February 15, 2019Gronda Morin

Trump Has Gone Off His Rocker By Declaring A National Emergency Over Funding His Wall

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PRESIDENT TRUMP

The republican President Donald Trump has gone and done it. On the 15th of February 2019, President Trump has agreed to sign off on the budget agreed to by the US Congress avoiding another US government shutdown but he has decided to declare a ‘National Emergency’ to use reallocated taxpayer monies to fund his SW border wall to the tune of an additional $6.5 billion for something that is a non emergency. He even started off this announcement with the words “I didn’t have to do it, but…

It’s the US House which appropriates taxpayer monies which the president has acted to usurp. Of course this action will be challenged in the US courts, but this high risk tactic should have been avoided as it sets a dangerous precedent.

See: Presidents have declared emergencies 59 times since 1976 – ...

See: What exactly is a national emergency? Here’s what that means …

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So why are too many of the GOP lawmakers going along with the president’s plan even though they know better? It’s because they are afraid of him. There’s a reason that the president wants to keep his coalition of voters happy as they are his power base. The GOP ‘dark money’ donors have been backing this president versus other more competent and qualified conservatives because of his lack of conscience. He can be counted on to not care about doing what’s right or for being hindered from acting on their behalf by minor details, like the US national security interests.

These ‘dark money’ GOP donors pushed hard for the 2017 GOP tax cuts bill, the regulation reforms, especially those related to the fossil fuel industry, and the placement of conservative justices on the US federal courts’ system and the US Supreme Court who tend to rule in favor of corporate interests while backing Evangelicals’ wish to limit women’s access to legal abortions and LGBTQ rights. They were the ones screaming for the demise of Obamacare in December 2017 where they were just one US senate vote shy of succeeding.

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This faction of  GOP ‘dark money’ donors has joined up with a coalition of voters, including the anti-immigration zealots; Evangelicals as the anti-climate change science, anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ rights crowd; the racists which include those who are the anti-Semitics and anti-Muslim: and the NRA second amendment enthusiasts to back President Trump.

As per OpenSecrets.com, “The pernicious effect of “Dark Monies” in the fabric of US politics has ballooned following the 2010 US Supreme Court ruling in the case of Citizens United v FEC.  The SCOTUS justices held : “Political spending is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, and the government may not keep corporations or unions from spending money to support or denounce individual candidates in elections.” (In many instances, they can finance political campaigns, anonymously.)

For those GOP lawmakers in the US Congress who choose to confront the president, they are subject to a twitter attack by the complaining president’s base of activists, finding that the spigot of monies from these GOP ‘dark money’ donors has been turned off, and where these donors back another candidate when the recalcitrant GOP member is up for reelection.

This paradigm explains why the GOP lawmakers in the US Congress will not bother to develop legislation to block the president from taking this ‘unconstitutional’ step to declare a “National Emergency”  when by any objective measure, there is no national security issue at the US SW border. It will be the Democratic Party House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the new majority of democratic legislators in the US House of Representatives who will be attempting to draft a bill to stop the president. These GOP sycophants in the US Congress would be up in arms if the Democratic Party President Barack Obama had done likewise, proving that they have been transformed into eunuchs.

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NANCY PELOSI

I rarely agree with the far right pundit Anne Coulter but this time, I couldn’t agree more. As per the 2/15/19 Daily Beast report, “The president “mandate,” Coulter said, was the build the wall. And even though that’s what he plans to do by declaring a national emergency, she’s not happy about it. “The only national emergency is that our president is an idiot,” she said.”

My million dollar question regarding his extraneous comments as he declared his ‘National Emergency” is: “Do you think that the Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo will back or deny the president’s claim that PM Shinzo has recommended that he be awarded the ‘Nobel Peace’ prize or will its officials say, ‘no comment?’

As per Washington Post see: Trump’s bewildering national emergency press conference, annotated

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Here’s the rest of the story…

On February 15, 2019, John Wagner, Josh Dawsey and Damian Paletta of the Washington Post penned the following report, “Trump’s border emergency: Democrats vow to fight ‘phony’ declaration”

Excerpts:

“President Trump on Friday (2/15/19) declared a national emergency in a move designed to circumvent Congress and build additional barriers at the southern border, where he said the United States faces “an invasion of our country.”

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“Trump is seeking to secure about $6.5 billion more in funding through executive action than Congress approved in a bill passed Thursday to avert another partial government shutdown. In a Rose Garden news conference, Trump did not mention of signing the bill, but his acting chief of staff told reporters he intends to.”

“Many of Trump’s Republican allies have called a national emergency ill-advised, and Democrats immediately called the move unconstitutional and vowed to fight it legislatively or in court. Trump also faced criticism for seeking to divert money from military construction and drug interdiction programs to pay for the border barriers.”

“The emergency declaration is expected to face an array of other legal challenges.”

Link to report: Trump’s border emergency: Democrats vow to fight ‘phony‘ declaration

18 comments

  1. The first lawsuit has already been filed, and it appears that several more (maybe many more) will be filed shortly. So there is a long legal process in front of us.

    However, there is the matter of the vote in Congress. The big question for me is how the 5-6 most vulnerable 2020 GOP senators will vote.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Dear TokyoSand,

      I’m willing to bet that it will be tough to count all the lawsuits and amicus briefs which will be filed to challenge the president’s declaration of a ‘National Emergency’ in a non-emergency circumstance.

      Yes, this will be a long drawn out process.

      I’m with you. In 2020, the president and any of his sycophant US Congressional lawmakers need to be voted out of office by huge margins.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Liked by 2 people

  2. The fool has made hundreds of stupid decisions, but this is the most unconscionable yet and must be stopped, either by Congress, the courts, or both. If this is allowed to happen, if he is allowed to spend tax dollars however he wishes this time, then it will happen again and again, for he is like a 4-year-old child who, once he figures out how to get his way, will continue to use that tactic. The process is likely to drag out past the end of his term, which better damn well be no later than January 20, 2021, and will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees. I hope the republicans lose every single election they face in 2020, for they have sold this nation and its people down the river.

    Hugs

    Liked by 5 people

    • Dear Jill,

      The president didn’t have to cause a constitutional crisis but he couldn’t resist. He listened to the advice of FOX TV’s host Sean Hannity and placed his interests ahead of doing what’s right for the American peoples.

      What else is new. If the GOP US senators don’t step up to the plate to stop this, then they have just set themselves for the TV ads showing their previous comments, critical of the president resorting to this tactic vs their inaction.

      They can’t sit this one out,

      Thanks a million times over for all of your support and for this reblog.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Posted on FB. I’m sitting here with my mouth agape, unbelievable! I’m so tired of his little fits when he doesn’t get his way, and using an emergency? I cannot fathom how this is legal.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Rugby843,

      The president has definitely gone rogue. The real ‘National Emergency’ is President Trump who is truly a clear and present danger against US national security interests.

      To my mind, this should be clearly an illegal act because as per any objective data, there is no national emergency that requires immediate attention regarding the funding of his SW border wall.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Like

    • Dear Ssklawlor,

      Thanks for sharing this excellent analysis published by the Atlantic. I totally agree that Conservatives will rue the day that President Trump took the step of declaring a ‘National Emergency’ when there isn’t an emergency.

      The US GOP lawmakers in the US Congress can redeem themselves by passing a legislation blocking President Trump’s recent actions by a veto proof majority. Barring that, they can hang their heads in shame.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Like

      • precisely but if they redeem themselves from this mess, they can’t go on doing business as usual. Now 22 trillion in debt, that is a national emergency and I feel that if either party wants to maintain credibility, congress will address this mounting problem.

        hugs.

        Liked by 2 people

  6. Gronda, with the US President continuing to act like a King ignoring our constitution, an interesting development occurred in New England yesterday.

    Former Governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld is the first Republican to challenge Donald Trump for the GOP nomination in 2020. He cited the words “grave peril,” to define the country under Donald Trump. Per The Guardian today,

    “In a speech in Bedford, New Hampshire, he (Weld) criticized the president as a threat to American democracy and said it was time for patriots to stand against.”

    I have a question for Mr. Hannity. Why would a Republican say that?

    Keith

    PS – It is interesting to hear Trump contradict his national emergency stance saying he did not have to do this.

    Liked by 4 people

    • PS – If the man is hard pressed to build a wall due to emergency, he may want to consider some strategic sea walls and pumping systems. There is an interesting article in The Guardian about that increased sunny day flooding impact on US coastal cities entitled, “US coastal businesses hit by everyday impact of climate change, study shows.” Now, that could be considered an emergency – by the way Senator Marco Rubio used climate change as a joke as to why he did not want Trump to declare an emergency. Miami is one of those cities. Keith

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Keith,

      Former Gov. Weld will be a welcome voice as a republican in the mix. This is quite the courageous move as most republicans strongly support President Trump. But he’s from a state that would allow him to take on President Trump and still live to talk about it. I had hoped that Sen. Mitt Romney would have been that profile in courage.

      The difference is that Mr. Weld is stepping into the arena because it’s the right thing to do; whereas, Mr. Romney is waiting on President Trump’s carcass before he steps into the ring.

      You are so right. Climate change should be declared the #1 US national security interest instead of a phony need for his SW border wall based on a pack of lies.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Like

      • Gronda, the GOP leadership, which is a contradiction in terms, begrudgingly support the President. I am hopeful that Weld’s hat in the ring will draw in someone like Ohio Governor John Kasich or another rational leader.

        The GOP expect all-things Trump to get better, yet he is in a slow death spiral. His global and domestic influence is waning, and we should not overlook the judge’s gag order on Stone and Manafort’s lying breaking the plea deal. Also, Rep. Elijah Cummings noted that two of Trump’s attorneys may have lied under oath to Congress about the settlements.

        As a retired consultant, it is a truism that organizations take on the personality of its leader – there is a lot of lying and story changing that has led to six convictions and an indictment, which follows a leader who has a hard time with the truth.

        Dear GOP, it won’t get better because all the lies have not been uncovered and the leader won’t miraculously stop lying. They better get some good alternative candidates in the hopper, as they will need them,

        Keith

        Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Sotomayor111,

      President Trump has definitely outdid himself by this declaration of a ‘National Emergency’ when there isn’t one but he did take away attention on 2 major developing stories regarding the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe published on 2/15/2019.

      Thanks a million for all of your support and for this reblog.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Like

    • Dear Kim,

      It was amazing to watch the president’s nonsensical ramblings. I’m wondering if the Japanese are wondering about this as well because I’m betting that they were surprised by its PM Abe Shinzo having recommended him for the Nobel Prize. The guy is delusional.

      A conservative pundit Tom Nichols on TV news programs was openly sharing that he was concerned about the president’s well being.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Liked by 1 person

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