So now Trump is going to declare a national emergency for his wall. Petty much?

It will go to the courts if he in fact tries it. I suspect it is a negotiation tactic now that it seems they will finally get down to brass tacks and reach a consensus in the next two weeks. @CopperCicada

@CopperCicada you're not the only one.

@jackjjackson If it goes to the courts-- then that is the separation of powers working. But if it's blocked, then that will be "political judges" and not a check of executive power. And so it goes.

The president should not legislate. The president can charge congress with priorities and agendas. As such, the "head legislator". But not actually legislate.

Generations now. Red and blue.

@CopperCicada I also love how there will be people on the right that support the president in this, and they will never consider for a moment that if they set this precedent, whats to stop a President on the left from doing the same? They will, of course, cry foul when it happens for something they don't want.

So how do you think the impasse will be resolved?@CopperCicada

@jackjjackson You can't make structural decisions about how government should operate on the basis of specific issues. We've long abused executive privilege and politicized high courts because of this very point.

This impasse? I think if Congress could present a comprehensive border security and immigration bill that was sweeping and substantial-- it would be a slam dunk.

I agree with that solution which of course includes DACA? @CopperCicada

@jackjjackson I personally think the POTUS has shown a dreadful lack of leadership here. He's demanded a "wall" and has attempted to compel Congress to give him a "wall". I also personally think Congress has shown a dreadful lack of leadership by blocking a "wall" without seeing the leadership opportunity to top that and present a comprehensive border security and immigration bill. And Senate Majority Leader McConnell has shown a lack of leadership by blocking bills from ever getting to the Senate floor-- in other words, keeping the Congress and Senate from doing their jobs.

I'd like to see Congress use this border crisis to create just what I keep harping about-- a border security and immigration initiative. A comprehensive one.

Trump and his base nut over the "wall"-- and sure there is a need for physical barriers. But a realistic package should include funding for not only barriers, but staffing patrols of the borders, and supportive technologies.

Back in the day, when people could build bridges and legislate, such a package would probably include things like monies to borders states for enhanced security, security training. Start creating a model where border counties and cities can better self-patrol the areas near the border.

A factual reality is that many illegal immigrants come through other channels. So that should be addressed. Increased penalties on trafficking. Some plan for dealing with people jumping their stay on visas.

It needs to address people who employ illegal immigrants. A forensic accountant could tell in 5 minutes which farms are using illegal labor just on the basis of tax records.

And it's about things like lotteries, refugees, chain immigration. DACA and so on. That needs to be addressed.

Put all that together, and if it doesn't get to the Senate floor it is a huge political liability.

I agree completely. Why didn’t the President just say that in the first place? If MrsPelosi rejected that the president would have had thr high ground. McConnell should introduce that bill today. @CopperCicada

@CopperCicada I think this is really poignant. The people on the border know what would help them, why don't we listen?

I saw a news report, with a sheriff on the border. Did he want a wall? Hell no. The Rio Grane made up the border for long stretchs of his area and then the rest was flat farm land. Guess where his officers were?

Watching the river, because people think its sneaky, try and scale the cliffs and fall into the river or whatever, so they need people watching that area, instead of the easy to cross farmland. He wanted more manpower and more technology to help him, not a wall.

@Pherick Well. A conservative vision would be to get the states doing this border patrol themselves, so it's not shifted onto a federal agency. And as you say, the states known what they need.

So I see a package that would provide the major capital for such an approach. Barriers. Drones. Para-military hardware. Maybe a partnership with Google to get some small satellites just for the border. Some of this could be bid contracts. Or they could be competitive and tech stimulus like through SBIR projects.

Some funding for states to educate, train and employ their own citizens for this security work. Or something like AmeriCorps where young people would do this work to pay off student loans or whatever.

It's a non-profit service, so it has to come from the state tax base or from federal funds. But it should be locally driven, and innovation/tech driven.

@Pherick At the same time, it can't be border focused. The facts are that the largest increase of illegal immigrants are coming from Asia, and they are coming through customs and overstaying visas. And a large number of people from Latin America are coming through means other than crossing the border. A bill has to include those aspects.

Now you're talking about a very different problem.

And then there's the problem of illegal labor.

These start getting into the doings of federal agencies and a matter of enforcement.

@CopperCicada Agreed on everything. Thats why this wall thing pisses me off. trump won't look at the whole situation and try and put forth real useful fixes. Nope. just moronically chant "Build a wall" over and over.

@Pherick I don't think it's just Trump and his base. It's an issue that's hard for people to offset political liabilities.

Conservatives have held this up as a campaign issue as a "southern border issue" for too long. And they've held it up as one that was cheap and easy. It's hard to walk that back to a border economic/education/tech stimulus package focused on border security. It's also harder to walk this back into a lot of work in federal agencies which will require staffing and yes, bigger government. And nobody in a red agricultural state wants to touch penalizing those who employ illegal labor.

And liberals have mucked in identity politics for too long. Their mere participation will be seen as being traitorous. They know that border and immigration security is necessary. But it's suicidal to sign off on it-- in the absence of a larger package. And on principles they have good reasons to support things like DACA-- and it's suicidal for conservatives to sign off on anything that includes that-- in the absence of a broader package.

Now we're doing this at a time when any compromise is potentially suicidal and a sign of weakness. I mean, Trump did move in the right direction throwing in DACA extensions. And look what it got him from his base.

There's also a component of the House blocking Trump symbolically. Which needed to happen, and Trump should see that and be able to move beyond that. Trump baited Pelosi and she didn't cave. Boom.

I think the wise leader in this position realizes this has to be zero sum. Nobody will win politically from this in the short term. Get it done, let it sink in, memories and perceptions shift and spin. And then people can make it anything they like two years from now.