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As we learned earlier today, Mexico just isn’t going to pay for any wall anytime ever, so taxpayer dollars have to be coughed up for the project. Thus, Republicans are considering allocating that money for the wall in the must-pass government spending bill due in April. But there’s a problem—Democrats can filibuster it. And they should. Which presents a conundrum to the GOP. Is this really a hill worth dying on? So, of course, they’re trying to scare Democrats into early submission:
GOP lawmakers and aides believe they could win a public relations war over the matter by daring Democrats — particularly vulnerable red-state senators up for reelection next year — to shutter the government over one of Trump's most popular campaign pledges.
1) Donald Trump lost. There was nothing “popular” about Donald Trump. He lost, if by “losing” we consider the traditional democratic definition of losing—getting fewer votes. He has zero mandate.
2) Republicans need eight Democrats to break filibuster. There are 10 red-state Democrats up for re-election in 2018: Jon Tester (MT), Joe Donnelly (IN), Sherrod Brown (OH), Claire McCaskill (MO), Debbie Stabenow (MI), Bill Nelson (FL), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Bob Casey (PA), Joe Manchin (WV), and Tammy Baldwin (WI). Republicans won’t get Brown or Baldwin, or probably Stabenow. I’d be surprised if Nelson played along. So this is a tall order under any circumstances.
3) But most importantly, Trump didn’t just promise to build a wall, THIS is what he promised:
So by asking the American taxpayers to foot the bill, he is explicitly breaking his promise.
If that’s the argument Republicans want to make, bring it on. We won’t have to worry too much about who wins the public relations war on that one.