Friday 26 January 2018

Trump's U-turns and double U-turns

There are certain things we know, definitely definitely absolutely definitely that Trumps wants to do, and then there are issues that are full of so many U-turns and double U-turns that we're not sure what the hell he really wants. In the first category is the Mexico Wall. It seems. almost above anything else, he wants The Wall built. The Democrats will never agree, they say building a wall is repressive, undemocratic and a ridiculous waste of money. A huge high wall along the Mexican border to keep people out would probably be all of those things. Certainly a waste of taxpayers' money. But Trump has The Wall fixed in his head and it seems that he is prepared to carry out all sorts of policy U-turns provided he gets The Wall at the end of the day. So the Dreamers immigration issue - allowing 700,000 illegal immigrants who came in to the US as children - to stay and get citizenship is now firmly on the Trump desk and he will approve it PROVIDED etc etc. He will also allow a whole lot of other illegal immigrants to stay PROVIDED etc etc. So the Democrats are going to get a lot of their treasured ideas through the Trump hands but only if they say yes to the wretched wall. I can foresee a time when the Democrats will throw up their hands and say to the president: "Ok, build your wretched wall." But they will anticipate protracted delays in Congress for the finance and meanwhile get on with passing legislation to keep the Dreamers. Trump is no fool. He is not going to allow the Democrats an inch if he thinks they're going to screw him over on The Wall. So it looks like another maddening impasse and logjam next month when the whole budget issue comes up again. Yet another government shutdown in the offing and all because of That Wall. Surely someone like General John Kelly will be able to make Trump see sense? But Kelly was formerly Homeland Security Secretary. Maybe he has a sneaking regard for the Trump idea, who knows! One way or the other, something has got to give. It could be Trump that blinks but he cares more about The Wall than the Dreamers and I can't see him backing down.

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