It is a rainy Monday morning in metro Raleigh as I begin to write this article. That is probably reflective of the mood in the halls of power of the national GOP. They spent a good part of last week trying to put out fires caused by Trump and the Tea Party only to have Trump start another on Sunday with a tweet. Let’s explore.

Donald Trump has proven to be a man for all “seasons” but with complete lack of reason. Even a progressive like me found a thing or two they liked about then candidate Trump during the 2016 campaign. Unfortunately they did not offset the insanity coming out of the now Liar-in-Chief. As president not only does he hold the record for telling lies; he flip flops on most major issues to the point that you can always find something he said (and probably acted contrary to) that you like. He is simply a salesman (in the worst sense of the word) who will say anything to close a deal. Any resemblance to the truth, his real feelings, reality or what his actions will be is inconsequential to Trump and his crew.

On Sunday Trump tweeted, “I would be willing to ‘shut down’ government if Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall!” Trump has threatened a shutdown in the past and had backed away from it of late. The current fiscal year expires on September 30^th which means without Congressional action, signed into law by the president, the government runs out of money on October 1^st and must shut down.

The public tends to blame one party over the other in the event of a shutdown. This would be the third government shutdown under Trump. With the Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress as well as the White House it is reasonable to assume that the vast majority of Americans would blame the Republicans for a shutdown.

The situation would be that a few weeks before the mid-term elections with control of both chambers at stake the Republicans would be perceived to have failed to keep the lights on at the same time they were asking for votes. In the understatement of the year, that is simply not good political strategy.

Congress, led by the Republicans will pass what I assume will be some sort of compromise continuing resolution to keep the government open. I think a full and real budget is more than they can accomplish. Nonetheless they will put a plan on Trump’s desk that will keep the government open and greatly enhance Republicans reelection/election chances if only he will sign it.

I see an eleventh hour agreement passed in both chambers and delivered to the White House with no chance for any negotiation. Trump will be forced to sign it in a self-preservation move. If he doesn’t sign it causing a government shutdown he effectively guarantees a huge blue wave and his impeachment in 2019. Even the arithmetically challenged and retiring Speaker Pau Ryan understands that. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who intends to and I predict will survive Trump certainly knows that. I think they will be able to persevere over right wing extremists like Stephen Miller and convince Trump to sign the CR without displaying his cursive skills to the world with Mike Pence’s fake smile behind his left shoulder.

Never lose sight of the fact that at its core the Trump administration is an organized criminal enterprise with the sole purpose of enriching Trump and his inner circle. Trump knows the more days he stays in power the more cash he accumulates.

The once proud Republican Party has degenerated into a collation threatened from within by the Tea Party and led by an opportunist with no loyalty to it or its seemingly abandoned core principles. Its survival is in serious question.

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