Trump sprang three traps on Pelosi and Schumer yesterday
Anyone watching the news yesterday must have seen the video of Trump, San Fran Nan, and Chuckie in the Oval Office having a little chat. This was a set-up by Trump, as SFN and Chuckie clearly did not expect the press to be present during the meeting, and said as much several times. Judging by body language, Chuckie clearly wished himself elsewhere as Trump cornered them on boarder security and building the wall.
Our friend Poetrooper drew our attention to the work of one of his fellow American Thinker writers about the occasion, and suggested TAH readers would be interested. I certainly was, so now we both think you will be, too.
Trump sprang three traps on Pelosi and Schumer yesterday
By Thomas Lifson
President Trump clearly shocked House speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer yesterday with his televising of the Oval Office sit-down over his demand for $5 billion in funding for border security, including funding of critical mileage for his border wall. Knowing well that Pelosi had already vowed publicly that “transparency and openness” would characterize the Democrat-run House starting next month, her plaintive request to speak in private scored points for Trump and revealed her hypocrisy before any substance at all was considered.
The remarkable body language during the meeting tells the story of Trump’s dominance.
That was merely the first of three traps Trump had prepared for the Democrats’ congressional leadership.
Trump’s second trap is his bold declaration of ownership of any “government shutdown.” Democrats have convinced themselves that what is called a “shutdown,” but really means furloughing non-essential federal workers, is a tragedy, a scar on the nation’s psyche. The fact that federal workers are now a major and solid constituency for Democrats skews their perception of the public’s concern. Aside from canceling sleigh rides in national parks and other such photo drama, the fact is that life goes on well for nearly all Americans during the furlough. They learn that there are a lot of non-essential government workers.
After multiple shutdowns, including the last one that bore the label “Schumer Shutdown” and was quickly conceded by the Democrats, the public is no longer afraid of non-essential services (roughly 25% of the government) being temporarily suspended.
The entire article can and should be read at American Thinker
Category: Illegal Immigrants, Politics
Yeah, aside from national parks, most people will never see a difference once the government shuts down. Except that traffic jams are a bit lighter since all the government workers are at home.
Trump was brilliant in yesterday’s conference. I loved how openly upset the dems were their negotiation was being televised. Shows how much politics in back room dealing.
Yep… San Fran Nan wants to talk transparency until it came time to talk about the wall, then she wanted to talk about it when the cameras were off.
I can’t believe how many people believe her and that other dingus in the room, Schumer.
It definitely fucks with Reservists. The Antideficiency Act prohibits any government agency from incurring obligations in the absence of a congressional appropriation, so last January’s shutdown, we had to cancel BA about six hours before first formation. Cleared your schedule for a school? Sorry, can’t cut orders during a shutdown. Back in 2011 during the debt ceiling showdown, a bunch of us nearly got sent home halfway through BLC, but they resolved it in time.
I should note, that shouldn’t be an issue this time – when they did that September mini-bus, they fully funded the DoD for FY19, which is awesome. And hopefully future shutdown theater events like this do the same…
It can be a problem, but we learned after the first one under Obama’s watch that if there wasn’t a confirmed budget by Monday of that drill weekend coming up, we’re postponing drill and we have a darn good reason for it.
I lost count of the amount of shutdowns we had under Obama. Had one under Clinton too, though not nearly as bad.
You apparently had a reasonable higher HQ…
Mason-copy that, the last shutdown took enough deadweight off of Houston’s roads to make commuting bearable for a while. I’m looking forward to another traffic holiday.
IMHO, if they are subject to a ‘furlough’ during a ‘shutdown’ then they are not needed at all, and should be RIFed.
I say that as a retired state-government employee.
Most Federal jobs are performed by overpaid morons. What bureaucrat says, “You know, we do a lot of needless and redundant stuff. Let’s downsize!” Ain’t gonna happen. Even when agencies are reduced by force, the employees merely transfer. I may be wrong, but I think the last time a Federal workforce was dealt with in a way most Americans would regard as ‘normal’ was the ATC strike. Reagan gave them an ultimatum to get back to work or be shitcanned. They called his bluff. They shouldn’t have. More than 11,000 of them lost their jobs.
In DC most Government jobs are performed by overpaid, under-worked contractors that don’t count against an organization’s manning, and supervised by a few bored and uninvolved Feds. And I agree – unessential workers could easily be RIFfed and things would work even better.
Not true in the slightest.
Contractors are unaffected by furloughs- the government already paid the contract in mostt cases. So, they get paid and there are no ‘bored and uninvolved feds’ to keep an eye on them.
I don’t know where the folks on this board are getting the idea that the federal workforce is a progressive stronghold, but working for the federal government is like working in a Limbaugh Room or a Fox Nation chat room.
As a former federal employee I disagree entirely.
The people I worked with were some of the most dishonest, lazy and downright stupid people I have ever had the displeasure to work with…
As a current federal employee the government people I work with are about 90% Active Duty, Reserve, Retired, or service veterans. Our contractors, about the same, and I couldn’t function without them. Sorry you had such a bad experience, but don’t paint us all with that brush.
So, were you dishonest, lazy, and downright stupid?
I’m a federal employee and everybody I work with work hard, are very smart and honest. 100% of us are also veterans.
Don’t lump all contractors being unaffected by furloughs. I am a govt. contractor. Last week when we had the National Day of Mourning (not a furlough), when the govt. folks didn’t work, we didn’t work, because there was no govt. people to look over our shoulders. Last furlogh season we didn’t work either, the govt. folks got there back pay for NOT working, we as contractors got a “sorry for your luck”, have a nice day.
Many state and local jobs are likewise performed by “overpaid morons,” as well. I have had the “privilege” of working with some of them. Many of them are so employed because no one in the private sector would likely employ them, anyway, not on a long term basis. Many of such employees spend a great deal of their work hours trying to avoid actually putting in eight hours work for their pay.
I heard that the firings got rid of a lot of incompetents and deadbeats, it turned out to be a good housecleaning!
If you knew your job was a waste of the people’s money, why didn’t you quit?
I am a non-essential federal employee. You clearly don’t understand the federal regulations outlining essential functions, so why don’t you keep your uniformed opinions to yourself until you learn how to work Google?
in the case of my job, “non-essential” merely means that you are not part of the 10% cap on those who can be forced to work during shut downs.
That 10% is an imposed cap, not a value judgement on the work being done.
That said, all of this depends on the agency. I don’t know how long it would take to notice that some entire branches of our fedgov were gone if that actually happened. Some things done by government are not really that necessary to begin with–like the park service or the HR empire at OPM.
So, don’t confuse “non-essential” with “not necessary”. It really is nothing more than a minimum manning roster limited not by importance, but by policy.
I work at range control and when the government shuts down we go down to bare bones. We have a day shift worker and a night shift worker to cover the fire desk 24/7, one range tech to cover down on every single range, and the range manager. Those are the only four working so there is no maintenance workers, no carpenters, no schedulers, no electricians, etc. If there are multiple maneuver live fires scheduled all but one are canceled since USARAK policy is that a range tech has to be present at all maneuver live fires.
The President was awesome in yesterday’s rope a dope(s). Deer in headlight looks and stuttering.
Of course. He is in another league when it comes to this stuff. Pelosi was “Oh shit! What do I do?” Chuckie tried the toughie New Yawker shit but Trump has dealt with them most of his working life. Despite media’s attempt to describe it otherwise, it was clear that Trump was using them to talk to us about “border security.” And it worked.
To be fair, it was a setup. He really put them on the spot, which is great for Trump. That’s where he shines.
I concur, President Trump did NOT become a multi-billionaire Business Mogul by accident, he had to cut his own swath through the Shark Tanks and did, so IMHO cutting through the swamp isn’t much trouble for him, I enjoyed seeing Nanny Lugosi and Chuckie Shoo-mah quiver like cold chihuahuas!
Bwwwwwaaaaaahhhhhhhaaaaahahahahahahahah!!!
Saw it on the tube. Both of those parasites of the American people squirming around looking for an escape hatch.
Another example of why the Swamp is trying to swallow up The Donald. He owes no one anything and is, IMO, trying very hard to do what is best for America. They are all getting job scared.
My only problem with a gubmint shut down is they all just get a free vacation; all but the troops that is.
Both Schumer and Pelousy should be in prison. MAGA!
As I recall, a previous occupant of the Oval Office took a shutdown to mean blocking federal highways so that people couldn’t see national monuments.
That did not go over well.
Like all the Man Hours used putting traffic cones for miles near Mount Rushmore as well as their manned blockades of the WWII Memorial in DC?
And insulting Vets by blocking them at the WWII Memorial really endeared him to nobody ever…
The blockade at the WWII Memorial was about as successful as the previous occupant’s attempts at… well, pretty much everything.
That was -stupid-
The guys that broke “Fortress Europe” and the Reich, the guys who took the Pacific away from the Empire of Japan, were supposed to be deterred by
Some knee-high fencing held together with zip ties.
Really.
No seriously guys, you can’t get past that.
….
The geezers even stacked it neatly.
seldom has the occupant of so lofty an office seemed so pointlessly dumb and impotently irrelevant.
Nancy left a stain on the sofa.
That was her brain leaking.
Post-anal drip.
Either the sound was bad or she has the mumblegums disorder, because I could hardly understand what she was saying.
And that flailing arm and clawhand were as distracting as you can get. She looked like she was swatting at flies.
What I saw in body language was that neither Chuckie nor Nanny P had any control of anything at all, including which way the conversation went. I found Schooner’s body language interesting = leaning forward, elbows on knees, not really looking at Trump – all signs that he wanted to run away because Trump was dominating him.
Mannny P waved only one arm around, the arm toward the camera, but her face was turned away from the camera so her voice was somewhat muffled, and she kept repeating herself, while Trump gave her enough rope to tow her along. I think she’s in her own little world. Could not ask for a more worthy person to be Speaker (again).
I can’t wait to hear her call for President Bush’s impeachment once again, I wonder if she has Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, or she’s really that brain dead after all her years in The Great Whorehouse on the Potomac River? I’m sure that Nanny Lugosi and O’crazy-Cortex will provide us with many a laugh, they come up with statements that The Onion and Babylon Bee couldn’t even make up!
That exchange was hysterical.
The president told Nancy he felt the open discussion was “transparent”, and she and Chuck grew more agitated.
Frankly, I’d like to see debates such as that one televised – but without reporters interrupting.
(Naturally, that will never happen because politicians generally temper their tone and watch their language when cameras are on).
I concur, President Trump ran for office with US Border Security being one of the cornerstones of his campaign and his going for it like an M1 Abrams at full throttle is another thing that will guarantee his reelection in 2020, I hope to see him clobber more lib pols in front of cameras like he did in that video, he smashed Chuckie Shoo-mah and Nanny Lugosi in their faces like The Three Stooges with custard pies!
President Trump most likely wanted the meeting to be on camera because Chuck Schumer has been known to tell whoppers about what goes on in back-room deals.
And Nancy Pelosi has demonstrated, once again, what a nasty piece of work she is by trotting out the double standard of later questioning Trump’s “manhood” because he wants to fund the border wall. Turn things around and just imagine the collective coronary the press would have had if Trump told her, “Bitch, please. Why are we talking about borders when you’re supposed to be in the kitchen making me a sandwich?”
And what in the name of Baby-Jesus-on-a-green-tricycle was up with her nattering about having “A tinkle contest with a skunk.”
Meanwhile, for those who appreciate irony, a group in Tijuana representing the 3,000 or so caravan marchers still left has issued the U.S. Consulate with a list of demands. This includes demanding that the U.S. pay each marcher $50,000 to make them go home.
$50,000 to make them go home? I’ll send the Consulate a letter asking them pay ME $50,000 to stay home, instead of them.
FUCK ‘EM, they can either find their own way home or take whatever the Mexican Government offers them.
*snerk*
It is amazing what can get done when you don’t care about kissing the asses of the drive-by media.
Let’s see: While Nancy and Chuck were busy playing games at taxpayer expense, the prez was literally writing books about how to negotiate deals. Should come as no surprise that he won this round, just as he has won so many rounds before this one, and will still be winning long after they are retired from public “service.”
First time EVER that Chuckie has shied away from a TV camera. Hilarious stuff.
The always unavoidable for comment chuckles looked like the penguin about to swallow his cigarette holder.
I can’t recall a government worker actually losing a penny in shutdown. If I’m correct, the issue is more of a ‘delay’ in funds, as opposed to a ‘loss’ of same.
I hope he shuts it down. It’s great he chose to own it. Enough of the GOP that pees their pants anytime a shutdown looms.
I’ll draw your attention to the sequesters in 2012/2013.
I am an ‘exempt’ employee meaning furloughs don’t matter, I’m coming in, but still getting paid. Those who are not exempt and stay home are eventually paid, so they in effect get unscheduled leave that doesn’t count against their leave balance. Sweet deal for them.
In a sequestration, I’m coming in without recompense, and without the ability to take leave, by law. And those hours are never repaid. This happened to us twice under the Obama Administration. Didn’t affect the military, which is about the only saving grace of that debacle.
Trump came across as a petulant idiot and blowhard. And relied on more lies to support his position.
Chuck Schumer came across as a pathetic passive aggressive beta unable to sit up straight or look Trump in the eyes.
Pelosi came across as someone incapable of balancing against Trump and unable to set any narrative that will resonate with Americans as a counter againstTrump dominating the narrative.
None of these politicians are worth a shit given the challenges we face even in the near term.
*YAWN*, is that the best one of your UC Berzerkely perfesser’s talking points that you can regurgitate right now? You normally make me laugh, but that post of yours bored the shit out of me! Go find yourself a Therapist and take your meds, little fool!
The only petulant idiot and blowhard in this thread is you, Lars. Now, why don’t you go piss on an electric fence? And what is this “we” you blather on about?
Yeah, the whole idea of national security is just BS. After all, these illegal aliens are all college professors and brain surgeons.
Out of curiosity, how many are you hosting?
Thought so.
All bad breath, no dentures.
Immigrants are a net positive for our national strength and prosperity.
Besides, anyone that denies climate change and political LLC obstructs our ability to deal with it does not get to act self righteous about their support for national security.
The effect of climate change willl be comparable to a nuclear war by the DoD own estimates and and the effects have already started while you all rabidly deny it is happening for ENTIRELY tribal identity reasons.
The US faces only a few existential threats. Climate change is one of them. Immigrants are not.
Unplug your computer and quit using energy then Lars. Hypocrite.
After all these years, you are still drinking the proggie Kool-Ade.
“anyone that denies climate change and political LLC obstructs our ability to deal with it does not get to act self righteous about their support for national security”
“There not playing by the ruells”
God, I wish I could find that video.
They were on an airplane.
“Immigrants are a net positive for our national strength and prosperity.”
That may be true. And it likely is. Under our immigration laws and policies, we get to determine how many people from which countries with certain job skills or talents will be permitted legal entry, a stay, for how long and for what purpose. This orderly scheme maximizes the likelihood that those allowed here do contribute to, not sap, our resources. On the other hand, foreign nationals who sneak across our border undermine that scheme and create the illegal alien problem that we, as a sovereign nation, face. Like the pregnant teen caravaner who sneaked across a few days ago and gave birth on US soil, illegal aliens are takers and contribute little, aside from some seasonal fruit picking, that contributes to the nation.
“Immigrants are a net positive for our national strength and prosperity.”
LEGAL Immigrants are a net positive.
HEY Babbles McButthead, weren’t you howling some time ago that we needed to be worried about some great big Zika Epidemic that was going to wipe us out? Climate change MY ASS, were there any coal-fired power plants around to cause the last Ice Age some millennia ago? What do you have against unskilled workers that are minorities, you DO know that letting unskilled people in en masse drives wages down, thus you’re all in favor of keeping minorities from getting employed or receiving better wages!
Not up to your usual level of douchebaggery, comrade. Rough day on the commune?
Brucie’s Bath House (Entrance in the Rear) turned him down for a job yet again.
I don’t think I’ve ever known such a Blue Falcon cock-knocker like you, poodledick. Were you crossing the fingers on your left hand when you gave your Oath?
Blue falcon?
I am not the one aligning myself with a traitor that collaborated with a hostile power while cheating as he is intentionally sabotaging out allies.
You remind me of the Whiner family depicted on SNL many years ago.
Gilda Radner was great as she whined “there not playing by the ruells!”
Whine on………..
Lars won’t be happy until the country is turned into a third-world socialist shithole/SSR. His biggest wet dream is to run the “reeducation” system.
Oh, cool. You have evidence of that? Mueller has been looking for a couple years now finding nothing of the sort, and would love a chat with you.
Is this a signal for another Lars bait article, AW1Ed?
Seems like he didn’t wake up in time to absorb the last one.
Maybe he is denying having supported John f’n’ sKerry?
Also, I am no democrat. Strange you thing someone is a “blue falcon” if they are not loyal to a political party.
Parties have no loyalty to the American public so the American public should not be loyal to any party.
Political parties are a destructive force in our country.
“Also, I am no democrat”
And the small d shows it.
You are however stressed because nobody here goes along with your stupid childish remarks. The only party you belong to is your own self centered world where you are always right about everything.
Children live in such worlds until they grow up.
I’m guessing you are late thirties.
Thats too late.
No, you are prolly not a D-rat. You are a communist masquerading as a socialist. Either way, you are an enemy of the Republic.
Lars doesn’t like it when people call him a communist. We cultists/Nazis/fascists should do it much more often.
BUTbutbut, he told us himself NOT to fear commies or communism!
2+2=5!!!
Dresses up every Saturday night with his Sam Browne, jack boots and all black unitard… can’t be one if you can’t dress the part!
I have to agree with SquishfishMcBlob’s analysis of both Pelosi and Schumer.
Gave the public a chance to see what they are really like when confronted by a dominant “other”. Schumer doesn’t like being confronted and shut down, and Pelosi can’t shut her yap.
So I don’t give a crap what Squish’s opinion is of dTrump… this time.
Lars should stay off the adult blogs and do what he is good at, bedwetting! Now go suck on your mommies tit and take your nap.
You just will not go away, will you Larsey Boi?
Your turd called. Needs you to come give it a tongue bath.
I’m sure he’s sitting in some corner sucking his thumb while thinking about what batch of propaganda from his UC Berzerkely perfessers he’ll regurgitate here believing that it will eventually dazzle us like the brilliance he thinks it is!
Well, again we have received the commentary of the Red Seagull.
I just watched the video where frannan said that we have to talk about this in privacy, so what happened to transparency she talks a lot of shit about. Why is chukie wearing the flag pin on his lapel when he is anti 2 A among other things.
Why? It’s all about appearances, that’s why? It’s symbolism… even if it fools no one.
I just wish that Trump would call a meeting with a couple of the more clownlike entities from both Houses and have the meeting while he’s sitting at his desk, cleaning one of the Secret Squirrels’ guns.
I remember Nanny Lugosi saying that all bills would be read before passage until 0bamacare came up and then we heard her famous “We have to pass it first so we can find out what’s in it…”, typical of the hypocrisy one finds in The Great Whorehouse on the Potomac River!
Yeah, I’d enjoy seeing the both of them in a trap … both together in a bear trap. Throw in hildabeast and make it a threesome. Could you imagine that? The three of the most worthless morons in the history of man, together in a bear trap? I’d pay to see that.
The most common Bear bait is stale donuts.
Not sure what bait to use with politicians.
Money my dear friend. Use money. Preferably someone else’s money. They love other people’s money so they don’t have to spend their own.
^^This^^
Put a rider for a national security bill in the trap. One that disburses $50m for a post office with their name on it and you’ll be cleaning that trap out in minutes.
Some of us were never afraid of roughly 75% of the government being shut down. Some of us would prefer the days when the government was still small enough to be mostly afraid of the people it represented as opposed to viewing those people as tax slaves to fund the machine. So many people buy into the hype that we “need” the government to do “something” for us every year. What exactly is that? Do we really need more laws? More regulations? Has anyone met the lawmaker yet who in addition to the all the new laws they wish to propose that’s said we have too many laws and need to start taking some off the books and letting a free people actually be free? Frankly I’ve long been tired of all the laws designed to protect me from me….when I was a kid we had guns, fireworks, dirt bikes, go-karts, no helmets, no seat belts, and you know what? Only the dumb kids didn’t make it. Which is how nature intended it in the first place. If you’re too fucking stupid to not understand that jumping off a building onto a 4 inch mattress isn’t a good plan perhaps you shouldn’t survive and replenish the gene pool with your DNA. When I hear government shutdown I’m almost always happy because it means for a very, very short period of time there’s very little chance the government can fuck me in some ways I hadn’t thought of yet. Like California’s great new plan to tax text messaging. We all make fun of the French from time to time, I’ve been guilty of that myself, but I have to admire the fact they had the balls to take to the streets and make their government listen. We haven’t taken up arms or protested against our dead and dumb government since we ousted the king and his minions. And today conservatives who used to value personal freedoms and limited government seem to be nothing more than statists who pledge blind obedience to big government and control over every aspect of their lives.… Read more »
Hear, hear.
Problem with so-called shutdowns as they are currently being done, among other things, is that the only folks who are really hurt by them are ordinary folks. The employees get paid after they get to stay home for a while (where else do so many get paid to not work?) while the rest of us must continue to pay for them.
At least all those employees are doing no additional damage to us during their extra paid vacations.
^this^ and ^that^
And Charles Schumer said it on camera that we could have border security w/out the wall. What a doofus.
Shoo-mah is a fine example of what’s wrong with DC and on-camera meetings like that are just what he and Nanny Lugosi abhor, I hope we see more and more of them!