As demographics move against Republicans, they have become more and more desperate to cling to power by changing rules, moving the goal posts, and just outright cheating.  Beginning around 2002, lead by Tom DeLay, they raised gerrymandering to an art form, making it almost impossible for Dems to win in thousands of state and federal districts around the country.  Voter suppression with dog whistle “voter ID” bills around the country has kept untold numbers of perfectly qualified voters from voting.  Every election, they come up with some fake crisis to drive their mouthbreathing base to the polls.  In between, to keep everyone on edge, they’ve started using debt limit showdowns and now government shutdowns to get what they want.  Let’s be clear – by threatening the nation’s credit and millions of federal workers, Republicans are hostage-taking, plain and simple.  Trump, the trashy reality television star, is rashly using the latest shutdown as a bludgeon as this preferred alternative to actually legislating and governing.  This winner take all mentality that has infected Republicans is tearing the country apart, making life miserable for millions, and costing the economy billions all over his 5th century solution to a 21st century problem.  The Dems know that they simply can’t cave on this issue, because then Trump would use the tactic every single time he didn’t get what he wanted from the legislative branch.  Republicans in the Senate are in lock step behind Trump, cynically wrecking the lives of millions of Americans while their dear leader plays games.  It’s cruel.  And stupid.

Enter Mark Warner, US Senator from Virginia.  He’s called bullshit on the shutdown by introducing the Stop the STUPIDITY act, which stands for:

S-hutdowns
T-ransferring
U-nnecessary
P-ain
I-nflicting
D-amage
I-n
T-he (coming)
Y-ears

The bill is designed to take this particular hostage-taking tool away from Republicans.  It’s common sense and simple.  It provides for continued funding of the government at current levels if a new appropriation bill fails to pass, adjusted for inflation.  It also ceases funding for the legislative and executive branches until a funding bill is passed.  I like the idea of this bill a lot.  Let’s inflict pain directly on those causing the problem, not innocent government workers and military who are serving their country.  I know the chance of it passing this Senate is low, but when something terrible happens due to the shutdown, and it eventually will, there could be enough pressure on Repubs to grow spines and stand up on their hind legs.

To not pass a bill like this certainly is STUPID.

Who knew?  We did.  Normal people did.  Many of us felt like we were standing in front of a train hurtling towards a cliff screaming, “STOP! STOP!” while it sped up as it reached the edge.  Well, we’re reaching the edge, and it is virtually 100% Trump induced. When he got his gigantic tax cut rammed through, the business community cheered.  When he started his trade war, the business community was concerned, but his base cheered.  Then he pissed off our closest allies and estranged us from NATO while cozying up to Putin.  He’s now pushing lifting sanctions against Russia.  And worse?  We’re now in our 32nd day of an unprecedented government shutdown, Trump holding a gun to the head of 800,000 workers and the entire US economy.

As this disaster drags on, adults in the room have gone from reluctant questioning to full fledged alarm.  Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan says a long shutdown could wipe out the entire first quarter of economic growth.  Worse, some economists are worrying about a global slowdown, especially since China is also suffering from the trade war (even though their trade surplus with us has exploded since Trump started his idiotic trade war).  The invertebrates in DC, led by Ol’ Scratch McConnell, do nothing but make fundraising calls for re-election.

And the American people are helpless to do anything.  Representatives’ and Senators’ voicemail boxes are full, no one is taking calls, and emails get canned responses.  Trumpists cheer as Rome burns.

And the real problem?  You can’t negotiate with kidnappers.  If the Dems cave to Trump’s demands, this will become his normal negotiating tactic.  He’ll skip congress all together and just shut down the government every time he can’t get what he wants.  The result is that, unfortunately,  this is a game of chicken that the Dems can’t lose.

The Celebrity Apprentice Whitehouse Edition presidency continues today with Trump’s self described “major announcement” coming this afternoon.  Coming off a simply awful week of reality television drama, cheesy mobster stories, and the steady drumbeat of continuous chaos, it looks like Trump is finally going to cave to reality and do a deal for “border security”, trading DACA reform in return.  In other words, he’s probably going to accept exactly what the Dems offered last year.  PoliticoPlayoff this morning is saying that, even though the WH is trying to keep a lid on it, Trump is dying to play golf but can’t since he’s painted himself into the White Supremacists Corner.  He needs him a tee time.

Personally I’d trade Trump billions for his silly wall he’ll feature on high-repeat Celebrity Apprentice Whitehouse Edition if we can set free almost 800,000 DACA folks and 800,000 federal workers from his hostage taking.  We’ll be watching later today, and I’m SURE we’ll have an opinion.

The New York Daily News is reporting that a New Jersey attorney representing undocumented former employees at Trump’s National Golf Club in Bedminster turned over to Robert Mueller fake green cards and social security numbers given to them by managers at the club.  The fake credentials were used to make the employees appear to be legal to work in the US.

While Trump has the government shut down over his idiotic wall, his own criminality continues to come to light as the clock relentlessly ticks.

Eight days into The Trump Shutdown where 800,000 federal employees are either furloughed without pay or still working without pay, Trump decided to add insult to injury by signing an executive order stripping away a 2.1% pay raise that was coming on January 1.  He cited “fiscal sustainability” as his reason, this after blowing a gigantic trillion dollar hole in the budget by ramming through an unseeded and cynical tax cut for his billionaire donors in 2017.  Happy New Year.

If you’re a federal employee and voted for this carnival barker, you’re getting what you deserve.  The rest of you, I’m sorry he’s been inflicted on you and the rest of us normal people.