David Leonhardt: Boo, hiss, border wall

A night of dueling poor performances from the nation’s political leaders. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, January 9, 2019 [NYTimes.com/David-Leonhardt »]( [Op-Ed Columnist] Op-Ed Columnist Televised prime-time speeches are performances. No matter how serious the subject, they are an opportunity for politicians to use the tools of entertainment — lighting, setting, writing, delivery — in the service of persuasion. Neither President Trump nor the Democratic congressional leaders did a particularly effective job last night, in their dueling speeches about the government shutdown. Trump is almost comically stiff while reading a pre-written speech. He spent much of his Oval Office address squinting in the camera, as if he couldn’t read his teleprompter, and — as social media noted — he audibly sniffed after many of his lines. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, for their part, crowded next to each other at a single podium — an awkward set-up that, as [Clare Malone]( of FiveThirtyEight pointed out, is likely to be parodied on Saturday Night Live this coming weekend. It's unlikely that either performance was effective enough to move public opinion. “Literally no one will remember the Trump speech one week from now. (Same goes, obviously, for the Democratic response),” wrote MSNBC’s [Chris Hayes](. If last night helped either side, it was probably the Democrats, mostly because they remain in the better position on the fight over the border wall. “Schumer’s doing a nice job painting Trump into the shutdown corner here. Democrats are happy to reopen the government and keep negotiating on the border. Trump isn’t. That’s the winning position,” wrote Vox’s [Ezra Klein](. Related: In The Washington Post, [Marc Thiessen]( makes the case that Trump was effective. I disagree, on both tactical and substantive grounds, but Thiessen’s piece gives you a sense of what the other side is saying this morning. Trump avoided some of his most blatant lies about immigration and the border wall last night, but the entire premise of the speech — a crisis! — was false. Vox’s [Dara Lind]( has a good explainer. The weak president Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski became the latest Republican senator yesterday to [support reopening the government]( without funding for Trump’s border wall. She joins Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado. Yes, all of them are operating partly out of opportunism. They are no doubt afraid of Trump’s unpopularity, both overall and on this issue, and all three face re-election campaigns in 2020. But their distancing themselves from Trump still matters. He is a weak president, and he seems to be getting weaker. Reader feedback Theda Skocpol, the Harvard professor who studies [political]( [movements]( wrote me with some thoughts about [yesterday’s newsletter]( on gerrymandering, and I think it’s worth quoting her note in full: I agree with your gerrymandering comments here, but I think the real issues go deeper. It is not just a question of whether aggregate votes translate into proportional legislative seats overall. Extreme gerrymandering breaks up natural communities into bits and pieces separated into different districts. It contributes to confusing citizens about who is responsible for what — especially when policies impact entire cities or regions — and makes organizing much harder, because people literally have to learn about disparate local, state, and national legislative boundaries. I have been in both Tea Party and Indivisible group local meetings where active citizens are spending a lot of time trying to figure out jigsaw like boundaries and how to contact neighbors in relation to who represents them. Democratic organizing and accountability become much harder. I think this is an intended effect of extreme gerrymandering, especially when cities are divided up. That’s yet another reason for a federal law restricting gerrymandering. And although he didn’t contact me directly, another Times reader [apparently had some detailed thoughts]( about my [column]( from this past weekend. ADVERTISEMENT If you enjoy this newsletter, forward it to friends! They can [sign up for themselves here]( — and they don’t need to be a Times subscriber. The newsletter is published every weekday, with help from my colleague Ian Prasad Philbrick. David’s Morning NYT Read [Trump’s Prime-Time Bludgeon]( By ROSS DOUTHAT Why immigration rhetoric that worked in 2016 doesn’t work today. The Full Opinion Report [The Crisis Is in the Oval Office]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The president has exaggerated threats but ignored the hazards his border policies created. [The Wall Is a Symbol of Donald Trump’s Neediness]( By FRANK BRUNI Seldom has a president’s ego required so much shoring up. There’s not enough concrete in creation for that job. [Why Trump’s Weakness Masks the President’s Power]( By KEVIN M. KRUSE AND JULIAN E. ZELIZER Even a feeble president can impose his will on the nation if he lacks any sense of restraint or respect for political norms and guardrails. [The Future of Personhood Nation]( Basic American freedoms are at risk. [Australians Have More Fun]( By BARI WEISS What we can learn from “Canada in a thong.” [The Green New Deal Rises Again]( By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN It was a good idea that didn’t catch on in 2007. Now we’re running out of time. [Coming Out as Trans Isn’t a Teenage Fad]( By JENNIFER FINNEY BOYLAN Conservatives are inventing a “syndrome” to undermine young people’s transitions. [Bolsonaro vs. Maduro: The Next Clash in Latin America?]( By JORGE G. CASTAÑEDA Both leaders threaten the region’s hard-won democracy. [Trump Is Right to Seek an End to America’s Wars]( By JON FINER AND ROBERT MALLEY The president’s desire to disentangle the country from costly overseas conflicts must be encouraged. [Cuomo’s Risky L Train Fix]( By CARMEN BIANCO We don’t know enough to know whether it’s safe. [When Animal Welfare and Religious Practice Collide]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD New laws on animal slaughter in Belgium may be smoke screens for bigotry against Jews and Muslims. [After Birth: How Motherhood Changed My Relationship With My Body]( By BRONWEN PARKER-RHODES Is it selfish to be uncomfortable with your appearance when you have just given birth to a healthy baby? [Breast-Feeding on the Job]( New York City’s human rights commissioner says discrimination requires that the practice should be legal everywhere. ADVERTISEMENT How am I doing? I’d love your feedback. Please send thoughts and suggestions to [leonhardt@nytimes.com](mailto:leonhardt@nytimes.com?subject=David%20Leonhardt%20Newsletter%20Feedback). FOLLOW OPINION [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytopinion]( [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](  | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's David Leonhardt newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2019 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018