From the delusional files: Close to an immigration deal or a Lucy?

CONTEXT

For years bigoted/racist Republican Party elites have been sabotaging bipartisan deals in congress to fix the immigration problem at the border. The reason is simple. Keeping the border issue unresolved is a perfect way to demagogue the hell out of something to keep the rank and file engaged, e.g., enraged, terrified of the Great White Replacement by cruel immigrant hoards,  distracted from what the kleptocratic, authoritarian GOP actually stands for, i.e., tyranny and massive corruption, etc. 

One can reasonably see fixing the American immigration problem about the same way one can see the unresolvable Israel-Palestine problem. Neither is fixable except via one side getting everything it wants.

THE LATEST “DEAL”

The Hill reports: 

Schumer: Negotiators ‘closer than we have been’ on border deal

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) indicated negotiators are inching closer to a border deal that could unlock aid for Ukraine, while pressing the House to jump on board with the eventual agreement.

“We’re making progress. We’re closer than we have been, but this is a very difficult issue and there’s still different issues to be overcome with,” Schumer told reporters after opening the Senate for the second half of the 118th Congress.

“Everyone’s going to have to give something to get this done. No one can just get his or her own way,” he said.  

Schumer’s remarks came as a group of 60 House Republicans, headlined by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), is traveling to the border near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday to highlight their concerns about border security. December marked an all-time high in border crossings with roughly 300,000 encounters, the Department of Homeland Security said earlier this week.

House Republicans passed their border bill last year, H.R.2, which received no Democratic votes.  

The Democratic leader declined to discuss how a potential bipartisan bill would move, given that Congress is staring down a pair of government funding deadlines on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.

There’s no basis for belief that a deal can likely be reached. From the GOP’s point of view, working with Dems to fix immigration in a presidential election year makes absolutely no sense. But, it makes a lot of sense for Repubs to posture in that direction so they can demagogue that the Dems won’t compromise, while only wanting completely open borders.

I rate this a Lucy:

Left: Schumer

Right: Repubs