A Senate Upchuck

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer looked Mitch McConnell in the eye, and he blinked. Despite having public support behind him, agreeing with his stance on DACA and blaming the GOP for the shutdown, Schumer caved.

Did Trump, the master of the Art of the Deal, out negotiate Schumer? No. Though the White House will claim victory and give credit to Trump, he sat on the sidelines. His only contribution was submitting confusion, releasing a commercial blaming Democrats for murders committed by illegal immigrants, and creating an outgoing voicemail from the White House insulting Democrats. But, for the most part, the GOP put Grandpa Trump in a corner. Trump had as much input into these negotiations as he did formulating the Eagle’s offensive game plan against the Vikings.

The reason the GOP won this showdown is that Chuck trusts Mitch. Schumer believes McConnell’s promise that he’ll bring a vote on DACA by February 17. This rosy scenario leaves Dreamers with many options, like, do I allow myself to be deported to a strange nation or do I find a place to hide from ICE agents?

This is the same Mitch McConnell who refused to bring a vote or a hearing on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. This is the same Mitch McConnell who promised Senator Susan Collins that Republicans would extend the Obamacare subsidies in exchange for her vote on the tax cut. This is the same Mitch McConnell who got Senator Jeff Flake’s vote on the tax cut bill in exchange for action on DACA, which is where we are today.

The Republicans claim they’re not holding Dreamers hostage, yet they held back on funding CHIP (Children’s health insurance) until they could use it as a pawn in this budget battle.

Schumer made a deal with a slimy turtle man without securing any guarantees from the House of Representatives, which is inhabited by immigrant-hating xenophobic white nationalists. Within hours of ending the shutdown, McConnell was referring to the Dreamers as “illegals.” Senators John Kennedy of Louisiana said the only way they’ll get a vote on DACA is if it’s tied to other immigration issues, like chain migration, the immigration lottery system, more security for our border, including funding for Trump’s border wall.

These people have betrayed their base with the lie that Mexico will pay for the wall. What makes Schumer think they’ll keep a promise to him?

And of course, you can’t trust Donald Trump. This guy made promises during negotiations only to back out of them later.

It seemed Trump adviser Stephen Miller was the only survivor from Trump’s creepy coalition of white nationalist xenophobes after the departures of Steve Bannon (for pissing everybody off) and Sebastian Gorka (who never got a security clearance and is a fugitive wanted in Hungary). Now it seems Miller has company as Chief of Staff John Kelly has turned out to be an immigrant hater. These two guys are formulating Trump’s America First policy, and they’re not open-minded toward allowing the 800,000 DACA recipients to stay in this nation.

There will be another budget showdown in two weeks. Kennedy has stated it will have to be resolved before they even talk about DACA. That means they will continue to hold it hostage, and if there is a vote, it won’t be a clean bill. Other immigration issues will have to be tied into it. Why? Because these guys are lying bastards.

Elected Republicans profess concern for DACA. Trump said he wants a “bill of love” to settle the situation. This is the same guy who has put the gun to the Dreamers’ foreheads. If you scroll through social media and read feeds from conservative voters, you’ll see that they refer to Dreamers as “illegals” (they’re not), and they would prefer they’re all kicked out of the nation. And, when they do vote on DACA, most of these Republicans are going to vote no.

Chuck Schumer has good intentions, but he’s a fool to trust Republicans. We already know Trump is a liar and a conman. McConnell will make promises he never intends to keep. Paul Ryan, who has to placate the most extreme of the far right in his caucus, isn’t even in on this deal. At the top of all this is the White House. Schumer may have put the future of Dreamers in the hands of Stephen Baby Goebbels Miller.

Leaving Dreamers with Stephen Miller is a dumber idea than hiring Michael Myers as your babysitter on Halloween. It’s not going to end well.

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