Donald Trump threatens long drawn govt shutdown as anger rises among 800,000 unpaid workers and Democrats sweep into power

New York: Against the grim backdrop of 800,000 US government workers denied their wages for the last 12 days , an isolated yet defiant US president Donald Trump dug in and threatened to keep the US government shut for “a very long time” until he gets his $5 billion for a wall along the US Mexico border. Within moments of Trump’s made-for-television stunt to pander to his right wing base, Democrats inserted a pin into his latest balloon, setting the stage for the standoff that will define American politics for the next two years: Donald Trump, 72, versus Nancy Pelosi, 78. [caption id=“attachment_5788501” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of US president Donald Trump. Reuters[/caption] As the partial government shutdown drags into the 12th day, the high-stakes move to reopen the government will be the first big battle between Trump and Pelosi as Democrats come into control ready to confront the White House every single day on every issue all the way till 2020. Trump isn’t sure how to play Pelosi; she’s not a stand-alone political opponent like Hillary Clinton, she’s not going away for the next two years, she is not the alternative to Trump and to Trumpism but she will keep the Democrats united while they figure out how to deal with Trump in 2020. For the first time in his political career, Donald Trump is going head to head with an Opposition leadership with political power, intellect, decades of experience and two years of immersive schooling on how to dodge the best laid Trump traps. Pelosi is brining a bill Thursday to re-open govenment. Without mincing words, she told Trump off on the night before she takes the Speaker’s gavel for the third time in her career: “We are asking the president to take yes for an answer and re-open the government. And no, they are not getting anything for the wall”. Taken together, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the most recognised names in the Democratic House majority, have a total of 70 years of Congressional experience, they know how to play the game, they know that they can continue to stand exactly in the same spot and say the same thing and Donald Trump can’t move the needle with his tweets anymore. For Donald Trump and his base, government not working is exactly what they want because that’s their case against government: it doesn’t work, it’s dysfunctional. But it won’t be that simple when the next pay cycle comes along on 12 January:  If 800,000 workers don’t get paid by then, which is how things are looking right now, the shutdown showdown is going to be political dynamite. After two years of utter Donald Trump and Republican domination of political messaging, America will wake up to a whole new reality of split screen political soundbites Thursday morning when Democrats sweep into power as the new House majority in US Congress with subpoena authority. Why this matters Trump’s political problems pale against his legal ones and others that he likes to “own”, just like the shutdown. The Muller probe and the other judicial probes totaling 17 including those into Trump’s inauguration committee, charity, tax returns, campaign finance are all rolling along. Led by Pelosi, Democrats will embarrass the Trump family no end - especially Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner about their emails and security clearances and conflicts of interest, they will begin investigations into hush payments to Stormy Daniels, Trump’s zero tolerance policy at the border, they will call Michael Cohen to testify, they will hound the White House with all the firepower they have. The pending Muller findings may envelop the most part of 2019 and it’s entirely possible that Trump could be fighting to remain in the White House within months. More indictments could land any day, Donald Trump’s son is jittery because of his well known links to Russians ahead of the 2016 elections. Democrats are likely to launch a wave of investigations against the president, impeachment talk is loud and pervasive in Washington. The current shutdown is being tied with the longest ever and both sides fully understand its political ramifications. Trump is counting on public support as he holds out for $5 billion to build the wall. Trump’s wild theory is that all of the government workers not being paid are Democrats. As long as Mueller doesn’t unload another bombshell, Trump seems to be enjoying the shutdown because his political advantage remains as long as the wall isn’t built. From all available accounts, it has always been a metaphor. He has no exit strategy because the wall was never real. Nancy Pelosi and her House Democrats are not blinking first on the shutdown drama because they are readying for something far more worrying for Trump: investigations to damage, and perhaps even impeach, the president and solidify Democratic control in the run up to 2020.