By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
McALLEN, Texas |...They're still trying although we hesitate to use the word trying "mightily." It's more like kids playing football out in the street, although one of the teams keeps deflating the ball. It's called congressional politics on its face.
The face is getting bruised.
At burning issue is the Mexican Border. Republicans in the House of Representatives want it shut down, as in closed the damned door to migrants already. Democrats want that, too. But they'd rather be more thoughtful than simply wait on Republican Orange God Donald Trump to make the call on just how the mess will be addressed.
Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are crafting a legislative bill both sides say may be the answer (for the time being, but an answer). It's about "controlling" the border, they tell us, and that's the sticking point for the Trumpians, who want quick and decisive and painful action, like right now.
There's a convoy of truckers and buses headed for the border.
Republicans are eager to tag along, to ride the wave of discontentment, to saddle up and go stupid.
That's what Texas Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw, shown in photo above, is saying as he rags his colleagues for being political malcontents out to do soiled Trump's political ambitions bidding.
This from thehill.com: [ Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) swiped at his Republican colleagues for opposing a deal being crafted in the Senate that pairs border and migration policy changes with Ukraine aid before the text of the bill is out.
"The height of stupidity is having a strong opinion on something you know nothing about," Crenshaw said Thursday. "So, I don’t have a strong opinion on the bill because I haven’t seen it. Nobody has."
Crenshaw’s message is a major break from top House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Johnson has said if reports about what is in the deal are true, it would be "dead on arrival" in the House.
"I’m extremely disappointed in the very strange maneuvering by many on the right to torpedo a potential border reform bill. That’s what we all ran on doing," Crenshaw continued. "If we have a bill that, on net, significantly decreases illegal immigration, and we sabotage that, that is inconsistent with what we told our voters we would do."
"It would be a pretty unacceptable dereliction of your duty," Crenshaw said. ]
He represents the conservative 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses land in far north Harris County (Houston) and runs northward to grab a bit of Montgomery County. He's actually likely going against many of his district's constituents who went with Trump in the 2020 election.
But, boys, something's gotta give, as Jack Nicholson might say about here.
The border is at present needy of all national publicity and that beast must be served. For shifty, lying Republicans, the Mexican border is Lassie/Trigger/Godzilla/Reptilicus all in one nifty political package.
The GOP fears losing the November General Election, so grabbing onto the Mexican Border and playing as if it's the equal of the War in Ukraine and Gaza.
It's not.
And if Republicans think it is, well, their own Dan Crenshaw wants a word with each of them...
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