Mike Howe

No, you nailed it.

The one variable I would say is they're not really negotiating with Democrats.

They're negotiating with the rhinos in the Republican Party who would vote with the Democrats.

They're trying to give them cover on this type of thing.

They did not need Democrats.

If they wanted to package all these bills together and force them to say either you shut down the whole government or not, they could have made that move.

But Thune did not make that move because he's got a lot of members on the Republican side that want to hide and do want to do the things that Democrats want.

like limiting the scope of operations dramatically by these warrant requirements, or demasking ICE agents who wear the mask because they're being threatened with death threats every day.

There is a domestic insurgency going after them.

They know if they take off the masks,

These people are going to get killed.

And so that's why they want to do it.

It'll demoralize.

It'll make it impossible to recruit and retain.

And that's what Republicans want to give in to.

And that is the problem right now, that the America First movement, you know, 10 years in, is not being used to advance the core principles it's set out to, but to protect Republicans.

the so-called moderate centrists, who we all know are just left-wingers, and their re-elections, because they're the majority makers.

And I didn't sign up to get Mike Lawler protected as the scion of the America First movement.

No, we signed up and voted for mass deportations.

And if, you know what, they don't get the funding and there's a shutdown, the Insurrection Act's on the table.