Just in time for Christmas, our white nationalist racist-in-chief got the government shutdown over his “big beautiful wall” on the Mexico border that he wanted after calling for it at least 25 times.
This is the third government shutdown in two years under unified Republican control of the government. Republicans are an abject failure at governance.
Someone just give Trump a MAGA building blocks set for Christmas to occupy his infantile mind (yes, this is a real thing) and let’s get on with the serious adult business of running the federal government.
On Wednesday, Senate and House leadership believed they had an agreement with the White House on a spending bill which did not include the$5 billion Trump had demanded for his “big beautiful wall” on the Mexico border — a vanity monument to himself. The Senate went ahead with a vote and passed it nearly unanimously by a voice vote. The House was expected to follow suit, and everyone could then head home for Christmas. Senate Passes Stopgap Spending Bill That Would Avert Shutdown.
But then the white nationalists of the GOP House Freedom Caucus led by Representatives Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan said Mr. Trump was doing himself “major” political damage with his political base of “deplorables” by relenting in the wall fight.
The mighty Wurlitzer of the right-wing noise machine whirred into overdrive, with Trump’s unofficial cabinet of Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro and the three dolts on the divan at Fox & Friends on Trump TV, and the racist propagandists of hate talk radio, i.e., Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham and Anne Coulter all turned on their “Dear Leader.” Right-wing media figures goad Trump into vetoing any spending bill that doesn’t include border wall funding:
Fox News aka Trump TV spent last week pushing for a government shutdown, cheering on Trump when he firmly declared that he would be “proud to shut down the government.” But after the White House signaled earlier this week that it would back off its $5 billion demand to fund a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border in a resolution to keep the federal government funded until next year, right-wing media figures began criticizing Trump and goading him into shutting down the government. Many of his most ardent supporters began to perceive his decision to sign the bill as weak, calling on the president to change his mind and refuse to sign any proposed spending bill that does not include funding for the wall.
Responding to these criticisms, Trump sent a flurry of tweets adamantly defending his position just one day after CNN reported that the president “has become increasingly sensitive to criticism” from his base over the border wall. Trump then renewed his call for funding, telling lawmakers that he will not sign any bill that does not include funding for the border wall in an apparent nod to his supporters.
Trump reneged on the spending bill to which he had agreed with congressional leadership. One cannot negotiate with someone who does not keep their word.
So as of today, Government is Shut Down: House and Senate Adjourn With No Spending Deal.
These unelected and unaccountable hate mongers of the conservative media entertainment complex have undue influence over this easily manipulated president in what has become “the Fox News presidency.” Sen. Bob Corker rightly condemns this as “tyranny.” Corker rails against the ‘tyranny of radio talk show hosts’ in slam on Limbaugh, Coulter:
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Friday that conservative talk radio hosts were engaging in “tyranny,” criticism apparently aimed at figures such as Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter who pressed President Trump to only accept a spending deal that includes funding for a border wall.
“We have two talk-radio show hosts who basically influenced the president, and we’re in a shutdown mode. It’s just—that’s tyranny, isn’t it?” Corker said to reporters on Friday.
“Do we succumb to tyranny of talk-radio show hosts?” he continued. “I mean, this is a juvenile place we find ourselves. The reason we’re here is that we have a couple talk-radio hosts that get the president spun up.”
Trump took ownership of the government shutdown in comments he made with Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the Oval Office last week:
“If we don’t get what we want, one way or the other, whether it’s through you, through military, through anything you want to call, I will shut down the government,” Trump said. “And I am proud. I’ll tell you what. I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck. Because the people of this country don’t want criminals and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country. So I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it. The last time you shut it down, it didn’t work. I will take the mantle of shutting down. I’m going to shut it down for border security.”
You can add this to the 7,546 false or misleading claims President Trump has made over 700 days (and counting), because Trump and his propagandists in the conservative media entertainment complex are now claiming Democrats ‘own’ it:
President Trump said Friday that Democrats would get the blame if the government shuts down — 11 days after telling Democratic leaders that he would proudly accept the blame.
“The Democrats now own the shutdown!” Trump tweeted Friday morning.
The statement is an about-face from his televised Oval Office meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi in which the president declared he’d be “proud” to shut down the government over border wall funding and promised not to blame Democrats for the Christmastime chaos.
“I’m not going to blame you for it,” Trump said at the time. “I will take the mantle of shutting down, and I’m going to shut it down for border security.”
Sorry, but no. Our white nationalist racist-in-chief and his white nationalist propagandists at Trump TV and in the broader conservative media entertainment complex own this government shutdown. As Sen. Corker suggests, this is a “tyranny” of Trump TV.
Trump TV is primarily old white people who may be your parents or your crazy uncle who comes to Christmas dinner and “drops a turd in the punch bowl” spouting MAGA bullshit. So give the gift this season that can begin to reverse the tyranny of Trump TV. For Christmas, Remove Fox From Your Parents’ TV Listings:
A grassroots movement is teaching us youngers how to “parental control” Fox News off of our parents’ TV listings. With detailed instructions for each cable provider.
This is a real thing. The website linked below provides detailed instructions for blocking Fox News at your parents’ house over the holidays. As a favor to them AND you. Merry Christmas! From the Youtube above:
This Holiday Season, give your parents the gift of blocking their Fox News.
And when you do, share their reaction with the hashtag #outfoxtheholidays
Not sure how? Visit outfoxtheholidays.com for instructions and more info on why Fox News sucks.
Fight the fascism of FOX News and resist the tyranny of Trump TV this Christmas.