Just read this whole thread, maybe I’m able to filter out the over the top stuff and insults, but I find most of the discussion decent enough.

When Pelosi got elected as the speaker, I told my friend “watch she’s gonna run circles around Trump”. The conservative types on here might be dismissive and unable to see how formidable an opponent she is but make no mistake you don’t pass landmark legislation and retake the speakership without having acumen, discipline, and moxy. She grew up with her dad being an old school cut throat big city mayor and has raised five kids, underestimate her at your own peril.

Trump would be an underdog if they came into a match with even hands, the fact that Trump did everything possible to weaken his position beforehand just demonstrated that this was gonna end up the way it did, make no mistake a complete victory to Pelosi. I almost think that Pelosi was intentionally having memebers “waiver” to give the administration false hope so they could prolong the shutdown and in turn even weaken his public position even more.

Trump had the benefit of a completely compliant house and senate the first two years, with nearly every republican scared to death of getting primaried. No one dared challenge him which completely hid his complete ineptitude in terms of governing and consensus building. The impulsiveness, lack of organization, and propensity to play to his base is going to really lay bare his inadequacy for the next two years, this won’t be the last time she gets him. This isn’t even taking about his complete lack of understanding the details of policy.

On some level Trump is simple, and will stick to his playbook and there’s nothing new that’s gonna change what people think of him. Hes the same guy who got off the escalor and called Mexicans illegal immigrants mostly rapist and murderers to start his campaign. He’s got his base and they are there for him, but unfortunately he’s become completely emotionally dependent on their approval and adulation. This whole thing happened because Coulter and Limbaugh turned on him, that’s why the wall became a must priority, the first two years despite having far more leverage he didn’t put forth a fraction of the effort, he torpedoed a deal last year with 50B in wall funding. He sensed he was losing them and he had to prove that he was serious this time. What is amazing is how the most powerful person in the world doesn’t realize he has more power than Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. But honestly I think he loves what his base gives him and he is scared to death of losing that.

What would have been hilarious if it were not sad about people not getting paid, was the demonstration of how he and many in his administration are completely devoid of empathy. They in no way can relate to or empathize with the people who were affected. You can just get a loan, or even better you can just get a bag of groceries without paying because “they know you” . It reminds me of the 30 Rock character Jack Donaghy (rich GE executive) who when asked how much does a gallon of milk costs guesses $90, might have been the greatest sales job/con job in history making people think he could in anyway identify with them.

Let’s hope there is some deal to be made that we aren’t back in the same place in a few weeks, but honestly it could end up being ground hogs day, Trump might not even take the mantle beforehand the second time around.

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