I’ve come to the conclusion that Trump prefers the government shut down. As the shutdown wears on, various parts of the government are shutting down. As examples, the FDA is not carrying out food inspections, the EPA is barely functioning, and the Federal Court system runs out of money on Friday. Federal employees are fearful of losing their homes, and many are starting to go to food pantries. They’re about to hit their second consecutive $0 paycheck. Flying is becoming an increasingly dangerous proposition, given overtaxed TSA and air traffic control employees. Trump’s putting us at significantly heightened security risk. His cruelty is unfathomable.

However, I don’t think that he sees any incentive to end the shutdown. In the short-term, this satisfies his base, serves as yet another distraction, and it also impedes oversight on him and his administration. In the long-term, it demoralizes federal employees, discourages public service, and achieves Steve Bannon’s goal of “deconstructing the administrative state,” leaving the government a skeleton that consists of the military and treasury, and little else. It also establishes the unitary executive to a degree we’ve not seen before.

I really don’t know how we get out of this situation, but I think it’s important to not give in to him on the wall, which will become a monument to his racism. I think the public needs to demand that McConnell do his job and show loyalty to the American people rather than Trump. Today’s civil disobedience protests at the Capitol are the kinds of actions that can be taken to fight back.