BORDER/NANCY PELOSI/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As of Tuesday [1-22-19], the government shutdown entered its second month. The principals in the dispute, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have dug their heels into their rigid positions to the extent that any compromise on either side will be costly in terms of both ego and political standing. When faced with a seemingly unyielding impasse, good negotiators will deploy various techniques in an attempt to break the impasse. For example, a change of the negotiators at the table can sometimes introduce fresh insights and perspectives. But due to the very partisan nature of this shutdown disputeand the appeal of public recognition,that’s not very likely. Trump’s negotiation style, both in office and before, appears to be highly positional, adversarial and uncompromising, with subtle use of intimidation. This might have worked well for him in business, where he was usually in a position of power, but it is less effective in a position with checks and balances.”
–Raphael Lapin, “How to negotiate a compromise on border security,” USA Today, January 22, 2019 2:29 pm