GOP/GOVERNMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Thursday [12-20-18] morning started quiet in Washington. Too quiet. Following the Republican-controlled Senate’s passage Wednesday [12-19-18] night of a short-term resolution to fund the government through February 8 — and avoid the political tremors caused by a government shutdown — the Republican-controlled House was expected to follow suit Thursday. Then everyone would go home for the holidays happy(ish). (In truth, lots of House members, especially those who lost their re-election bids last month, were already home. And most senators skedaddled out of DC soon after the vote last night.) Except that Donald Trump wasn’t done changing his mind. After initially saying last week that he would be proud to own a government shutdown over the border if Democrats refused to give him the $5 billion he wanted for a wall on the southern border, Trump’s position seemed to soften earlier this week, with advisers suggesting he would likely sign a short-term measure.”
–Chris Cillizza, “Donald Trump just took his ball and went home,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, December 20, 2018 6:38 am