OPINION:
President Donald Trump won his requested $5 billion for a border wall — and then some, $5.7 billion, actually — in a House stopgap bill that passed on Republican-dominated votes, 217-185.
It won’t pass the Senate. But the point is this: At least Republicans were willing to fight for the wall.
At least they were taking a stand.
After meeting with Trump at the White House and learning he was not going to sign the legislation that came earlier out of the Senate that failed to include his $5 billion — at least they were willing to join the White House fight for border security.
“We have time right now to get it done,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said, The Hill reported. “I’ve watched these bodies move rather rapidly when they want to. I’ve watched the Senate argue about 60 votes and all that, and they were able to voice vote [a continuing resolution].”
Exactly. When politicians really want something — when they truly want to pass something — they don’t let anything stand in their way. They fight, they argue, they debate, they barter, they threaten, they cajole, they use the media to make their messages resonate with the American people — they move “rather rapidly,” as McCarthy said, “when they want to.”
And the Republican-controlled Senate can speak to realities all it wants, and toss hands in the air at the so-called futility of fighting for a border bill with Trump’s full $5 billion funding, but the fact is: Conservatives in America want to see the fight. They don’t want to see the cave and concession.
Particularly when realities are coming in January, and Republicans lose the House to Democrats, the fight for a border wall will fall to the wayside.
The House is taking the fight to the Democrats.
“I think the resolve of this group [the Republican Study Committee] is to send [our bill] right back to [the Senate] and continue the volley because we feel like this is a non-negotiable that we’ve got to protect,” Republican Study Committee Chairman Mike Johnson told The Hill.
That’s how you fight for a border wall — one determined stand, one immovable decision at a time.
If only Republicans in the Senate would fight so dearly.
“Senator Mitch McConnell should fight for the Wall and Border Security as hard as he fought for anything,” Trump tweeted. “He will need Democrat votes, but as shown in the House, good things happen. If enough Dems don’t vote, it will be a Democrat Shutdown! House Republicans were great yesterday!”
Once again, Trump has the pulse of the conservative base.
Senate Republicans, take a memo. For the sake of border security, please take a memo. Conservative Americans know we can’t win them all. But that’s not the point. Sometimes, the point is the fight.
Sometimes, the point is to show a willingness to fight until the bitter end for those who really run this country, the taxpaying voting patriots.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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