slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

S.E. Cupp is a conservative commentator and the host of "SE Cupp Unfiltered." The views expressed in this commentary are solely hers.

As the President took to the Oval Office for the first time in his presidency to make the case for his border wall and for House Democrats to approve it, questions loomed: Would he declare a national emergency? (He didn't.) Would he include misleading and inaccurate information to bolster his case? (He did.) Would he stay on teleprompter? (He appeared to.)

But did anything change? Between Trump's address and the Democratic responses from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, neither side seems ready to compromise. It looks likely that the partial government shutdown will continue.

What a waste. To take you back: Trump's ascendency to the presidency began with that descent on the golden escalator at Trump Tower. It began with a crudely-worded description of the i*****l i*********n crisis and a promise to secure the borders. That single message, drummed on over and over again for a year and a half, galvanized a sizable enough v****g block to win him the presidency.

And instead of turning that capital into currency, doing the work of getting legislation to his desk while Republicans held the majority, he squandered it. He preferred governing by tweet, slamming the press, sowing distrust in our institutions and turning Americans against each other at WWE-style rallies meant to stoke his fragile ego. On his key issue, his raison d'être, he has utterly and completely lost.

So here we are, just a week into the new Congress, and the President is left making a scripted plea to a national audience that increasingly doesn't believe him and to a Democratic Party that finally holds some cards. He's in a far weaker position than he was a year or two ago, and yet he's asking Democrats for more in border funding than he ever asked from his fellow Republicans. This isn't how any of this works.

Also wasted? The President's speech. While lacking his usual bluster and bravado, he made a fairly convincing case -- not for a deal from Democrats, but for the need to finally solve this intractable problem that's been exploited and punted by presidents and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for far too long.

He spoke of the humanitarian crisis caused by a broken system. He spoke of the scourge of human trafficking and drug trafficking. He highlighted recent victims of heinous crimes committed by i*****l i*******ts. He talked about the real problem of MS-13 and the need to make our communities safer.

That's all compelling, and a majority of Americans support securing our borders. But for any of what Trump said to resonate you'd have to pretend you don't know what he really thinks.

This is p**********l malpractice.

You'd have to pretend he never said that Mexicans are "bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists." You'd have to forget he ever defended the cruel and inhumane policy of separating children from their parents as a form of deterrence. You'd have to forget what he thinks about "s**thole countries," or that he referred, in Charlottesville, to some "very fine people" -- who just happen to want to k**l American b****s and Jews.

And you'd have to pretend he didn't recently boast that he is what everyone already knew: a nationalist.

That is the real Donald Trump. The man we saw Tuesday night in the Oval Office is just acting -- with a gun to his head -- and not very well. What a waste, indeed.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/08/opinions/trump-has-lost-on-key-issue-cupp/index.html

Sicilianthing

>>>

What would you do Slatten? Seriously?

What solutions do you propose that are fast, realistic and final ? Not the same bulls**t they’ve been doing for the past 35+ years.

What is your Plan B or then C if Trump fails to reverse our destructive course ?

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Quote:
"You'd have to pretend he never said that Mexicans are "bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists." "
I have yet to find this quote from POTUS 45...
If you could provide a source I would be most appreciative...

Quote:
"You'd have to forget he ever defended the cruel and inhumane policy of separating children from their parents as a form of deterrence. "
All children are separated from their parents if the parent is guilty of breaking the law... Might sound like a broken record here, but was the government not enforcing preexisting laws?

Quote:
"You'd have to forget what he thinks about "s**thole countries," "
What does he think?

Quote:
"or that he referred, in Charlottesville, to some "very fine people" -- who just happen to want to k**l American b****s and Jews. "
This is misquoted... I believe he (POTUS) alluded to the individuals who were spreading h**e separately and Added this "very fine people" so as to differentiate those who were marching in support of their history from those who were marching out of h**e...


An interesting opinion piece...
Thanks Slatten...

Peewee Loc: San Antonio, TX

S. E. Cupp went over to the dark side about four or five years ago, guess you could call her a Rino journalist.