Democrats Crumbling Under Trump Assault. Pelosi, Schumer Allies Begin To Defect

By Kara Pendleton January 11, 2019 at 9:04am

If the Democrats thought blocking border wall funding with a partial government shutdown was the right hill to die on, they were sadly mistaken. Their lies about border walls have been exposed, and thus so have they.

This had led some in the party to think twice about being part of the herd.

While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who declared the border wall “immoral,” and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer try to keep the Democrats in line, cracks are starting to show.

The Washington Free Beacon compiled numerous examples of Democrats speaking out in favor of a border wall.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York said, “There are areas along the border where there are currently fences that are put up or barriers that are put up that need to be enhanced.”

Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark echoed that sentiment, saying, “I think there are parts of the border that would benefit from repairing fencing and other barricades that already exist there.”

Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland took it a step further, saying, “Certainly you need barriers and we support barriers.”

But there is even more to this story of Democrats showing some unwillingness to continue with the battle that Pelosi and Schumer seem so dead set on fighting.

Is it time for the Democrats to fund the wall and end the shutdown?

According to The Hill, some Democrats have even stated their support for President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency so the government shutdown can finally come to an end.

For example, while Virginia Rep. Don Beyer is hoping for “another creative solution” to the problem, he said, “Right now it looks like the only way out that people are talking about.”

Beyer said he isn’t all on board, but “it does seem like a way for him to reopen the government and yet save face. And I’m not against him saving face.”

Speaking of “saving face,” Beyer’s suburban D.C. district is home to many workers affected by the shutdown.

Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin also represents a district in the Washington suburbs impacted by the shutdown. He said he’s not sure a national emergency declaration is a good fit for what is going on at the border but it might be the best way, under current circumstances, to bring an end to the shutdown.

“I would much prefer if this whole debate over the wall were relocated from the political branches, where the president has been promising to hold his breath until his face turns blue, to the judicial branches, where we can have some kind of calm dissection of the actual circumstances on the ground at the border,” Raskin said, according to the Hill.

“If this is what it takes for the president to reopen the government of the United States, then most people will say, ‘So be it. Let him attempt his administrative emergency workaround to the Constitution and the Congress,'” Raskin said. “This might be the best of the bad lot in terms of the options left to us.”

Even some in Hollywood are abandoning support for the wall battle. One notable example is the outspoken leftist and singer Cher. Her Twitter feed is filled with Trump bashing, but on the government shutdown, she seemed to echo the president to a degree in telling Pelosi to end the battle.

In a tweet Wednesday, Cher called the House speaker a “hero” for her stance but said, “REAL PPL ARE REALLY SUFFERING‼️ … LET HIM HAVE HIS F-NG MONEY!!”

Many would see the Democrats as “heroes” if they ended the shutdown. They could use their willingness to give in on this as a “See, we compromise and work with the other side” talking point.

If they did so, everyone would win. The wall would get funding, the shutdown would end, and the Democrats could stop having to do damage control that everyone sees through on why they are against the wall funding.

Trump has made it clear he is not going to roll over on this issue. He has everything to win by standing firm. Meanwhile, the Democrats have everything to lose by continuing to test his resolve by fighting him on this particular issue.

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