This is why Trump needs to continue the shut down even after declaring an emergency. The key is will the Pubs back him, or will they use the declaration as an excuse to end the shut down. At this point just declaring an emergency plays right into the Rats hands they tie up the issue in the courts and if they beat Trump in 2020 the wall never gets built.
Let me preface this response by saying that some will view it as being overly pessimistic and jaded. That my be the case, but from my point of view I just see it as embracing reality.
I would say that they are no "Pubs" to speak of. In my opinion, there may be a handful of members in each chamber that are truly supportive of Trump's agenda.
For the rest of them (100 + 435) 'party' allegiance is nothing but a part of an act that they may need to use at various times. I view them as actors on a grand stage. They are playing roles for remuneration. The goal of pursuing a position as an actor on this stage is to accumulate some combination of power, influence, and funds.
And the actors on the stage are very much working at some level in a very synchronized, ever evolving, script. Imagine watching the synchronized swimmers in an Olympic pool.
The motivations and rewards are highly individualistic, each actor defines their roles according to what they perceive as their best vehicle to obtain those goals of power, influence, and funds, on an ongoing basis. Some of them do very well in their roles and are re-elected many times over, spending a tenure measured in decades with the legislative branch. Others screw up some aspect of the act early on, and are removed from the stage within a term or two.
To be successful on this stage the actor must have, and constantly hone, a keen sense of balance. There are two main fulcrum points where that balance must be displayed:
1. Balancing the needs/requirements of the actor's donors (funders, sponsors) versus the actor's constituency. The donors (or their related agents) are what supply both the funding & support to obtain a role on the stage (and maintain it), and the rewards sought: power, influence, and funds for personal/familial enrichment. The constituents still supply the bulk of the votes (even in the most 'rigged' elections) and a level of informal support. Occasionally the actor must find ways in which he/she can be
perceived as being worthy of those votes and support. This balancing act often requires carefully crafted messaging and the ability of even display a level of support in legislative support and votes.
2. The second point of balance that each of these actors must pay attention to is maintaining their role within the overall act on the stage. That includes choosing how to play off both members of their like 'party' as well as members of the
other 'party.' It is within this ongoing balancing act that much of the high drama that unfolds to feed the newscasts, print media, and Internet blogs and memes. This is where we see the often overly wrought proclamations of "principle" and "what we stand for" unfold.
Therefore, the Executive's challenge is to find ways (positions, statements, policy declarations, etc.) that can garner enough support from enough of the actors to move forward. As you may imagine it is a very intricate process and requires its own set of 'balancing' to move forward. Obtaining the support of an individual actor requires providing that actor a means of maintaining her/his individual balancing acts. As you can imagine, that is very often a non-trivial task and requires a lot of behind the scenes nods, winks, and hand shakes.
It may seem to be too large and too grand of an act to be played out for any length of time. However, with a populace that becomes less aware, less able to critically think, and less engaged with each generation, the veneer of authenticity required becomes thinner and thinner as time goes on.
If I had more time, I could easily provide numerous examples of each of the main points above to reinforce its veracity. However I believe that most people here can easily fill in the blanks from their own memory banks.
If you wish, try to take a fresh look at this current drama unfolding within the framework of the balancing acts of all of the actors on the stage, and see if it becomes more understandable!
