Republicans should use Schumer’s shutdown failure to get border security done
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is now the proud owner of the #SchumerSellout tag on Twitter and massive backlash from the extreme left-wing of his party.
NRSC hands out "Schumer shutdown" t-shirts to top Senate Democrats https://t.co/XxyeFrewZk pic.twitter.com/TOWqKhP9Y7
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 24, 2018
Now, Schumer has pulled his dishonest offer to authorize one year of funding for the wall, a move that effectively poisons any negotiations on immigration. It may be the perfect time for Trump to demand a clean border security bill that funds the whole fricken wall.
Schumer is in an even weaker position than he was prior to his ill-conceived shutdown. His lack of negotiating skills, a drastically miscalculated political move and an upset base leave him with little support. This is the time for Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan to take a huge victory lap – by funding border security in a bill that does nothing else.
I get it, Republicans don’t have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Anyone that didn’t understand that certainly learned it during the #SchumerShutdown, but hear me out.
The bill should be created in the House where it will easily pass then sent to the Senate, where it will not. The measure would require 60 votes to end debate (cloture) which Democrats can never allow to happen – unless… they’re given the chance to amend the bill to add in non-deportation protection for DACA recipients in exchange for an end to chain migration and the visa lottery.
Starting with border security is a stronger position for Republicans – much stronger than starting with amnesty for illegals. When you are in the position of strength, don’t start by negotiating from your opponent’s position. The starting position is border security, then, if Democrats want something, they’ll have to trade non-deportation for immigration reforms. Or
Of course, Democrats could take the position of just voting against border security – but that’s a losing position as we approach the 2018 midterm elections. They’ll face the ire of working families and Americans outside of New York and California – voters they continue to disenfranchise at every turn.
Whether McConnell and Ryan have the nuts to put this plan into motion is questionable, but we can hope. Build the wall, end chain migration and kill the visa lottery. Those are the non-negotiables of border security. Giving DACA recipients non-deportation status is a price that can and should be paid to fix the massive problems in our immigration system.
