PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.
From my perch in the cheap seats out West – and based on both my daily consumption of the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post (note my even-handedness by reading from the right and the left) – I want to endorse two ways to end the stupid government shutdown.
Plus, I’ll make a few other comments to describe how to get out of the current debacle.
- First, find a private company to make a $5.6 billion donation to the Trump White House for the express purpose of building “Trump’s Wall,” at least another part of it.
- Second, send bills to Trump to re-open the government, but expect that, under the Constitution, Trump will allow the bills to become law without his signature, a tactic which would enable him to continue extolling his virtue to Trumpians.
Good ideas? Who knows?
As for #1, there may be some legal questions about such a private sector donation and, to be sure, I have not reviewed the legal issues.
And, when I ran this fanciful notion by my brilliant wife, she said would could have been obvious to me, which is that such companies (or individuals, if there were to be such) would rather see such a large sum go to a worthy charity, not Trump who is surely not worthy.
Trump, of course, would consider himself to be a “worthy charity” and he could donate what’s left in his own foundatioin to build the wall.
As for #2, Trump probably would eschew such a process, believing that, as always, he has to win at all costs. But, if he were to allow a bill or bills to come law without his signature, he could claim victory – a victory of sorts.
He fancies himself a strong deal-maker, so such a deal might not pass muster with him.
A Washington Post opinion piece described the “no signature passage” this way:
“There’s a better way out of the standoff, one that would let both the president and Congress end the shutdown without betraying their political constituencies.
“When it comes to legislation passed by Congress and sent to the president, the framers of the Constitution provided three options: The president can sign it, in which case it becomes law. The president can veto it, in which case it fails, unless Congress overrides the veto. Or a bill can become law through presidential inaction. Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution lays out the president’s role in legislation, including this provision: “If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he signed it.
“The new Democratic-led House of Representatives has already passed a series of bills that would end the shutdown and punt more contentious decisions about border security to future negotiations. The legislation is nearly identical to bills passed in the Senate before Christmas — “exactly, word for word” the same, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) hasn’t brought them up for a vote, saying there’s no point in passing bills Trump won’t sign.
“But McConnell could bring the House spending legislation to the Senate, and if it passed there, the president could allow it to become law in 10 days without shouldering the potential political liability of appearing to endorse it.”
A third approach – there is enough ongoing commentary on it without me adding any thoughts – is for Trump to declare a national emergency and re-allocate existing funds in government agencies to build the wall.
But, to repeat what I have said before, the most elegant way out of the current shutdown stalemate, would be for the president and Democrats to find middle ground.
The Wall Street Journal has described this elegant solution, which rests on the notion the political leaders in a democracy (you may wonder if we have any smart ones left) work to develop solid compromises.
“The obvious deal is for Democrats to provide border money to Trump in return for legal status for ‘Dreamer’ immigrants and others like Haitians on temporary visas facing deportation soon. But neither side has showed any interest in such common sense.”
So, with any solution, especially the latter elegant one, it is time to end the shutdown.
Perspective from the 19th Hole 