In exchange for more funding for Ukraine, Republicans are demanding tighter border security. Talks have been ongoing for a while, but Sen. Chris Murphy, the lead Democratic negotiator, says they're pretty much dead:
“Right now, it seems pretty clear that we’re making pretty big compromises and concessions and Republicans aren’t willing to meet us anywhere close to the middle,” said Murphy, who noted that talks stalled out on Friday. The senator said the door is open to reengaging. But, “there’s no path based upon the place where things were at the end of last week.”
....Democrats have previously indicated that they were willing to tighten up the standards under which migrants can claim asylum. Murphy said they’ve also had “very good discussions around” changing some parole policies, another potential Democratic concession that would likely anger progressives.
....Republicans have demanded Department of Defense detention camps on U.S. military bases, long detentions for families with children, and “unworkable” nationwide mandatory detentions, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Such demands would be virtually untenable for Democrats.
The lead Republican negotiator says talks are still ongoing, but his description of things makes me think that Murphy is pretty much right. On the other hand, this could just be a normal negotiating tactic: Murphy is warning that Democrats have gone as far as they can and Republicans need to accept the deal. Stay tuned.
If they're separating Ukraine aid from re-arming Israel, that's a good thing, in my view. (And let the wild rumpus begin.)
Agree.
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Disagree. Separating makes aid to Ukraine less likely. Maybe if the Republicans knew that Putin’s cannon fodder is coming disproportionately from the Moslem republics, they’d be more inclined to support the Ukrainians.
Cruelty is the point.
There is no conservative who wouldn't be basically fine with murdering anyone if they thought they would be certain to get away with it.
... and there was money in it.
The GOP really likes holding hostages on bills that they should pass with no real issue to try to extract concessions on issues where there is controversy.
It's like if you were married to someone who refused to shower until you agreed to start doing the income taxes every year, and kept on repeating the same tactic every six months to get you to do something new.
Is there any way we can "divorce" the Republican Party?
(I know, I know -- there will be another election in 11 months..)
Republicans: "We demand forced deportations for all Americans (regardless of citizenship and legal status) whose last names end in A, O*, or Z."
Democrats: "We’re making pretty big compromises and concessions and Republicans aren’t willing to meet us anywhere close to the middle."
News reports: "Lawmakers in Washington can't get anything done."
* But Sam Alito must stay.
And the Republicans will pay for the cost of their demands how? More tax cuts?
Yes, of course. Tax cuts pay for any spending. You have to balance any increased spending with tax cuts. And then you can use the resulting deficit to force through more spending cuts, except you can’t cut defense, or programs that benefit the corporate benefactors of the GOP.
Past is prologue. In viewing immigration debates for many, many years, Republicans never can agree to any deal because they rather have the issue than any compromise. In fact, short of building a huge wall, and barring all immigration, I don’t think they will ever agree to anything. I mean look at the situation here, they are getting tighter controls, more enforcement, changes in asylum rules, positions that are better for them than the status quo in return to agreeing on something they already agree too which is helping Ukraine and Israel. The senate should simply pass a stand alone foreign aid bill and see what happens.
Not all Republicans want to aid Ukraine; some clearly have favorable views of Putin’s Russia, like TFG. The NRA may have been busted, but I would be surprised if Putin didn’t have other secret channels to channel money to his admirers and useful idiots in the GOP.
This exactly. They don't want a deal; they want an issue to demagogue. A deal would force them to (1) be specific about what they want rather than just frothing with hatred and (2) agree that some situation is acceptable rather than just whining all the time.
They are not legislators, and they are not interested in governance. They are whiners and bigots. And in this they represent their party -- pretty much ALL Republicans -- perfectly.
Republicans won't do anything Trump doesn't like, and Trump won't do anything Putin doesn't like.
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