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It has never been in question that the President’s children were liberals. Elder daughter Ivanka couldn’t even vote for her father in the New York primary because she was a registered Democrat. None of this would even be important if she didn’t have great sway over the President’s actions, but she does. Between her direct influence and the influence of her husband, Jared Kushner, a good chunk of the President’s leftward lurches can be attributed to her.
The latest push seems to coincide with yesterday’s release of proposed actions for Congress from the White House as the legislative branch tries to pass immigration reform. The list of “harsh” demands have the Democrats on Capitol Hill crying foul and pushing back as hard as they can. They were expecting lighter measures in exchange for some form of protection for “Dreamers,” illegal immigrant children who were protected by President Obama’s DACA executive order. What they were given instead is the most robust border security plan ever proposed.
This is all good. It’s how deals are made. The GOP is starting off with an outrageous offer, the Democrats will counter with something equally outrageous, and they’ll meet in the middle. If anything, this is the most sane political exercise we’ve seen since the President was inaugurated.
Enter Ivanka Trump. She’s not helping.
Monday night at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, she essentially undercut the GOP position by not only speaking her mind on the subject but also declaring that the President shared the same perspectives.
“This is a very complicated issue that needs a long-term congressional fix,” Trump said. “I personally am of the opinion— and the president has stated this— that we have to figure out a good solution that protects these innocent people, many of whom were brought to this country as children.”
Why this is bad
We get it. The “tough as nails on immigration” presidential candidate was a show. The softening that he proposed after winning the nomination was more aligned with his actual thoughts. He’s had exchanges with Chuck and Nancy that initially had them happy. All of this was troublesome to conservatives.
Now, the White House has an amazing proposal on the table. The Democrats were caught off guard. They expected their buddy in the Oval Office to throw up a few token border control measures to save face before giving Dreamers everything they could have dreamed. The negotiations were going to start with the GOP having the upper hand.
Ivanka inadvertently (or so we hope) threw a wrench in the works. By signalling her unabashed support for Dreamers, she took away the potential for a unified voice from the White House and therefore from the Republican Party. She played the “necessity card” that hampers the GOP’s ability to either bluff about walking away from the table or actually walking away and allowing Dreamers to enter unprotected limbo.
In the whole scheme of things, this is minor, but just as Michael had to lecture Fredo after the Moe Green meeting in The Godfather, “Don’t ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever.”
Perspectives
Ivanka Trump: We Have to Save DACA
Ivanka, along with her husband, Jared Kushner, pretty much guide policy with President Big Daddy, and her topic of choice for this event was DACA, and the need to protect the children of illegal immigrants.
Ivanka Trump tells Congress to find DACA fix: ‘We have to figure out a good solution that protects these innocent people’
There is a bipartisan push by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to pass legislation in the form of the Dream Act. With this bill, DACA recipients would have the chance to become U.S. citizens if they pursue higher education, or seek careers in the military or the workforce.
Final Thoughts
What’s most unfortunate is that Dreamers are being used as pawns by both sides. While a small majority of Americans favor giving them protections, it’s not enough to force the GOP to take a bad deal. Ivanka thought she was helping them (or so we hope), but by hamstringing Republicans at the negotiating table, she’s actually hurting Dreamers.
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The only thing between Donald and impeachment … are his followers.
And we have fewer and fewer victories to celebrate.
Sessions was a plant. Ryan and McConnell are assassins.
Donald … listen to the base, not the daughter. Or you are history
Trump’s polls would increase by 10 were he to give walking papers to the Kushner Kids.
These two neophytes have caused more disruption than producing positive contributions and only serve to diminish Trump in the eyes of those who supported/voted for him.