let's just take a moment to admire what an astoundingly incompetent politician donnie is.

putting aside how bad his horrible policies, his repugnant rhetoric, his flagrant flouting of the law and contempt for social and political norms, let's just focus on his sheer incompetence at raw politics.

so far, in two years as president, he really hasn't convinced anyone of anything, nor has he actually negotiated any deal. in fact, he really hasn't even put forth any substantive proposals. the tax law was an off-the-shelf republican wet dream that was a fait accompli the moment donnie won the election. he didn't propose it or twist any arms. his only real contribution appears to be getting himself a big tax loophole for real estate developers.

then, having failed to get anywhere on his signature campaign cry for a wall, he waits until congress is no longer entirely in the hands of republicans and his popularity is waning after a shellacking in the midterms to double-down and pick a major fight from a position of weakness.

pelosi has virtually nothing to gain by giving donnie anything and virtually everything to gain by standing up to him.
donnie is the one who desperately needs a "win".

this is a horrible negotiating position for him to have put himself in. and having escalated it for no reason to the longest shutdown ever, to the point where 800,000 families are going without pay, to the point where economists are starting to scream about the damage to the economy, to the point where if this goes through the end of march, we could actually have negative growth in the first quarter.

in poker terms, this is a guy who folded a lot and then waited for 7-2 (worst have in poker) turned the cards face up, and then decided, hey, i'm gonna bluff nancy and go all-in if i have to to win!


honestly, i'm just in awe at the sheer ineptness.