I didn't really expect anything but a total sellout from McConnell and Ryan and I wasn't disappointed. The massive omnibus spending bill apparently will severely limit any wall construction but commits half a billion dollars to Chuck Schumer's favorite pork project, the Gateway tunnel. Of course our "true conservatives" managed to fully fund Planned Parenthood and its baby parts junkyards. As an added insult, they refused to give Trump any authority to cut off sanctuary cities. Why would they ever agree to such a preposterous set of priorities, one might ask. Because they brought home the bacon for defense contractors and the massive farm lobby, that's why. The republican leadership is always happy to sell out their own voters when the lobbyists from K Street come calling. Or in McConnell's case, from Beijing. http://www.breitbart.com/2018-elections/2018/03/21/democrats-claiming-victory-2018-omnibus-fight/ From the Breitbart article: The Washington Post reported: In the final wall compromise, $1.6 billion will be available for physical barriers along the Mexican border, but strings are attached. Most of the funding, officials said, can be used only for repairs or for “secondary” barriers along border stretches where there is already a wall. The rest can be used for 33 miles of new barriers, but there are restrictions on the type: Only levees or existing “bollard” fencing can be built, rather than the concrete prototypes Trump appears to favor. According to Politico, the 2018 omnibus bill: doesn’t provide the specific funding for the [New York tunnel] project but does include funding increases for other federal transportation accounts, including Amtrak, that will allow tunnel construction to begin. And there will be more than $500 million available for Gateway this year that doesn’t require administration approval under the terms of the deal, and the project can apply for billions more, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. “It’s troubling that we get a tunnel but we don’t get a wall,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said, noting the border wall funding had previously been appropriated. “The last time I checked, the president didn’t make any promises about getting a tunnel at any of his campaign stops.” The Democrats’ victory comes even after their damaging shutdown of the government in January as they demanded an amnesty for millions of illegals. The GOP blocked that push, but subsequently did little or nothing to push the President’s election-winning immigration priorities. The core problem is that few GOP politicians believe the GOP gains by campaigning on immigration, either in budget disputes or in elections, said Rosemary Jenks at the NumbersUSA immigration-reform group. “I don’t think the majority of Republicans recognize that immigration is a fantastic campaign issue,” Jenks told Breitbart. “If they did, they would be running on it.” House Speaker Paul Ryan defended his funding package, telling reporters that “I feel like we’re in a very good place.” The Democrats also reportedly blocked Trump’s effort to expand border security and end the “catch-and-release” policy towards migrants by adding more detention beds: The bill also rejects a Trump administration request for more immigration enforcement officers and an increase in funding for detention facilities. Language in the bill, two officials said, holds the level of enforcement agents flat and does not allow the administration to add detention beds. However, a Republican official said the administration could still move money between accounts to fund more enforcement. Democrats also blocked Trump’s effort to penalize Democratic-run “sanctuary cities.” Trump wanted explicit approval from the Congress allowing him to deny grants to cits which block enforcement of immigration laws. But Ryan’s business-first wing of the GOP traded those immigration issues to win many gains for themselves, including a massive $78 billion increase in defense spending, and a huge $52 billion increase in domestic spending. Farm-country GOP legislators also got the Democrats to agree to a tax-bill fix that helps farmers who sell grain to cooperatives. The business-first gains were won when the GOP leadership — including Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — agreed to expand the annual spending from $1.1 trillion in 2017 to $1.3 trillion in 2018. That increase was opposed by fiscal-conservatives — but their opposition also meant that the GOP and Democratic leaders would exclude them from back-room talks about immigration spending and policy. Breitbart reported: [Conservative GOP Rep. Jim] Jordan said, “Planned Parenthood, Gateway Bridge … trillion dollar deficit, and no wall.” Congressman Jordan added, “I’m voting against it, I think everyone here is voting against it. I hope the White House does veto it.”
The obvious solution is to vote these assholes out of office, but primary challenges are difficult when they have massive PAC funding. Plus, defeating them often means a novice or unorthodox candidate is then pitted against a heavily funded democrat pol. Trump's leadership has been severely lacking. He could have done exactly what Obama did. Demand that his priorities be funded or else. Sadly Trump has either been bamboozled or feels he will need these dirtbags' support if he is impeached. The end result will be the same however. He isn't getting reelected without a wall, period. Of course the dems can see that, and they could not care less about illegal drugs killing our people if that is the price to beat Trump.
The moron who lost that safe Pa seat didn't mention immigration. No doubt his consultants and the RNC morons advised him to avoid it and concentrate on their big accomplishment, tax cuts for Silicon Valley billionaires. That went over just great in western Pa. Disillusioned MAGA voters will be sitting out the midterms, pretty much ensuring a democrat sweep. No doubt the establishment republicans will blame Trump for it.
Ryan James Girdusky@RyanGirdusky 4h4 hours ago Think about it, the issue Trump campaigned on the hardest (immigration) is the biggest concern for Republican voters. The issue Paul Ryan pushed hardest for in Congress (taxes) is dead last.pic.twitter.com/AX48rWKLmr 0 replies 20 retweets
In other words, we are screwed. My hope is Trump gains some credibility through a diplomatic victory, say with North Korea and our economy starts posting some impressive numbers. However, if we end up in a full blown trade war, the latter goes out the window.
Its funny how Trump supporters interpret low democrat turn out, low democrat enthusiasm,3 million more votes and Trump winning the electoral college by 80,000 votes as overwhelming support for Trump. Since Trump has become President Republicans have done worst, losing big races like AL, VA and PA and winning extremely red gerrymandered house districts by 5-10 points that they usually by 20 to 30 points.What races have they actually done better after Trump than prior to Trump? If republicans think embracing a guy who lost by millions of votes,has historically low approval ratings and a job approval rating above 50 % in only 12 out of 50 states I hope they do so in the mid terms.
I don’t know about distancing from Trump being a good idea for republicans, but maybe it’s not the worst idea. Think about 2010 and 2014, during the midterms the democrats distanced themselves from Obama and got smacked hard.