A Texas point of view about Donald Trump reality show failed leadership

An echo editorial published in the Houston Chronicle 

From Texas: Trump’s reality show approach won’t resolve government shutdown (border wall!) impasse.

There’s a scene in the musical “Annie” where Daddy Warbucks, after reading from a script handed to him for a radio show sponsored by “Iodent” toothpaste, storms out of the studio screaming, “Did I just do a commercial?” Indeed, he did.

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer may have felt the same way Tuesday after being waylaid by lights and cameras in Donald Trump’s impromptu White House studio, as he put them on the spot before a television audience to negotiate a deal to build his wall on the Mexican border. (This obvious ruse backfired!)

Trump said he will reject a spending plan designed to avoid a government shutdown if Congress doesn’t include $5 billion for the wall in its 2019 appropriations. 

Just to be clear, that’s the U.S. Congress — not Mexico’s, for anybody confused by fond memories of Trump’s campaign promise to have Mexico foot the bill.

Unprepared for the confrontation, the top Democrats in the House and Senate did exactly what Trump expected them to do: provide the context for him to stand up for America and declare, “I’ll tell you what: I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck.”

It was another reality show moment in a presidency filled with similar episodes. It might not have played well with all audiences, but it was just what the president’s fans wanted to see: their man shouting down the Democrats and the Democrats, caught off guard, trying not to appear to be giving in.

“I don’t think we should have a debate in front of the press on this,” begged Pelosi.

Relishing the moment, Trump goaded the House minority leader. “Nancy’s in a situation where it’s not easy for her to talk right now,” he said, clearly alluding to Pelosi’s counting votes to regain her post as speaker of the House.

Enough of the theatrics! With a government shutdown hanging in the balance, it’s time to, as Trump likes to put it, make a deal.

Both sides agree they want “border security.” Both agree that upgrading some existing fencing and perhaps adding more in other areas should occur. They’re not even that far apart on how much to spend on upgrades: Trump wants $5 billion next year; the Democrats are offering $1.3 billion.

The biggest obstacle to reducing that gap is politics, but it’s not the only one.

Trump’s campaign promise was to build a 1,000-mile wall that experts say could cost $25 billion. 

For you locals, that’s about the cost of two Ike Dikes.

No one knows the true cost because Trump has never been specific about the wall’s dimensions and location. Democrats say the wall will cost $70 billion. Taxpayers need to know exactly what they are being asked to pay for if any deal is to be made.

If Trump is determined to get the wall, Democrats should use that advantage to address the fate of the “Dreamers.” The nearly 700,000 children brought to this country illegally by their parents deserve an opportunity to live productive lives in the only country many of them have ever known.

Pelosi says the wall money and the dreamers “are two different subjects,”but the Democrats shouldn’t throw away this opportunity. Even as he ordered an end to the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Trump urged Congress to pass a new law to protect the Dreamers. He can prove he still feels that way by agreeing to make DACA’s revival part of his offer to fund additional border security measures.

The millions of other mothers, fathers and children who have lived without papers in the United States for years need a path to legal residency, too, and Trump needs to stop making outrageous claims to justify his insistence that some type of gigantic barrier on the southern border is necessary.

His claim that a border wall would prevent illegal drugs from “pouring into this country” is disingenuous. Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security says most illegal drugs are entering the country at established border checkpoints. Similarly, Trump’s claim that immigrants will bring infectious diseases into the United States has been debunked by medical researchers. (MaineWriter: People who walk 1000 plus miles to seek asylum are healthy!)

Congress and the president need to push past brinkmanship politics and fund government to avoid a shutdown. If they can clear that hurdle and begin the new year with a commitment to work together they may find success in other areas. Immigration reform beyond border security measures isn’t an unreasonable goal.

The bipartisan Gang of Eight bill proposed in 2013 addressed the plight of the 11 million undocumented residents of this country. Reviewing that legislation would be a good place to start a new discussion, but that can’t happen without leadership more focused on results than hosting a reality show.

Pelosi says the wall money and the dreamers “are two different subjects,”but the Democrats shouldn’t throw away this opportunity. Even as he ordered an end to the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Trump urged Congress to pass a new law to protect the Dreamers. He can prove he still feels that way by agreeing to make DACA’s revival part of his offer to fund additional border security measures.

The millions of other mothers, fathers and children who have lived without papers in the United States for years need a path to legal residency, too, and Trump needs to stop making outrageous claims to justify his insistence that some type of gigantic barrier on the southern border is necessary.

His claim that a border wall would prevent illegal drugs from “pouring into this country” is disingenuous. Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security says most illegal drugs are entering the country at established border checkpoints. Similarly, Trump’s claim that immigrants will bring infectious diseases into the United States has been debunked by medical researchers.

Congress and the president need to push past brinkmanship politics and fund government to avoid a shutdown. If they can clear that hurdle and begin the new year with a commitment to work together they may find success in other areas. Immigration reform beyond border security measures isn’t an unreasonable goal.

The bipartisan Gang of Eight bill proposed in 2013 addressed the plight of the 11 million undocumented residents of this country. 

Reviewing that legislation would be a good place to start a new discussion, but that can’t happen without leadership more focused on results than hosting a reality show.