Good faith
Offer for border wall, ‘Dreamers’ is a fair deal
It is time for Democrats in the Congress to strike a deal with President Donald Trump on immigration. For a very long time, the press and the pundits have been saying that the obvious deal to be made is for the president to agree to give people residency and raised in this country but brought to this country against their will as children (the socalled “Dreamers”) a path to citizenship, in return for the Democrats in Congress agreeing to heightened border security, including a wall.
That is the obvious and inevitable deal and last weekend the president took a big step toward it — offering three years of deferred action on the Dreamers in return for a pittance — approximately 0.13 percent of the next projected federal budget — for the wall.
There is no good reason why this should not be the next step toward an ultimate deal, which would have to include not only the wall but a permanent solution for the Dreamers. Such a deal would re-open the government.
The not very good reason Democrats rejected the offer is that it came from this president, whom they hate and wish to humiliate.
But hate or disdain ought not to be primary motive of those who govern us. It does not matter whether Democrats think the president is stupid or unworthy or illegitimate. He is the president and they must deal with him. They must find a compromise with him to re-open the government
and help the Dreamers.
The president’s offer is a good starting point. It has been offered in good faith. The Democrats need to come down from their mountain of self-righteous, self-congratulatory contempt and return the offer with a good faith offer of their own. They know full well that this is the way of Washington and what they must do in the end. The president will not be shut down on the wall.
The truth is we need heightened border security (if not a wall) and a path for the Dreamers. So there is no shame in both sides compromising and both sides winning the major point.
What stands in the way now is not conscience, but malice: not commitment to good public policy, but pique. Get over it, ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Trump is still president and the wall is still his non-negotiable item. Cut the cards.