BORDER/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump is testing the patience of the GOP. Increasingly, what he thinks is best for himself and his base — like shutting down the federal government over his demands for a border wall — is not necessarily what is in the long- or short-term interest of his party. Until now, the tension between the President and the GOP hadn’t reached critical mass. Most of the Republican Party has supported him through thick and thin, and Trump has taken solace in his strong approval numbers among Republican voters, even as his national approval ratings tanked. But things change in presidential politics — and the past week has presented a potential turning point. The President is doubling down on a number of issues that are not smart political bets for the Republican Party. Polls show that the public does not want a government shutdown over the border wall. Given that the GOP will likely be blamed for it, especially after Trump defiantly and publicly took ownership of the decision, a shutdown could easily backfire on the party.”
–Julian Zelizer, “President Trump is testing the patience of the GOP,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, December 17, 2018 8:29 pm