only Ann Coulter. Pirro and Carlson are really nuts!

Yeah, it's performance art for Coulter. Carlson is, according to Rick Wilson, a nihilist who believes in nothing and just wants to burn everything down. But Pirro is certifiable -- she is on the Trump train with full conviction.

Meanwhile in Canada...

An unstable US is a win for me.

[quote]Carlson is, according to Rick Wilson, a nihilist who believes in nothing and just wants to burn everything down.

Do you remember where you heard or read Rick say this?

R200- That's so nice. But I'm sure Trump will have something nasty to say about it - like Canada should be paying off their debt to the US instead of trying to pay it off with pizzas...or something like that.

@jeff_foust ·

ISS controllers still on the job, but without pay for more than three weeks now.

Haw haw!

I guess he'll start talking to the paintings soon. Maybe not. He doesn't know who they are...

Donald J. Trump Verified account @realDonaldTrump

Wish I could share with everyone the beauty and majesty of being in the White House and looking outside at the snow filled lawns and Rose Garden. Really is something - SPECIAL COUNTRY, SPECIAL PLACE!

Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little remaining ISIS territorial caliphate hard, and from many directions. Will attack again from existing nearby base if it reforms. Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds. Create 20 mile safe zone....

....Likewise, do not want the Kurds to provoke Turkey. Russia, Iran and Syria have been the biggest beneficiaries of the long term U.S. policy of destroying ISIS in Syria - natural enemies. We also benefit but it is now time to bring our troops back home. Stop the ENDLESS WARS!

Major hub Houston airport just closed one terminal because not enough TSA workers.

Or my haunting them has worked, R207.

^^^ And, so let's go ANOTHER week with our government shut down!

Sunday morning update on the Freeper Fantasy Fundraising--

GoFundMe may reimburse more than $20 million to people who contributed to an Iraq War veteran’s fundraiser to build a southern border wall.

That’s because its organizer, Brian Kolfage, has suddenly changed the direction of the money, planning now to send it to a nonprofit he created rather than the federal government.

Last month, when his GoFundMe page was started, Kolfage vowed that [bold]“100% of your donations will go to the Trump Wall.”

“If for ANY reason we don’t reach our goal we will refund your donation,”[/bold] he added.

[bold][italic]Those statements have since been removed from the page, where Kolfage, a veteran living in Florida, announced Friday that he cannot get the money to the Trump administration.[/italic][/bold]

“The federal government won’t be able to accept our donations anytime soon,” the update read.

As a replacement, Kolfage said, has decided to send the donations to “We Build the Wall, Inc.,” the nonprofit he has formed along with a board of advisers.

“Our highly experienced team is highly confident that we can complete significant segments of the wall in less time, and for far less money, than the federal government, while meeting or exceeding all required regulatory, engineering, and environmental specifications,” he wrote on his fundraising page.

However, those who donated to his GoFundMe campaign must opt in to send their money to the nonprofit. If they don’t, GoFundMe will return their contribution.

Kolfage has voiced outrage over news of the refunds, claiming at the top of his page, “The media is falsely reporting all money is being refunded and it’s over. They are WRONG.”

GoFundMe spokesman Bobby Whithorne told The Hill the refunds came about because Kolfage broke the rules by switching the destination of the money.

[bold]In his statement, Whithorne pointed out the change in statements on the page, noting that Kolfage promised to return all donors’ money if his goal wasn’t reached.[/bold]

“However, that did not happen,” he said. “This means all donors will receive a refund.”

Although Kolfage attempted to assure donors the campaign wasn’t a scam when it began, he previously ran into trouble online.

In December, NBC News reported that Kolfage’s Facebook page, Right Wing News, was taken down in a major sweep by the company as part of its initiative to rid the platform of pages run by fake accounts or those being used as “ad farms using Facebook to mislead people into thinking that they were forums for legitimate political debate.”

[bold]On Thursday, BuzzFeed News revealed that Kolfage allegedly has a history of making money by spreading false news. One of his ventures, the outlet said, included another GoFundMe page that raised thousands of dollars for mentorship of veterans in military hospitals, but spokespeople at the facilities reportedly had no record of his work there or any sign that he donated the money.[/bold]

^^^ LOL! DELICIOUS!!!

OMG what a scam artist. Thank God they won’t give him a dime.

he's mad because he got caught trying to scam trumptards!

There's a sucker born every minute!

WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE REPUBLICANS!!!!

The latest from the Fuhrer:

Donald J. Trump Verified account @realDonaldTrump

So sorry to hear the news about Jeff Bozo being taken down by a competitor whose reporting, I understand (National Inquirer), is far more accurate than the reporting in his lobbyist newspaper, the Amazon Washington Post. Hopefully the paper will soon be placed in better & more responsible hands!

If Elizabeth Warren, often referred to by me as Pocahontas did this commercial from Bighorn or Wounded Knee instead of her kitchen, with her husband dressed in full Indian garb, it would have been a smash!

At some point, can't the adults start talking about the 25th Amendment?

R214. He is vile. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a POTUS talking this way publicly about the people he was elected to represent. Absolutely classless.

I have no idea why Trump is backing down on this one. Some may say it's to satisfy his base. But why should the deplorables even be a part of the decision. They're so stupid and brainwashed, they would blame the Dems or Ellen or SPAM; or Trump could tell them that he built the wall and Mexico paid for it; they will believe it. They will NEVER leave him.

It’s to satisfy Russia, and by proxy conservatives that want less government. Good luck with the cabinet getting rid of him. They were hand chosen to be lackeys with no integrity.

MORE!

Donald J. Trump Verified account @realDonaldTrump

Best line in the Elizabeth Warren beer catastrophe is, to her husband, “Thank you for being here. I’m glad you’re here” It’s their house, he’s supposed to be there!

The Trump portrait of an unsustainable Border Crisis is dead on. “In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with Criminal Records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes & 4000 violent killings.” America’s Southern....

....Border is eventually going to be militarized and defended or the United States, as we have known it, is going to cease to exist...And Americans will not go gentle into that good night. Patrick Buchanan. The great people of our Country demand proper Border Security NOW!

45 sounds like he's in the mania stages of Bipolar.

SS better get the tranquilizer dart guns ready, as those episodes last for a while and he'll get worse before he gets "better".

So much adderall to be snorted, so little time!

Crazy shit is going down! Get me the fuck out!

I really don't care, do u Barron at r222?

Snow Day in DC Monday!

ALL of the government is shut down :-)

I love how Trump pretends he doesn't know how to spell National Enquirer, like he's never heard or read of it. Such an obvious bullshit attempt. He's friends with the CEO who was shilling for him all throughout the elections.

Republicans are in denial that they have lost the culture.

Can you stop cutting and pasting every inane tweet from Trump's Twitter? If we wanted to read everything he posts we'd go look at that account.

[quote]Can you stop cutting and pasting every inane tweet from Trump's Twitter?

FUCK YOU, R227! Look Trumptard, YOU need to be reminded with every breath of your worthless life what YOU support and what this idiot that YOU support has wrought upon the world. You don't like it? You don't want to read it? Here's a suggestion, dumb ass; Don't read it! Skip over it!

[quote] or the United States, as we have known it, is going to cease to exist...

More projection, sad to say

R228 are you drunk? In what universe am I a Trumptard? I think your medication needs adjusting.

[quote]Do you remember where you heard or read Rick say this?

I live in the UK. Yesterday a nice British man asked me if the government workers could get out of paying their mortgage until the shutdown ended if the government sent a nice letter with an IOU to their banks. I think he was startled by how hard I laughed.

You should have slapped his face viciously, r232!

Sure r232.

Has anyone announced a plan to end the shutdown? Hello? Can you hear me now?

We can’t hear you

Some groups want to return to work while others are striking

Chinese men sound like Ms. Swan when they orgasm.

“Trump is in Love with Vladimir Putin”

[quote][quote] actually Obama’s ability to go skeet shooting, to rodeos, to wear cowboy hats, to go to megachurches, and to go to NASCAR Events is pivotal to his ability to win over votes in purple states. If only Hillary did the same

No Democrat would have won 2016. Especially Obama who was the sitting president.

R56, a big part of why Trump won was because people cited being tired of government and wanting the country to go into a different direction. The fucking election was practically a referendum on the Obama administration.

2016 was a more hostile and racist environment than when he won in 2008 and 2012

[quote]No Democrat would have won 2016. Especially Obama who was the sitting president.

Disagree.

[quote][R56], a big part of why Trump won was because people cited being tired of government and wanting the country to go into a different direction.

Maybe that's what they said aloud...

[quote]The fucking election was practically a referendum on the Obama administration.

BINGO! And, you had a "Great White Hope" that the White man could do things better. Uh-huh....

[quote]Some groups want to return to work while others are striking

LAUSD teachers strike began today.

R240 no, it was a result of years of Republican stonewalling on everything, led by Mitch McConnell. They refused to work or govern or do the basic functions required of them. Their strategy was to bash everything Obama did, endlessly, and obstruct everything they could. And the only reason Trump won (he lost the popular vote, remember) was because of Russia's ongoing propaganda campaigns. It wasn't "the American people" speaking, it was the core base of Republican brainwashed and racist idiots such as yourself who will stick with him regardless of how terrible he is, shenanigans on the part of Republicans, voter suppression, and dirty tricks, because God knows the Republicans can't win elections if they don't cheat and mislead. Their policies exist only to enrich themselves and their donors, nothing more.

[quote]Trump won (he lost the popular vote, remember) was because of Russia's ongoing propaganda campaigns.

Trump didn't need Russia to tap into the racist element in the USA. Russia started the pebble rolling and it became a massive boulder on its own. Russia was probably surprised about how effective and cheap this whole thing was.

R244, if “Russia started the pebble rolling...”, then “Trump [did] need Russia to tap into the racist element in the USA.”, no?

Dude, my butt itches after I shave it.

Of course there is collusion, during a speech during the campaign, he asked Russia to dig up Hillary's emails etc. I remember quite clearly he asked Russia to do something...

He needs to go to jail, and freeze all his assets.

[quote]Disagree.

You would have been hard pressed to find a mega church or rodeo, unless it was a Mexican rodeo, where Obama would have been allowed to campaign in 2016. The stars aligned in 2008 when he won. 2016 would have been a hostile environment for any black candidate. Assuming he would have gotten out of the primary, uncertain at best, he would have been trounced by the Bernie bros and deplorables in the general.

^^^ I suppose you have forgotten how popular Obama was when he left office. That popularity has only increased.

[quote][R244], if “Russia started the pebble rolling...”, then “Trump [did] need Russia to tap into the racist element in the USA.”, no?

Not really. What do you think FOX was already doing?

Trump seems willing to let the shutdown go indefinitely. With McConnell MIA and the cabinet incompetent - aren’t we in a constitutional crisis?

Republican senators may force Trump's hand soon, R250.

From Rick Wilson today: A pollster for a major outside group briefed several senate folks on just how bad the shutdown is hurting them.

Ooooooo, and there’s this. Please RT!!!!!!

Trump thinks he’s hurting Democrats, especially Congressional Democrats. He doesn’t realize he’s hurting innocent people, many his voters. Hopefully, the Press gets the word out about all the Deplorables who are hurt by this stupidity. I know Trump doesn't care on an emotional level, but on a popularity level, he might.

He DEFINITELY cares about his popularity with his base.

R252, I like one of the comments:

[Italic] “He literally knows nothing about anything.” [/Italic]

Quinnipiac Poll: Did President Trump's recent televised address to the nation change your mind about building a wall along the border with Mexico, or not?

Yes-2%

No-98%

HA! What a dumb bitch he is.

[quote]No Democrat would have won 2016. Especially Obama who was the sitting president.

What an absurd statement.

The catastrophe of 2016 needed a perfect shitstorm to occur, and a perfect shitstorm it indeed was. It NEEDED Hillary Clinton as candidate. It NEEDED Russian interference. It NEEDED butthurt millennial bernbots voting third party. Without all of those things, Trump being elected would have been a virtual impossibility. Remember he won by only 80,000 votes or so, and lost the PV by MILLIONS.

Sorry, one factor I forgot -- it NEEDED a furious, vengeful rightwing NY office of the FBI to pursue Hillary as relentlessly as it did.

[quote]^^ I suppose you have forgotten how popular Obama was when he left office. That popularity has only increased

And Hillary Clinton was the most admired woman in America for 15 straight years, but I suppose you have forgotten how popular Hillary was...

Obama would have been savaged by the anti Muslim rethoric of 2016.

Okay Nostradamus.

R260 trying to make it seem like Trump's election was inevitable. Either a deranged Bernbot or a Trumpkin.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Or both.

Meanwhile, every time you think Trump, or the news coverage about him, couldn't get worse, he and it does. Meanwhile, 40% of Americans still approve.

So says a skewed pollster....I am a lifelong Democrat in a deeply red state. I was brave enough to wear my "Twitler" shirt out in the open this weekend. Last summer, I'd have been shot by one of his "base". I don't believe he's 40% anymore...He's less than that and steadily heading DOWN.

No, this is the poll of polls on 538. It's widely regarded by most non-deranged people as the most objective of the poll cumes.

The NYT says Republicans are hoping support grows for the wall “over time.” WTF?

As in the position Cher took, r268:

"Giv'em da money already! Sheesh!"

I don’t think Cher knows what she is talking about. Democrats have a House majority and don’t support the wall, which has an actual price tag of $25 billion or more (plus litigation over land rights). If they cave to Trump, he will continue to rule by decree until he is thrown out. No money for folly wall.

AY DIOS MIO!

^^^ It's a Democrat plot to make Trump look bad!

^ this

Sources say Trump is not budging one inch, which coincides with the length of his erect penis.

Trump knows the jig is up with Mueller so he is trying to gin up military/militia enthusiasts for war at the border. Even Fix News is saying he is losing the battle.

Trump has brought klass to the White House!

Bizarro Earth.

Video of Trump showing off his 300 hamburgers

Only Trump would brag that fast food is great because it is "American" like it it some great high-quality product.

But he paid for it himself!

The Guardian's being a little snarky, ala Daily Mail.

[quote]Photos of the spread show an array of Quarter Pounders and Big Macs, alongside silver bowls filled with various sauces – all individually wrapped to minimize waste.

Yes, they wrapped the sauces special for him!

R276 considering Trump once talked about the depth of Zoolander 2 , I would not be surprised if he got the idea from Kingsman.

I will admit be being tickled in the theater when I saw the Big Mac v. Filet-of-fish xD!

I'd like to know where the hell is my damn money. I'm "exempted," so I've been working the last three weeks without getting paid. Fucking unfair to everyone.

Don't you mean "essential"?

Trump and MCconnell = racist old white men

MCconnell will never be a man. Disgusting pussy with turtle head.

Ugly Mitch is a sodomite

Lmao

who, R286, just [italic] happens [/italic] to be married to . . .

Mother Nature doesn’t waits

Many Red State Farmers need assistance - NOW - to prepare to get their crops in the ground.

Eventually, McTurtle will just have to threaten an override

[quote] Don't you mean "essential"?

No. We do not use that term any longer. For purposes of the shut-down, federal employees who are subject to the lapse in appropriations are designated as either "exempted" or "non-exempted." They changed the terms used several shutdowns ago because it was bad for morale to have people designated as "non-essential" and because the libertarians argued that if people were non-essential then their positions should be eliminated. That argument completely ignored the fact that important functions of the government were going unstaffed.

They've stopped paying the people in the Coast Guard...

Airport security is an essential service. If TSA workers continue to stay home because they’re not being paid...the entire country will come to a screeching halt if air travel stops. The ripple effects will be devastating.

Congress will have to step in and approve the funding or they all will risk never being elected again.

The Hill Verified account @thehill

JUST IN: McConnell blocks House bill to reopen government for second time

AP: Atlanta airport tells passengers to plan on 3-hour wait for security screenings.

President Trump Asks Rank-and-File Democrats to Lunch to Promote Border Wall. Nancy Pelosi Isn't Invited

(WASHINGTON) — Shifting strategy, the White House invited rank-and-file House Democrats to lunch Tuesday with President Donald Trump, bypassing Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team in an effort to get centrist and freshman lawmakers on board with funding Trump’s long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Pelosi approved of lawmakers attending the meeting, telling her team that the group can see what she and others have been dealing with in trying to negotiate with Trump to end the partial government shutdown, now in its 25th day with no resolution in sight.

Pelosi predicted that after meeting with Trump the lawmakers will want to make a “citizen’s arrest,” according to the aide, who wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Lawmakers invited to the White House include centrist Democrats from districts where Trump is popular, including freshmen.

Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., said he attended a meeting of fellow centrist Democrats on Monday night and that a handful of members, most of whom represent districts Trump carried in 2016, were invited.

The White House has not released a guest list.

Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, another centrist Democrat, said the White House is “grasping at straws.”

“The majority of Americans understand exactly what is happening here,” he said. “The president could open the government tomorrow and he refuses to. We’re very conscious of the fact that this is a bully and when you allow him to succeed by holding the government hostage you can expect to see that play run again.”

Trump thinks he can drive a wedge between Nancy and the rank and file with his amazing negotiation skills.

I wonder if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was invited? She’s not exactly a “centrist”.

Sarah Sanders:. Today, the President offered both Democrats and Republicans the chance to meet for lunch at the White House. Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend.

^^Not in the mood for hamberders, I guess.

The fast food wasn't classy, but I doubt the Clemson players gave a flying fuck - it's free food. True, if Trump wanted to provide an 'All-American" meal, he could have done much better, like grill up some steaks, roast/mash/bake some potatoes. But, the whole fast food "controversy" seems manufactured.

What a cheap cunt. Serving fast food at a WH function. How about serving some good steaks or a prime rib?

The poor WH chef must be bored off his/her ass.

Oh and he DID NOT pay for that food himself, it was donated -- notice how each logo was prominently displayed.

Trump tweeted earlier that he had paid for 300 hamburgers for the players. Later he tweeted that he had paid for a thousand "hamberders" -- soon it will be ten thousand he paid for himself, no doubt.

Thing is, his earlier tweets about it being 300 are public record, so he's just transparently lying. And no one seems to care. Not even his friend Jim.

So as usual he's virtually guaranteed to lie about everything, R302.

Air Traffic Controllers just got screwed.

Breaking: Mitch McConnell blocks a bill from the House of Representative to reopen the US Government.

VOTE MITCH OUT of OFFICE 2020

WE need to run a Great Democrat against this fucker!

Well, remember, McConnell was the one who refused to consider a presidential nominee for the supereme court. It's clear he's anti-American.

supreme^^^

How do you think that Chao woman can tolerate sleeping with Senator Turtleface?

She doesn’t sleep with him

The Clemson players were caught on camera dissing the food:

"I thought it was a joke," one Clemson player could be overheard saying in a video shared on Twitter, accurately capturing many people's reaction to the president's earlier promise to serve college football's national champions items found on various dollar menus. Only the meal was very real, and late-night hosts and the Internet had a lot to say about it.

Critics also pointed out that elite college athletes most likely weren't supposed to be gorging themselves on burgers and fries, and wondered why the president didn't have his hotel — located just minutes from the White House — provide catering.

"Our nutritionist must be having a fit," one Clemson player was reportedly overheard saying.

Some conservatives, however, slammed criticisms of Trump's move as "elitist," arguing that "real Americans" often eat, and enjoy, fast food. Others asserted that the meal was an appropriate choice for a group of college students.

LOL. Maybe at home, watching TV, but not at the fucking White House. Good Lord. And Trump is as elitist as it gets. He just happens to be a fat fuck.

I still don't understand why he didn't just have his restaurant cater it. Other than he's cheap. And I'm sure he'll get reimbursed for whatever he spent on 300 burgers and fries.

[quote] Critics also pointed out that elite college athletes most likely weren't supposed to be gorging themselves on burgers and fries, and wondered why the president didn't have his hotel — located just minutes from the White House — provide catering.

Because then he really would have to pay for it.

Everything would have been cold after sitting out for a while. A cold Big Mac? Gross.

Cold French fries would be the worst.

Ridiculous. It just keep getting worse! Those players were probably really looking forward to a really excellent meal prepared by the WH chefs.

I say this from a political perspective, nothing to do with the feelings of the people on the ground.

TSA and Air Traffic Control need to stop messing around and go on strive already. If they don’t shut down the airports before that caravan arrives, then Dems will lose this fight. It’s time for a walkout.

The caravan will ONLy help Trump and he knows this, hence he’s buying time and probably lightly edging Mexico to let them though as quickly as possible to create another issue.

This was the one time that time worked for he Dems favor, but the clock is running out. These Unions better act like a Union and shut down the airports.

r313 any player that entertained the idea of visiting Trump deserved to eat garbage. Fuck em.

As soon as the airports are closed, the shutdown will end.

R321: Yep.

Exactly

R319, How do you know that there is a new caravan?

Who celebrates by having people over and giving them junk food? Trash! What is Donnie’s gameplay for the shutdown? Do nothing?

I agree with r320 you go to the White House you get what you deserve. Trash.

I think if Air Traffic Controllers stop working... Trump will declare a State of Emergency to get the Wall funding and reopen the government.

R324, It's probably the same non existent caravan that was bringing crime, drugs, death, disease and destruction to all Americans during the November mid term elections.

[quote][R319], How do you know that there is a new caravan?

Why, because Faux News told 46-1 who told r319.

No, there is another group coming up. I bet, these are backed by conservative groups. It’s so obvious based on the timing. When Trump needs an immigration boogeyman, a caravan pops up.

I keep waiting for a manufactured skirmish at the border. Trump literally has no plan.

[quote]I keep waiting for a manufactured skirmish at the border

I believe that's already happened. Well, in my opinion it has.

I can’t believe it’s still going on. We are entering no man’s land when a disaster hits. My blame is McConnel. He is just enabling a baby at great cost. A baby who knows that he is about to be outed by Mueller. Plane crash, bomb, natural disaster, do you feel prepared? No!

There's nothing worse than being a malicious & focused old white man pulling the strings of... I mean working for.... a mentally stunted white man eh, Mitch?

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It would have been cool if the Clemson kiddos took a stand and rejected the invite. They’re stupid, but whatever. The food is humiliating Trump, which I think is wonderful.

TOTALLY agree that we need TSA and ATC to strike. Why aren’t we encouraging this on SM? The power is in the People’s hands, if only they will realize it.

I think we can assume they will, r335!

It's also bullshit that they want to minimize the disruption having part of the government shut down causes, when it's Trump who could fix it in three seconds. They're basically hiding it from the people so that you won't see the shutdown problems and blame him.

so wtf should we do? don't send in tax returns until the last second? Do you think it will still be shut down?

Send in everything like normal, or just use e-File like most people do, and mail in what you have to.

Workers need to stand together and refuse to be pawns, and WE need to stand with them. They need to know that we give a shit. Their President doesn’t give a shit, but their fellow citizens do!

It would piss off a lot of people, who would immediately be furious at Trump. But isn't it illegal for them to strike? The best they can do is whatever it's called when they all call in sick.

I'm weary of filing e-file. Hackers got info in 2015. over 700k accounts were hacked. I bet hackers are trying even harder now with the shutdown, fewer people are working and monitoring...

The tax agency also disclosed this month that it had detected unauthorized efforts to gain access to e-file personal identification numbers for more than 450,000 Social Security numbers. Approximately 101,000 of those efforts, which occurred in January, succeeded in accessing an e-file ID number, the IRS said.

Separately, at least seven federal audits and other reports from 2007 to 2014 outlined computer dangers that ranged from failures in IRS database controls to hiring an ex-convict without a background check and failing to screen other workers who had access to personal data for millions of taxpayers.

"Computer security has been problematic for the IRS since 1997," the IRS inspector general warned in an an October 2014 report .

Uh, recalling workers without pay sounds like slavery. Fuck that. Republicans have forgotten we live in a democracy, not a kingdom.

Some of these workers are taking part time jobs. They need to eat.

If they get recalled to work without pay, I suspect a lot of them are going to take unpaid, unscheduled leave and or call in sick.

What’s the government going to do fire them?

[quote]Some of these workers are taking part time jobs. They need to eat.

Again, is anyone else shocked over how quickly a lot of people have sunken into despair? This isn't "paycheck to paycheck". This tells me that A LOT of people are behind and just barely swimming above water!

THIS is what we really should be addressing in this country!

Robert Costa:

Couple senior Republican lawmakers tell me the only way this breaks open is if TSA employees stay home and Americans get furious about their flights. That’s the only out, they say. And they’re close to the WH.

[quote]Some of these workers are taking part time jobs. They need to eat.

I have one furloughed friend who is flat-out prohibited from taking "outside" employment or another job.

And another who can only take a second job with approval of his supervisor, who is of course also furloughed, and anyway neither is allowed to discuss work matters while furloughed.

Deck's kind of stacked against employees, surprise, surprise.

Those upset that people on Food Stamps sometimes enjoy ice cream and Doritos will appreciate the silver lining of an ongoing shut down is Food Stamps will stop, and those evil soda drinkers will now have to choose between eating grass and starving.

R345, but this has been known for decades. The statistic 78 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck is a well known Reality.

R348, or robbing you for money to eat.

R345, money talks, and those people don’t have any money.

what if the IRS workers refuse to go back to work for no pay? They gonna be fired? That is so fucked up!

Nancy sent a letter to Trump suggesting he move his State of the Union address until after the government re-opens -- or submit his speech in writing instead.

Taking away his TV spotlight might just be the way to get him to back down!

Great idea by Madam Speaker. Yet another reason to love Nancy Pelosi.

Trumps approval continues to creep south. He's scraping 40% and may soon go below that.

Per Gallup, Trump is the only POTUS in history of polling never to reach 50% approval in first 2 years

also the only POTUS whose average approval for first 2 years (39%) was below 40%

averages for predecessors: Obama 52%, GWB 70%, Clinton 48%, GHWB 70%, Reagan 50%, Carter 54%

FOX News continuing to shape the narrative for its audience of 80-year-old deplorables:

Meanwhile he's got an astonishing 54.8 percent hard DISAPPROVE. This is something people don't talk about much, but should. Even when Obama had a low approval rating, and he did for quite a while, his disapproval was nowhere near as high as Trump's is, never above 50%, but Trump's disapproval has been consistently above that.

BOOM!

David Frum Verified account @davidfrum

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.

Indeed

He may cave when the stock market crashes? He seems to care more about that than people.

If it were to actually crash it becomes about people. Everyone.

Trump blame Mitch McConnell for this stupid strategy. and order him to Open the Government. Do this publicly.

I think this is Trump's best strategy. He needs someone to blame.

Fresh fast food, when you’re hungry, is delicious. After it gets cool and the fat congeals, or after you’re full, its disgusting.

When, oh when, will someone throw a roll of paper towels back at the dotard? Or throw a plateful of fast food right into the garbage bin, right in front of him? People need to have some self respect and assert themselves.

[quote]TOTALLY agree that we need TSA and ATC to strike.

Government employees are not allowed to strike, so please stop repeating this.

And IRS employees cannot take outside employment without approval. And since there's no one in the office to give such approval, they can't do that either.

Federal works are moonlighting en masse now. I doubt there will be discipline

[quote]Government employees are not allowed to strike, so please stop repeating this.

Many of the TSA agents are calling in sick or just not showing up.

They don’t make that much money... so I doubt they give a fuck if they get fired.

No major developments regarding the shutdown will be revealed until day 33. Hang tight everyone.

Why day 33?

"Because signs and symbols rule the world, not words nor laws," r369.

He’s running the country like a pay as you go cell phone plan

well, I just got called back WITHOUT pay. I am pretty pissed, too. It is going to cost me to go in so I guess I am going to do the least possible.

Besides, all of my passwords and access will have expired so that will take at least a week to reset everything.

They can call but I don't have to do anything.

#SOTU is trending on Twitter

Yeah it seems like the Trump government's solution to not having certain services is just to make the workers "essential", and force them to work for free. The government in general is essential, kind of funny the Republicans don't seem to realize that until they need it.

Mortgage companies pissed? Reclassify the loan officers and force them to work for free! Easy!

I hope the Democrats pass a law forbidding government workers from working without pay in the future. That and tie the debt ceiling to the appropriatons bills so it isn't used as a weapon again.

R370 = QAnon freak, best ignored

R345 that's the idea behind universal basic income, and it is needed.

The Red Sox are scheduled to visit the White House soon. Their manager and the majority of the team are Latinos. Alex Cora, the Puerto Rican manager, was critical of Trump's response to the hurricane. Cora led many relief efforts in his hometown. I hope the visit gets cancelled.

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Fed workers need to call in sick and not go into work. I am sure a doctor will sign a note saying they are incapable of working until the shutdown is resolved. This includes TSA and law enforcement. It’s the only way to end the shutdown quickly.

What IS QAnon saying about this? How will Chelsea Clinton be arrested if the FBI is furloughed???

Can furloughed employees go on disability due to anxiety about their job prospects and financial situation?

just because you are forced to show up doesn't mean they can make you do anything.

I fully intend to sit at my desk and read a book. I don't get paid and I don't work. Simple

A doctor’s note regarding Depression - who wouldn’t be - likely would be sufficient

R382, so sorry this is happening to you. Can you report back to us what's the mood like at "work"? Anyone doing anything etc? I guess I won't be filing until the shutdown ends.

This is what concerns me. You are forcing people to work with no pay and then expect them to do a good job. This has little impact if you’re making them push a broom, not so good if they’re flight controllers or those with heavy responsibilities. Trump and his ilk seem to think these people are robots. They don’t take into account the high levels of stress and how demoralizing it is to essentially be treated as a slave. You can’t expect them to be on top of it for days on end with no certainty of an end. If this goes on and on, mistakes will be made, some maybe tragic, people will slack off and do bear minimum. I don’t recommend flying if this stretches out much longer.

Everyone should go out on FMLA

[quote] I don’t recommend flying if this stretches out much longer.

Nope!!!

r372 Hang in there brother!

absolutely, r384.

I imagine the trumptards (old, fat white men) will be happy. The rest of us will tell them to Fuck off.

But I will report anything I hear.

My friend returned from the Dominican Republic this morning, and sent me this text: "LAX is great right now! I didn’t have to take my shoes off or anything during security checkpoint lol"

"Lol" indeed...

My friend returned from Dominican Republic around 9:30am this morning, and sent me this text: "LAX is great right now! I didn’t have to take my shoes off or anything during security checkpoint lol"

"Lol", indeed...

Ahh! We're all going to die!@#

Perfect time for another terrorist attack using planes...

Aren’t the Comgress members being paid during a shutdown? They should have their wages withheld and be docked additional pay - assholes!

It’s really shady that the Trump administration is calling back workers (with no pay) to try and benefit Trump. He is so far out of bounds that anything could happen. The one thing that won’t happen is anyone near him telling him to reopen the government. He is surrounded by sycophants like Kellyanne who tell him he is winning.

[quote]“We are getting crushed!” Mr. Trump told his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, after watching some recent coverage of the shutdown, according to one person familiar with the conversation. “Why can’t we get a deal?”

Bwahahaha! Crushed by a little woman! What a puss!

Link^^

Their "deal" is always "give us what we want and we might give you some scraps, but not big ones". The President doesn't know how to negotiate.

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be in business with this jackass? Holding things hostage all the time, not paying vendors, cheating people...

Poor Donnie. Everyone including his base knows now that he is a shitty deal maker.

The funny thing about the Times article (besides the “we’re getting killed” thing) is that Trump is really perplexed why a deal hasn’t been magically left in his stocking on Christmas Eve — why? Because he’s demanded one, which apparently seems evidence enough to him that he should get one!

because

It’s awful that America has reached this point of division. But ultimately, it’s a problem of the minority ignoring the majority, and the minority being corrupt.

Whut?

I can't unnerstan why democrats won't come back and let me punch them in the dick!

Waaaahh! Waaaahhh! Not fair!

The shutdown will continue because while a lot of people are suffering, everyone is not suffering. As long as people show up for work without pay and do an efficient job this will never end.

The problem might be the kind of people who take a lot of these government jobs arent the kind of people to rock the boat.

Here in Las Vegas the airlines are feeding the TSA workers breakfast/lunch/dinner daily so that they don’t have the additional expense of bringing food given that they aren’t being paid. It’s a nice gesture.

Don't count on it, r406.

I got called back without pay and I have zero intention of doing anything other than surfing the web and reading magazines.

They can make me show up but not work. I am not going to answer the phone, make calls, send mail or anything. And I am sure I'm not the only one.

Vegas’ economy depends on tourists. Most people don’t want to go to the middle of the desert. Very, very few would want to go if getting out meant standing in horrifically long TSA lines. Las Vegas is doing the right thing for enlightened self interest reasons.

Question prompted by R408.

I don’t think Government work is “employment at will.”

Consequently, employees can be called in but, in general, the terms and conditions of their employment can’t be changed, nor can workers be fired, without due process.

Receiving regular pay for time worked is a term or condition.

Presumably one can’t be fired for failing to perform a job for which one is not being paid as agreed???

a small earthquake on the Hayward fault yesterday may trigger "The Big One" but the seismograph offices are closed.

[quote]Here in Las Vegas the airlines are feeding the TSA workers breakfast/lunch/dinner daily so that they don’t have the additional expense of bringing food given that they aren’t being paid. It’s a nice gesture.

The airlines don’t want to deal with the expense of rebooking, delays, passengers canceling due to not being able to get through TSA lines on time.

The airlines are not “being nice”. They only care about their bottom line.

[quote]They can make me show up but not work. I am not going to answer the phone

Well, shit... You don't answer the phone anyway. Government workers...

I hate how "Morning Joe" are having pundits on that are talking about nothing but the base! Base. Base. Base!!!!

Now, I truly believe and feel that this is not the Democrats issue. Nancy Pelosi cannot give in on this. If she gives in here, we'll just see this type of behavior again and again from Republicans. I'm all for giving money to repair and strengthen existing border wall. The paying and implementing a technology suite, etc

BUT....

NO WALL!

Who gives a shit about the base? By 2020 they will have moved on from Trump after the plane crashes and impeachment.

i read that airlines in airports are providing tsa workers with free meals. nice of them. for once.

R416 see R412

Mace The Base!

In the last 48 hours:

Trump's chief economic adviser said the president's orchestrated shutdown could lead to an economic downturn.

His lawyer said he can no longer guarantee that Trump's presidential campaign did not collude with Russia.

His personal fixer said Trump directed him to offer payola for favorable polling.

Any one of these committed by a Democratic president would have Republicans apoplectic. But today's Republicans: "Nothing to see here, move along."

A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds Trump's approval rating down and his disapproval rating up from a month ago – and the movement has come from within key portions of his base:

Down significantly among suburban men, a net-positive approval rating of 51-to-39 percent to a net-negative of 42 percent approve, 48 percent disapprove. That's a net change of down 18 percentage points.

Down a net of 13 points among white evangelicals, from 73-to-17 percent approve to 66-to-23 percent approve.

Down a net of 10 points among Republicans, from 90-to-7 percent approve to 83-to-10 percent.

Down marginally among white men without a college degree, from 56-to-34 percent approve to 50-to-35 percent approve, a net change downward of 7 points.

I wonder if that is because he isn't giving them their stupid wall, r420.

You know that is what he will think.

NASA Ames Research Lab

Have the Capitol's Lesbians issued a statement??

Russia got some of those Republican Senators in place, last election. That is all the orange turd needed.

He is a actually losing his base but sycophants like Kellyanne won’t tell him.

Every air traffic controller should strike...the damn shut down would be over. Mitch McConnell would get those bills past and he would do it quick.

Why can't workers stand up for our country?

The approval ratings for trump are artificially higher because many people are blaming the Republicans not just trump. They are getting crushed, the republicans in the polls. Whenever trump does something, a high percentage of hard core trump supporters put the blame of the Republicans in Congress/or the Republican Donors.

any one hear of furloughs or lay offs at the state or county level?

I'm confused. Whose bright idea was this and what was it suppose to accomplish?

Sarah Sanders Verified account @PressSec

President @realDonaldTrump’s letter to @SpeakerPelosi concerning her upcoming travel

More Trump bullshit from his clown show staff.

[quote]Whose bright idea was this and what was it suppose to accomplish?

It's Trump's idea, and it satisfies his adolescent "tit for tat" thirst. "If I can't have my speech, you can't have your plane!"

How is this going to end? Anyone have any clue? We have a toddler in the White House. He thinks he’s King. And he’s holding government employees hostage.

It will end when the McTurtle emerges from his shell and is scared shitless by his shadow.

LoL that response is hilarious and sad. What a child. You know they're all gleefully chortling and twirling their mustaches because they think they've got one over on her. I'm sure his base will do the same, but everyone sane will think it's embarrassing.

Trump will declare an emergency when Cohen testifies on the 7th to draw attention away from it.

1. Disaster, stock market crash and/or walkouts leads to reopening. 2. National emergency declaration by Trump to save face. 3. Trump and Pence are found dead in bed together

^^^^^^^^^^^

I pick # 3

The destination was a secret. This leakage of this is a National Security issue.

And, let the laughs begin:

For those of you who asked - I was called back today without pay.

Nobody is here. Half of the team refused to show up and won't return until the certified letters go out telling them to report for duty.

There are 48 messages on my phone. The fax machine in the next department ran out of paper two weeks ago.

Everyone was locked out of our computers so our manager worked for two days prior to our return to get us back on the system.

Nobody is doing anything except wandering around talking. I doubt anything gets done. Just the bare minimum to keep from getting kicked off the system.

We are glad to see each other but nobody intends on working without pay.

With the big snowstorm coming, this would be a really, really good weekend for TSA agents to make a coordinated effort to call in sick to double down on the fuckery in store at airports. Americans need to be more inconvenienced by this shutdown before they'll get off their asses and complain.

I guess Trump forgot that 4 Americans were just killed in Syria. A visit to NATO and to the troops from the leaders of our country is much needed and a boost to their morale. They shouldn't be made pawns out of spite from this toddler having a tantrum.

How long before he declares martial law and becomes dictator?

[quote]trying to make it seem like Trump's election was inevitable. Either a deranged Bernbot or a Trumpkin.

It was inevitable R262, it is the reason why we have an investigation into the 2016 election. Now run along child. The adults are talking.

[quote]It was inevitable [R262], it is the reason why we have an investigation into the 2016 election. Now run along child. The adults are talking.

Yes we are and we told you to clean your room long ago. Maybe you’ll find a clue under your bed.

We don’t only investigate things because “they were inevitable.” Do you give even the first thought to what you’re writing?

[quote]How is this going to end?

1. Natural disaster, terrorist attack, etc., where we simply have no choice but to open the government to deal with it.

2. Republican Senators start getting nervous about their own future, as more and more people blame them and Trump's ratings continue to drop. At some point, McConnell will have no choice but to let the Senate vote on this, at which point Trump will have no choice but to cave, as he's done so often before.

3. We trade some money for a wall for permanent DACA status, a deal that sane people think should have been on the table from the beginning.

I'd go with a combination of 2 and 3, where Republican Senators tell Trump to make a deal or they will give him a humiliating defeat. However, it's going to take at least a month or two before the damage gets so severe that this will happen.

[quote]Trump is really perplexed why a deal hasn’t been magically left in his stocking on Christmas Eve — why? Because he’s demanded one, which apparently seems evidence enough to him that he should get one!

And it seems to escape his notice that a "deal" means that both sides get something. So far, he's explicitly rejected every option to reduce his demands or add other items to the deal, including those offered by his own people.

So what he's really puzzled by is why Pelosi is refusing to give him every little thing he wants. As for Pelosi, politics (voters are blaming Trump and his numbers are falling), practicality (you don't govern by blackmail), and policy (the wall is stupid and wasteful) are all on her side, meaning that she has absolutely no incentive to cave and every incentive not to.

R429 The capitalization of Southern Border and Strong Border really annoys the f out of me.

Their messaging has changed from "border wall" to "border security", which is bullshit because no one has a problem funding border security. It's the wall, and apparently that's a losing message so they are switching it up.

Trump et al are flailing. Do they want a wall or fencing? What is their compromise figure? They don’t even know proper use of capitalization let alone negotiation.

[quote]Every air traffic controller should strike

PLEASE STOP SAYING THIS. Government employees CANNOT STRIKE. You've never heard about the Air Traffic Controllers in the '80s?

Someone has to figured out a saving grace, an out for this orange buffoon because this is going to hurt more people soon. No food no shelter etc.

Maybe tell him the the NASA space force division is developing new technology for wall security, and Trump will keep you all posted. Just give him Something.

He’s not going to back down unless he can save face. Unfortunate but true. His ego is everything to him, it’s his God, and he will see the entire country burned to the ground before he will give in. I hope Nancy is conferring with experts in psychological disfunction/criminal profiling who can help direct this because tit for tat is not going to work.

It’s because he’s incredibly insecure, r454. Nancy Pelosi pegged it.

First Lady took military plane to Florida for the weekend but Trump blocked Nancy Pelosi from taking one to visit US troops in Afghanistan.

R449 Me too! Dump's random capitalizations are so annoying! One theorist traces it back to the Tea Party.

Melania's on a government place to Florida. lol

R441, thank you for your update, and I sympathize with your plight. I would probably react to your situation in exactly the same way.

The Atlantic: As the longest government shutdown in American history lurches toward its fifth week, a grim but growing consensus has begun to emerge on Capitol Hill: There may be no way out of this mess until something disastrous happens.

One senior Republican Senate staffer told me he could envision the shutdown lasting until March, when federal funding dries up for food stamps—a crisis that would be hard for Washington to ignore. “Not only are there going to be a lot of hungry families,” he said, “but there are going to be a lot of Walmarts and Safeways and Krogers that are missing revenue.”

Others warned of potential flash points in America’s airports, where TSA agents and air-traffic controllers have already been working without pay for weeks. According to the Washington Post reporter Robert Costa, some Republican lawmakers close to the White House have privately concluded that the shutdown won’t end until TSA employees stay home and Americans “get furious about their flights.”

Even if some of their worst-case shutdown scenarios remain unlikely—there are still plenty of paths forward that don’t include body counts—the defeatism on display is revealing. It exposes the extent to which the latter-day crisis of faith in America’s core political institutions has infected even the members of the institutions themselves.

About that wall:

The largest single group of asylum seekers ever to cross into the U.S. tunneled beneath the border wall near San Luis, Arizona, on Monday, voluntarily turning themselves into Customs and Border Protection, according to the agency.

California Advances February Payment of CalFresh Benefits Due to Government Shutdown

@SovernNation

A tearful Miguel Pagarigan tells @GavinNewsom he has to sell his house because he's run out of money. But he still gets up at 2am to go work for the #TSA: "You go to work because that's your job. We don't want another 9/11. It's not gonna happen on my watch." #GovernmentShutdown

No time for martyrdom!

R463 I'm sorry, what? It takes months for the sale of a house to go through. As much as I DESPISE Trump and the Rethugs, I don't know how this guy's financial problems can be blamed on the shutdown.

On Lawrence O’Donnell last night, he said that there is a way to call a vote without Mitch McConnell. Apparently, if a member of Congress goes up and calls for a vote, and McConnell isn’t there to stop it, a vote can be called.

O'Donnell says that when he was in Congress himself he saw that happen, years ago. It’s very rare but it’s legal.

Somebody needs to push that idea. It would be hilarious for McConnell to think no vote can happen without him, then they vote without him and it’s legal and can’t be changed.

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R465 Exactly - Trump is a POS but the guy missed one paycheck last Friday and he has to sell his house? He was having problems before the gov’t shutdown. Blame Trump and the Rethugs for a lot of things but the sale of this guys house is not one of them. The media should not even be covering this kind of stuff, it doesn’t hold up upon closer insepection.

Ironically they're applying for food stamps which means that will run out of money faster, too - they have only got those funded through February.

I love seeing countries collapse.

@ABC7

8 cars, garage in North Hollywood vandalized with anti-Trump graffiti

Come on 747 crash! Crazy ATC Sue

Thanks, r459. I have had several friends offer to loan me cash but I am OK for now.

I posted this over in the treason thread but an update from today. His base is starting to crack.

There are two old, fat white men deplorables on our team. One is refusing to show up. He wants to be officially notified via certified mail.

The other is here and he us furious that fat Donnie refused to sign the GOP bill back in December like he said he would.

Apparently this fool is starting to feel the pain and blames dump for turning down the GOP's original bill because "the democrats aren't going to give him anything now! "

Damn straight.

@realDonaldTrump I will be making a major announcement concerning the Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border, and the Shutdown, tomorrow afternoon at 3 P.M., live from the @WhiteHouse . 5:51 PM · Jan 18, 2019 · Twitter for iPhone

R473, you need to tell your coworkers “when are you going to see who is trying to screw you? What’s it going to take? If the GOP cared about you, there would be a bill on the Senate floor.” Keep telling them that the people trying to take everything away are the ones who don’t give a shit about them, and until they commit to ALL citizens being treated the same, they will continue to take it up the ass. Also remind them, this is why people hate the Christians now — yes, you should go there.

I work with them too. I’m very very careful about what I say and how I say it, I barely speak of politics. That being said, when I do open my mouth, I go for the jugular. I don’t mince words with them. SO fucking dumb.

@ABC7

27 seconds ago

#BREAKING Trump to make announcement Saturday regarding shutdown, border security

He’s going to declare a narcissist emergency

R476 see R474.

This is going to be another nothing announcement. He has no idea what he will say. The story is getting away from him and he can’t control it.

Lol.

Oh PUHLEEZE. Again, do not tune in, and again, tune in to the Democratic response. Do whatever you can to give Orange Marmalade shitty ratings.

David Frum:

It's a workable face-saving plan

Declare emergency Saturday

STAND STRONG!

Pay resumes, employees return to work ...

Trump can deliver State of Union Jan 29.

By time courts rule against Trump April-ish, at least 4 other scandals/crises have supervened

He’s seen that the newscasts: overwhelmingly they say his widdle manhood is getting absolutely crushed by Pelosi.

He wants to exchange this pain for something (almost anything) else - probably a bogus crises declaration.

Mitch can re-emerge.

Matthew Yglesias:

The full-court press over the past 36 hours by television news to bail Trump out from his responsibility for the shutdown is amazing.

I get it — executives like tax cuts and Trump shitting the bed is bad for them.

But he’s literally on camera saying he is solely responsible for this situation.

Only on the crazy Trump Train is declaring a bogus national emergency a face saving gesture. With Cohen testifying in February he is already on his way out and his imaginary wall will never be built.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Meh. Shut the fuck up George if you’re not going to pick a side.

They have reached an agreement?!

So 800,000 Americans suffered for a month for no good reason? Thanks for nothing jackass

R487: No.

Hopefully, it's to tell us he gonna resign!

BUZZFEED: The special counsel's office has taken the rare step of issuing a statement in response to our report on Michael Cohen being directed by Trump to lie to Congress:

Is that fake news? LOL

The problem for us is that Trump will manufacturer battles at the border until he is impeached, dies, or is removed by his cabinet. I think national emergency was the Bannon plan all along.

To be clear: Mueller is not disputing that Cohen says Trump told him to lie. He’s disputing the line about corroborating evidence taken from Trump Org emails, texts, etc. Still a huge deal. But not a total refutation. In fact, Cohen’s 11/30 memo says Trump directed him to lie.

Is he declaring emergency coz I just read that hundreds crawled UNDER the barrier and are asking for asylum?

Just got back from the market. Popcorn reserves full again. Carry on!

Did you remember to get my Diet Squirt?

No, but I've got a whole case of Tab in my basement gathering dust I can sell ya.

So we need a wall to stop tunnels? Emails! Benghazi!

R494, that don't matter.

[quote] By time courts rule against Trump April-ish, at least 4 other scandals/crises have supervened.

Oh Mr. Frum, I admire your restraint.

That Nazi Gorka was at the White House and told Rump to go all Rambo (with side of fries)

Shit. like that pig gorka would leave a crumb for anyone.

He looks like he done ate half the WH staff.

Here's another naked attempt by Trump to spin the shutdown - the "pre-announcement of an offer", which is, of course, based on nothing being negotiated with the Democrats right now, just him trying to seem like he's REALLY TRYING, you guys!

DACA for the wall?

Doubtful. It'll likely be some rehashed thing the Democrats already rejected. And he'll have all new messaging - he will likely not say "wall" very often, and instead will say "border security" repeatedly, as if it's something Democrats are against. He'll probably revise his speech based on the panning it got from last time, and try to refine the message.

I have absolutely no belief that this is anything but a PR stunt. Announcing it the day before, and then releasing a video on Saturday - it's all showmanship. It's not like the Democrats haven't been trying to work out a deal with him for over a month now, although he constantly is trying to make it seem like they have been AWOL (like Mitch McConnell).

Here's Susan Pompeo, requiring unpaid State Department staffers to accompany her on a week-long trip to the Middle East

At a time when most State Department staff weren't allowed to travel for work and some weren't even allowed to use their work phones, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's wife Susan embarked on an eight-day trip with her husband, requiring unpaid staffers to prepare and support her across the Middle East.

Many diplomats, already demoralized by the partial government shutdown, were angry, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

"Eyebrows were raised from the start, from the planning, on why is she coming, and why is she coming during the shutdown?" one person familiar with the matter told CNN.

A senior State Department official said "This is BS. You don't bring more people that need staffing, transportation, etc. when embassy employees are working without being paid."

It was Susan Pompeo's presence on the trip at a time State Department staff are working without pay that seemed to cause the furor. There are also questions over whether the use of State Department staffers' time to assist her violated federal regulations.

R504, he probably will not offer anything to do with DACA, because Wall true believers are against any form of amnesty. I doubt he can offer anything new that the Democrats might actually want without offending "the Base."

I will end the shutdown only if the democrats agree, in writing, that I have made inroads to peace with North Korea, plus, I must visit Kim in North Korea to vilify our peace treaty.

Whatever he offers, it's going to be presented as a disingenuous innocent "gotcha", like "Democrats agreed to some part of this x years ago! Whyever wouldn't they want to agree to it now??"

Mayor Eric Garcetti ‏ Verified account

@MayorOfLA

This is a scary time for federal workers in L.A. and across America. If the President is going to sit on his hands while families go without paychecks, then we will do our part. I’ve directed @LADWP and @LACitySAN to offer assistance and payment plans.

This is costing so much money. They are going to have sue the feds to get it back.

Such a waste of time and money. Republicans take out their misery on the less fortunate.

And sadly, many of those same people support that agenda until the abstract becomes reality.

People need to ignore his fake reality show appearances on TV. There is nothing of substance he can do on a Saturday.

Per CBS, he'll be offering a "deal" that he "negotiated" with ... wait for it ... Pence, McConnell, and Kushner.

[quote]A senior administration official told CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett that Mr. Trump will present what the White House believes could be a deal to end the shutdown. The deal was largely influenced by talks between Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

So, just as everyone predicted, it's a stunt.

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of course it's a stunt, r514. Only the media and his fools pretend he has anything of importance to say.

It's just more endless lies and finger pointing.

Nobody is going to pay attention to that traitor.

Maybe I'm an optimist but I see his "Larry Rhodes" moment coming before his reichstag moment.

Tomorrow at 3pm would be a good time time take a nap.

Is this a joke about two closeted gays and an incompetent son-in-law who walk into a gay bar?

All trump has to say is that they are doing a feasibility study on the payment for the wall now and reopen the government. His base is so stupid they won't know. He lies all the time anyways.

The Coast Guard still on watch despite no pay:

NY Times: Doug Jones Risks His Alabama Senate Seat Over the Shutdown and the Wall

“I voted for Jones, I did,” said Ann Lynch, an 86-year-old retired schoolteacher, as she did her grocery shopping wrapped in a fur coat on a brisk afternoon in Huntsville, where more than half of the local economy is tied to federal spending. “But he doesn’t support the wall. I don’t like that, of course. I think we need it. Trump knows we need it.”

His deal includes a free afternoon at Mar-A-Lago! (Some restrictions apply for minorities).

Monty Hall

[quote]The offer is expected to include Trump’s $5.7 billion demand for wall money in exchange for the BRIDGE Act — which would extend protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) — and also legislation to extend the legal status of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders,

"Extend" protections and legal status ? Sounds like Trump can cancel them any time he needs another distraction.

Has any other president tried to make a deal from a one sided TV appearance? The team for this man are entirely incompetent.

"I posted this over in the treason thread but an update from today. His base is starting to crack. There are two old, fat white men deplorables on our team. One is refusing to show up. He wants to be officially notified via certified mail."

But, it only matters if they don't vote for him in 2020 or don't vote at all. His base may well be angry with him and think he's an idiot. But, unless that manifests itself in voting for the Dem candidate(s) or not voting, what does it matter?

Is this designed to put public pressure for Democrats to return to the table next week? I thought they already said no money for a wall.

@kron4news

Pornhub reports traffic increase amid partial government shutdown

How do Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh feel about living with more brown people?

As for the timing, the White House wants it to look like they had a valid reason for canceling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Afghanistan, and feared that if there was no movement this weekend -- no meetings, no negotiations or no speeches -- they would look bad, two people familiar with the schedule told CNN.

[quote]How do Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh feel about living with more brown people?

Ann wants a wall. But she realized that Trump will be unable to make it happen... so now she just trolls him.

She also believes Kamala Harris will be the next President.

Shit! Out of popcorn again.

r533 have you considered self-immolation?

Yes, R528, but the early stories show this to be so clumsy and hamhanded that I doubt Congressional Democrats will be impressed.

This is interesting - the DOJ is trying to eminent domain the land along the border already.

Why would anyone agree to only three years of protection?

They won't, R537. It's a stupid stunt, just like we all predicted.

They wouldn't, but the headlines are what Trump cares about. The headlines currently aren't saying that Trump offered the Democrats a shit sandwich and called it a BLT, they're saying he made an offer and Nancy Pelosi rejected it 30 minutes before he made it.

Trump could reopen the government in 5 minutes. This has nothing to do with the Democrats. I think even the biggest deplorable actually understands that. If the Dems give in to his terrorist threats, they're finished as he can pull this shit with impunity. Don't like something, put one million people out of work for weeks, months, years even.

That's what Trump said. This could go for years.

R539, that really isn't what the headlines are saying, nor is this offer likely to fool too many people for too long. The short speech and offer are already being fact-checked. I doubt this moves the needle on blame for the shutdown.

R540, it can't go for years. It can't even go for months. Because at some point the damage will be so great that the other Republicans will have to act. They really don't want the headlines about how they destroyed the TSA, destroyed DHS, destroyed TSA, destroyed the FBI, which is precisely what will happen when all of those workers decide to not wait any longer for a paycheck and they quit.

Sorry, that second "TSA" should have been "the Coast Guard."

Trump is trying to set it up so the ongoing shutdown looks like Pelosi is at fault. He literally cannot function unless the House and Senate are controlled by the Republicans. He is refusing to participate unless he is unopposed. So he is offering an empty compromise. He is doing what he loves to do best : put on a show.

Any bets on who might be the first republican to break ranks?

It’s very telling that he still refuses to reopen government. It’s to keep us hanging on his every word. Instead of going to red states and rallying at their local sports area, he’s going on TV with special announcements. Soon there will be another one. He doesn’t five a d*mn about the workers or the country. He just wants to put on a long running, high drama show.

[quote]He doesn’t five a d*mn about the workers or the country.

I heard he did not even mention them in his speech today.

My hatred for this man and his "team" grows by the second.

We've already had some, R545. A dozen or so in the House, plus Murkowski and Collins in the Senate, although those last two aren't completely clear because McConnell won't let a vote be held, which would allow them to put their money where their mouth is.

This is more Trump Train baloney to divert attention from the upcoming Mueller report. Republicans are in massive denial.

Thanks r549. I should have specified the senate. Maybe there are more and McConnell doesn't dare put it to the test.

Murkowski and Colins are both Very Concerned!

I still blame Old Man Turtle MCconnell. He will go through the charade of putting this to a vote when he knows it will fail. Then workers miss another paycheck. You almost would think they are okay with cutting off the SNAP program. Hint: they are

Conservative author Ann Coulter ― whom Trump has taken policy cues from in the past ― tweeted that Trump’s offer was “100 miles of border wall in exchange for amnestying millions of illegals.”

“So if we grant citizenship to a BILLION foreigners, maybe we can finally get a full border wall,” she said.

I would enjoy using your burning fat ass to pop my Jolly Time.

Well, of course she was going to say that, no matter what the "deal" was. Coulter is professional troll who had almost completely lost all relevance. Suddenly, she's back in the news again, so the only way for her to stay there is with stupid shit like that.

***** R534

As much as I despise Trump, I really want to put my foot up McConnell's ass, with spikes on. I hate that man.

[quote]Any bets on who might be the first republican to break ranks?

Susan “Cunt” Collins and Lisa “Cunt” Murkowski.

Maybe......Senator Flake? Senator McCain?

Conservatives urinate on Trump’s face

[quote]Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) tweeted: "A Big Beautiful Concrete Border Wall will be a monument to the Rule of Law, the sovereignty of the USA, & @realDonaldTrump. If DACA Amnesty is traded for $5.7 billion(1/5 of a wall), wouldn’t be enough illegals left in America to trade for the remaining 4/5. NO AMNESTY 4 a wall!"

Shouldn't he just shut the fuck up?

[quote] You almost would think they are okay with cutting off the SNAP program. Hint: they are

He's a heartless, cruel bastard. He cares about no one -- absolutely no one -- but himself. There are families who can't pay bills, are running out of food and medicine, and worried about emergencies that may arise. He does not care one whit. Nothing. There is no empathy to him.

I hate, loathe, and despise this motherfucker so much.

He probably would enjoy that, r562

[quote]Tom Fitton, president of the right-wing activist group Judicial Watch, also denounced Trump’s proposal, tweeting that the overture to Democrats “will encourage more illegal immigration and undermine the rule of law.”

And shouldn't he be ass up on the 9th Floor of the MAL Hyatt right now?

I love it. Everyone finally hates Trump.

So, this is the part where we all just shut the fuck up and smile, with a little side eye.

Ann Coulter hates Trump.

Pelosi is playing him for a fool.

Pelosi literally laughed her balls off during his presser.

He needs to come out and slam Ann Coulter as an elitist who lost touch with the common folk. She’s living in a dream world in her castle while civil servants are working for practical solutions.

She should be cast as an aloof bomb thrower, the Jane Fonda of the right. She’s just selling books while real people are sacrificing. She needs to be put out to pasture and individual 1 is the person to do it.

[quote]Conservatives urinate on Trump’s face

That's hilarious, since the offer was so ridiculously lame. And even such a lame offer isn't working for his own base. And that makes Trump even less likely to live up to his own offer, assuming that anyone would be foolish enough to trust him.

Regrettably it looks like we’ll need a third thread for when this one fills up. Link for when we hit 600:

We should be thanking our lucky stars for having Mexico and Canada as our borders and continent mates.

Imagine, if is was Putin's Russia or Kim's North Korea?

Drink some Margaritas and Maple Syrup and give thanks for the American people and our amazing border mates.

Think this through people...

DACA is tied up in the courts. SO it’s not Trump’s to trade.

He’s essentially offering to sell the “sleeves off his vest,” for $5.7 billion dollars!

Trump knew that Pelosi would turn down the offer, so he's not going to have to grant amnesty and really rile the base. The point of the offer was to show Pelosi as unwilling to compromise.

No. I think Pence, Kushner and McTurtle thought this might fly. They forgot they needed to engage with Democrats before floating any deal. Trump is flailing and losing his base.

I don't think they thought it would fly at all. It was a cynical ploy to make the Democrats look unwilling to negotiate. Expect more of this crap as the shutdown continues. Trump won't give in - someone is going to have to stop him. I wonder if Democrats can call more attention to Mitch Mconnell refusing to bring anything to the floor of the Senate without Trump's approval. They could override a veto quite easily if they wanted.

McConnell needs to be removed from office. He is the worst.

Why Trump isn't winning this shutdown: "Trump Is Unifying Democrats Instead of Consolidating His Base"

Whatever. Trump and Spence are now having to defend attacks from the right that they are dangling amnesty. That deal was I’ll conceived and both sides hate it. They are incompetent.

[quote]PELOSI laughed HIS balls off

He strikes me as the most fey, most effeminate President I've ever seen. Not gay, just very woman-like.

@ECMcLaughlin

I’ve got a source telling me that TSA is on the verge of a total walkout in several major airports.

On the one hand, good.

On the other, I'm going on vacation in a week.

Missing one paycheck was hard. Missing a second is critical. That's why people saying that Trump will let this go on for months or years are being foolish. Those government workers and contractors cannot afford this and they will quit, even if they don't really want to.

Technically, these folks cannot strike but they can engage in a "blue flu," calling in sick. Some of them are already doing so, as the number of people calling in sick last week was double what it was a year ago. Note that we're still talking single digits, so not that large. Yet.

At some point, they will have to choose between waiting it out vs. keeping their apartment, home, car, feeding their family, etc., and they won't strike: they'll quit.

The TSA should have walked out weeks ago. What kind of pushover works for free?

FOOLS!

r584 Ones that want to keep their jobs.

They were hoping it would be just for a few weeks and they know that they will receive back pay when it ends. That's enough to keep most of them going. For a little while.

They need to walk out.

Those who call in sick likely correctly assume that neither they or their unpaid supervisors are going to be eager to see anyone fired for overusing sick leave once the Gov’t is back up and running (which might be by February. Trump and cronies will be pained to pass up both a narcissistic State of the Union AND a fun time Davos). Especially if no one’s got cash to pay for “confirmatory” doctors’ visits.

Once the second paycheck is missed, “sick leave” will be used for part time work and job interviews.

Trump and Melania won’t care. But Trump supporting Repugs in Handout states will.

[quote]Technically, these folks cannot strike.

There is a law forbidding U.S. federal employees from striking.

Whether charges are brought is a different matter. One can imagine a scenario where prosecution might not be something this administration wants to take on.

Also, each federal employee swore they would support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

I can't see that oath being a factor in any of this, R589. Not sure what you're driving at.

I’m not 589. But NOT doing the Dotard’s bidding might be consistent with one’s oath.

Ann Coulter should be beaten into a coma.

What are they waiting for?

Walk out is not a strike. It’s just means they’re not dumb enough to work for free.

Once you stop paying someone, all bets are off.

They're not desperate enough, R593. Not yet. That will change.

Trump's offer is a stunt to get McTurtle to call a vote in the Senate where it would probably pass , then he sends it to the House so Nancy and the Dems DON"T PASS IT. That way they can blame the Dems for the shutdown. The Duhplorables may believe it but no one with a brain cell will.

[quote]Ann Coulter should be beaten into a coma.

With a gay porn star’s twelve inch erection. I’d pay to see that.

r589 Whether anyone is prosecuted or not is irrelevant. As with Reagan the Air Traffic Controllers, if they strike or walk out THEY WILL BE TERMINATED.

They can’t replace all of them. There’s not enough workers. Airlines will have a fit and get the government back open.

All federal employees need to walk out. This is not the 80s.

Polling is now showing that Trump is losing non-educated whites.

If TSA Workers Go on Strike, Trump Might Relish the Chance to Play Reagan