Credit: Pixabay
UPDATE–In the March 8th Edition, Here
The Golden State is, without a doubt, a thorn in the President’s side. None-the-less, Donald Trump says he’s coming to the left coast to visit the prototypes for his beloved wall. And maybe raise some elitist California cash for the GOP at a location to be determined in either Los Angeles or Orange County.
I’ve been getting emails asking about anti-Trump demonstrations, and haven’t been able to provide much in the way of answers. Information about the timing of any visit and a proposed itinerary has yet to be released.
The area surrounding the wall prototypes isn’t a great choice as a demonstration location, due to limited access and its remote location. A Presidential motorcade through San Diego seems unlikely; my bet is he’ll fly into a military facility and be taken by helicopter to visit the site.
Regardless, it’s just too soon to tell. When plans for protests are announced, you’ll read about them here.
A California visit has been floated several times in the media but never come to pass.
According to the Washington Post:
U.S. Government photo taken during construction of border wall prototypes.
Trump prefers to sleep in his own bed at night, and some of his aides have been leery of a trip to the border because of likely protests amid debate over the president’s support for new immigration limits…
…Eight border wall prototypes are on display in a dusty lot near the border east of San Diego. The 30-foot-tall barriers use varying configurations of steel, concrete — even spikes — to create ramparts far more formidable than almost anything in place along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico. Tests conducted by the Department of Homeland Security have found the prototypes are nearly impossible to climb or break through….
…It would be Trump’s first visit to the border with Mexico as president, and he has consistently spoken of the area as a dangerous, lawless place. In reality, crime rates in several U.S. border cities, including San Diego, are among the lowest in the country.
Our state has been a target of some of the President’s many rants in recent days. Not long ago he threatened to pull immigration enforcement out of California in retribution for what he deemed a “lousy management job.”
On Tuesday, lawsuits brought by the state of California and environmentalists over the government’s prototype and fence-replacement efforts were rejected by U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, whom Trump once said was incapable of fairly presiding over a civil suit in which he was a defendant because of his Mexican ancestry.
The President’s response to an actual “win” by his administration was to double down, declaring via Twitter:
“I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved. Big victory yesterday with ruling from the courts that allows us to proceed…
Politico posted a story on Wednesday about the President’s impending visit, saying his California supporters are “ecstatic” and that progressive activists “are determined to make him feel unwelcome.”
Outside of quoting whack-a-doodle and GOP former state Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, there wasn’t much in the way of substance to back up either claim.
The only person from San Diego quoted in the story was former Mayor and Chamber of Commerce boss Jerry Sanders, who’s hopeful current Mayor Kevin Faulconer will meet with Trump and talk some sense at him. That’s. Not. Going. To. Happen.
Still, there were a couple of quotes worth sharing:
US Government aerial photo of area near prototypes
“I have full faith that my Southern California Latino community will give Trump’s border wall hallucination tour exactly the respect it deserves: Nada, nunca, forget it,’’ said Gloria Nieto, a veteran Democratic LGBT activist in Santa Cruz…
…Trump’s impending visit “makes sense with his converting the U.S. presidency into reality TV,” says Chris Newman, legal director for the Los Angeles-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network – an immigrant rights group. “And if I were the producer of his game show presidency, I would do the same.
“If Trump comes to California, he’ll find that California has built an immunity to the type of fear that he’s pushing,’’ Newman said. “[H]e’s trying to spread venom — and I don’t think it will have the desired effect.”
KCRA‘s Kevin Riggs thinks a Trump visit will be a high drama event:
Trump’s recent provocative comments about withholding ICE officers from law enforcement duties in California and suggestions that he will delay improving some border fencing foreshadows a strong likelihood that he will poke the California grizzly bear during the upcoming visit.
It won’t take much to pick a fight. California’s Democratic leadership will be quick to take the bait, especially in an election year, and Trump’s voter base in red states will eat up the conflict.
In other words, there will be something for both sides to savor.
***
Speaking of reality shows, it certainly looks like the White House is just going crazy. Here’s the Washington Post reporter assigned to cover the Oval Office:
White House person who is often understated about drama in the building just texted me to say things were wild, changing by seemingly the minute and that no one knows what Trump is going to announce on a number of issues.
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 1, 2018
How bad is it?
This bad…
Finally, a bit of (dark) Hope Hicks humor:
Press #1 for English. Press #2 for Russian… pic.twitter.com/vj5qfV1K00
— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 #BoycottNRA 🚫 (@joncoopertweets) March 1, 2018
Looking for some action? Check out the Weekly Progressive Calendar, published every Friday in this space, featuring Demonstrations, Rallies, Teach-ins, Meet Ups and other opportunities to get your activism on.
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Doug Porter
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