By Jillian Hernandez Ral Carrillo & Alan Aja
Four weeks ago President Donald Trump again threatened to shut down the government if Congress refuses to pony up for his pet project. While terrifying the recent rhetoric obscures a subtler development:
Trump is actually seeking compromise on the wall. As his comments to Enrique Pea Nieto indicate he realizes the wall is his most important political promise. Hell negotiate however he can in order to build it.
Look no further than his crowing at an Iowa rally earlier this summer:Were thinking about building the wall as a solar wall so it creates energy and pays for itself… Pretty good imagination right? Good? My idea.
A solar wall isnt his idea of course. In fact both Las Vegas contractors and Ivy League academics have proposed it before indicating broader appeal. But Trump knows when he smells paydirt. A green-washed wall reeks of centrist common sense:" most politicians think border militarization is fine so long as its deficit-neutral. When Trump first threatened shutdown in April he forced Democratic leaders to clarify their priorities. And so they did revealing they oppose the wall… primarily because its expensive. A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi argued that American taxpayers should not foot the bill for a multi-billion dollar boondoggle." Similarly Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vilified the wall as a pointless waste of taxpayer money." Their remarks have framed the debate for Democrats. Since April the leadership has continually failed to condemn border militarization fully and directly.
Democrats have long been clear that putting border wall funding in the spending bill is a non-starter. Heres why: pic.twitter.com/mbAddOPJpu
Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 24 2017
To put it bluntly Trump is losing most battles but the Democrats are losing the war. The House has already approved Trumps proposal for excessive funding for the Department of Homeland Security including $2.7 billion for multi-layered border security" not only barriers but staffing surveillance equipment and lethal tech. Although Senate Democrats are staging a fight history suggests both major parties will simply haggle over the price. After all Democrats already share blame for the existing 694 miles of border fencing as well as mass deportations raids gang exportation drug wars and summary executions in the desert. At this point its hard for them to fight against fiscally sound" pragmatic" border militarization. Its up to the public to fight on principle. The wall wont achieve its supporters aims and it would certainly misuse public money. But that focus destines us for self-defeat. When we insist we cant afford it" the right counters in the same frame: if we cant afford the wall we surely cant afford amnesty citizenship jobs or any public goods. Despite the immense financial power of the federal government politicians right to left have convinced us that we the people" must pay an absolute fiscal cost for every policy: everything comes out of our pockets. This is false scarcity in action. Trapped within these fictitious parameters we replace real talk about material reality and morals with chit-chat about nominal costs. We need to bust out.
