Republican Party hits the panic button as Donald Trump circles the drain
The vote to block “President” Trump’s fake emergency declaration looms over the Senate. As Palmer Report noted earlier, the Democrats have been joined by enough Republicans to block Trump’s declaration. However, Trump will veto the resolution as soon as it hits his desk. The Democrats have rallied together to weather this storm, but the remaining Republicans just can’t seem to figure out what to do.
Most Republicans don’t want to openly defy Trump by voting against the declaration, even though many of them seem to agree that the declaration violates the Constitution and usurps Congress’ power. Instead of manning up and doing the right thing, The Hill reports that one group of Republicans wants to give Trump a one-time “pass” in order to avoid going against him. Their idea of doing that is ludicrous. There’s no such thing as “one time” when considering the powers bestowed upon the separate branches of government. Pardon the cliché, but one inch will lead to a mile and fiascos of this type would be fought in future administrations, instead of our country being governed.
According to Reuters, Senator Mike Lee of Utah presented a proposal to “reform” the National Emergencies Act of 1976 which would require that emergency declarations automatically expire if not passed by Congress in 30 days. Trump indicated to Lee that he would not support the proposal, and Lee will join the other four Republicans in voting to end the declaration. At the same time, Ted Cruz and Lamar Alexander are pushing an alternative that would allow Trump to take the money from elsewhere such as an asset forfeiture fund. This proposal is ridiculous. Trump had no right to declare the emergency. Why in the world should his bad behavior be rewarded by “finding” money for him? Why can’t the Republicans just admit that they don’t want the wall any more than the Democrats do? They had two years to give him this funding when they controlled both Houses. This proverbial walking on eggshells is no way to run our government.
I liken Trump to a child going through “terrible twos.” He has had a tantrum, and the adults in the room need to send him to time out. Instead, they enable his behavior. Mitch McConnell said to The Hill that “[t]here’s a lot of discomfort with the law.” I suspect that’s only because the child wants something he can’t have. I would be willing to bet my next paycheck that McConnell didn’t say that when Barack Obama was President. When are these people going to start doing what the American people sent them to Washington to do? For this group, I think the answer is, unfortunately, “never.”
Think of all the time, effort, and yes, money, wasted on this “national emergency” debate. It continues to amaze me how Trump has no qualms about wasting taxpayer dollars on things that benefit him and not the citizens of this country. Even though opposition to Trump ties things up even more, I am thankful for Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, who won’t back down on these issues. If we can somehow make it through the last of Trump’s “presidency” and this Republican tyranny, I see better days ahead for us.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years