President Trump is trying to hijack Congress. Congress was given the purse strings of the nation, not the Executive branch. This was one of those old-fashioned “checks and balances” things. But Mr. Trump is telling Congress, pass the legislation I want (authorizing the expenditures I want) or suffer the consequences, Basically he is saying that he won’t do his job (faithfully execute the laws of the US of A) unless Congress gives him what he wants. “So, give me I want or I shut the government down.” <signed> Donald J. Trump If this were being done by a foreign agency, it would be considered an act of war.
I wonder where he got the idea?
Oh, I remember, it was back when the Republican Congress tried to hijack Mr. Obama’s Presidency. Basically they said “give us what we want or we will not extend the national debt limit.” The consequences of not extending that limit was that the government couldn’t pay its bills and employees and could default on the payment of its debt obligations, ruining our credit rating. The final such tantrum by the GOP cost many billions of dollars as I suspect that Mr. Trump’s tantrum will, too.
Does no one else see this as an infringement on the powers granted the Congress by the Constitution? Does no one else see that refusing to “faithfully execute the laws of the US of A” is an offense that could result in the removal of Mr. Trump from office?
I mean, there is a saying that “all is fair in love and politics,” but it is just a saying. It isn’t the Constitution, for pity’s sake. Mr. Trump seems to think that not paying “his employees” is an ordinary bargaining position. If would be is he were still a scummy slum lord in New York, but now he is playing with the big boys and I hope someone hands his head to him.
Uncommon Sense 
It was Newt Gingrich (or Clinton) depending on your viewpoint who started this shutdown business. Clinton refused to sign the budget congress sent over. It has happened a few times since.
Technically, Congress has not sent a budget to Trump to sign. Congress has failed to do their job which is to pass a bill and send to he president.
That is a technical argument but may be enough to prevent impeachment and removal from office.
They have not passed a bill because McConnell will not bring a bill up for a vote unless Trump agrees in advance to sign it.
It is a maddening situation. I have emailed both of my republican senators saying that the most important thing now is to get the government open by passing a budget.
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Comment by OG — January 10, 2019 @ 10:10 pm |
You are correct, of course. But the actual cause of what is happening is basically sound. They have just hidden away the process. If a budget were passed, Trump could not refuse to sign it but he could veto it and then the veto would not be overturned, so that is the same result. The ramifications will be electoral.
On Thu, Jan 10, 2019 at 10:10 PM Class Warfare Blog wrote:
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Comment by Steve Ruis — January 11, 2019 @ 10:27 am |
By refuse to sign I meant veto. My language was not correct. With Clinton the congress eventually passed the budget he wanted. Newt and the republicans were blamed by public opinion for the shutdown. Newt had to resign and the republicans paid for it in the next elections. Going up against Clinton was not smart. Nobody was ever able to win against him and he is still one of the most popular presidents.
Teflon Regan was similar to Clinton. Still very popular. Some people have that touch.
Trump does not.
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Comment by OG — January 11, 2019 @ 11:19 am |
We agree on that. Charisma goes a long way. Unfortunately Newt Gingrich’s ideas regarding campaign against government took root and were expanded, so we now have incongruous feelings. People who live in poor states in which more money flows into the state than out of it re the federal government are anti-government. Working class Americans have been turned against unions, which along with government were their sole protection against rapacious businesses. Gee, I wonder why the GOP went after government and unions … hmmm … it is almost as if they were sponsored by the rich to do their bidding.
On Fri, Jan 11, 2019 at 11:19 AM Class Warfare Blog wrote:
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Comment by Steve Ruis — January 11, 2019 @ 11:43 am |
Read the book Dark Money by Jane Mayer. That gives details of how they did it.
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Comment by OG — January 11, 2019 @ 11:49 am |
Is even funnier than that when you go back to when saint Ronnie was president of SAG (screen actors guild). He sure went all crusader jackass on the air traffic controllers though. Oh, the chimpanses out acted his sorry ass in my opinion and Nancy was pure evil.
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Comment by Walter Kronkat — January 11, 2019 @ 8:52 pm |
“Nancy was pure evil.” She looked like a bag of dried bones draped in a bleached sheet of leather with a cheap-ass wig stuck on top of it. Icky! Well, at least her “Just say, no,” anti-drug campaign wiped out the US drug problem. Right?
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Comment by inspiredbythedivine1 — January 12, 2019 @ 7:46 am |
Sorry OG, I despise and detest both saint Ronnie and Billy Bob Bubba among others who I hold in similar contempt.
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Comment by Walter Kronkat — January 11, 2019 @ 8:49 pm |
No need to apolgize to me. I don’t have any interest in either of them, or in what other people think of them.
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Comment by OG — January 11, 2019 @ 9:10 pm |
The moment a Dem is back in the WH, declare a National Emergency to deal with guns. At least that *is* a real crisis. And then do it again for climate change.
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Comment by john zande — January 11, 2019 @ 4:48 am |
I was just thinking that.
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Comment by inspiredbythedivine1 — January 11, 2019 @ 2:26 pm |
We need automatic continuing resolutions. It’s not a perfect solution, but would instantly end this whole “shutdown” business. Passing one bill — authorizing automatic CRs in all future budget impasses — would solve this once and for all. Next time Rs and Ds can’t agree? The government continues to be funded via the automatic CR. If the president tries to hijack Congress? Same thing. Let them fight it out on their own time instead of punishing workers and the public who have nothing to do with their petty squabbles and stupid “Wall”.
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Comment by Anderson Connors — January 15, 2019 @ 1:00 pm |
Wouldn’t that make too much sense to be adopted?
On Tue, Jan 15, 2019 at 1:00 PM Class Warfare Blog wrote:
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Comment by Steve Ruis — January 15, 2019 @ 2:37 pm |
Shutting down the government is and has been a cat and mouse political game played by Congress and multiple presidents, including this Congress and Trump. Nothing new.
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Comment by Zach — January 16, 2019 @ 6:02 pm |