| | | | What the Brexit failure reveals about our current morass |  | | On Tuesday night, British Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to usher her country out of the European Union -- a move forced by the Brexit vote of 2016 -- was crushingly rejected in Parliament.
The decision left the British government in total chaos, with just 73 days to go before the country is supposed to leave the EU. Critiques -- of May, of the original Brexit vote, of Parliament -- were legion. Solutions were significantly more scarce.
Sound at all familiar?
Look. Comparisons between two countries' governments and relative political circumstances always have to be taken cum grano salis. It's overly facile to say that the failure of May's Brexit plan and the current US government shutdown are even close to the same thing. So, to be clear: I am not doing that.
But there is, without question, a similar seed in both these crises: The populace's desire for simple solutions to complex problems.
Brexit was the result of concerns about, among other things, Britain losing its own identity within the broader European continent and a sense that the EU was simply not in the best economic interests of the country. Worries surrounding immigration and globalization were mixed in.
The solution seemed simple: A referendum allowing Britain to cut ties with the EU and seek its own destiny.
Head across the pond to America, where in June 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump compares his campaign to the British movement, and later tweets "They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT!" referring to his prediction that he would upset Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race.
Throughout his campaign, Trump capitalized on concerns -- particularly among the Republican base -- that illegal immigration is not only undermining the rule of law but also changing the face of America in negative ways.
Trump's wall captures the imagination because, well, it's simple. Walls work. They keep people out.
Neither easy solution has proven so easy. May's attempts to provide a workable exit based on the Brexit vote have never gained any momentum -- and now appear dead. Here in the United States, we are in the 25th day of the longest government shutdown ever, because Trump wants money for the wall and Democrats in Congress refuse to provide it.
The Point: Faced with an increasingly complex world, we tend to seek out the simplest of solutions. Unfortunately, those simple solutions often turn out to be inadequate to deal with the problem at hand -- leaving governments at a loss even as they butt up against (or miss) must-not-miss deadlines.
-- Chris | | "If it's American, I like it. It's all American stuff."
-- President Donald Trump on the massive fast food spread he served the Clemson football team at the White House on Monday night. | | | MEET YOUR MEMBER: ANTONIO DELGADO | | Democratic Rep. Antonio Delgado has smashed through barriers to become the first person of color to represent his upstate New York district. He also may be the first member of Congress to have an actual rap career before being elected.
Now in the House after unseating longtime GOP Rep. John Faso, Delgado, who also happens to be a Rhodes scholar and a Harvard Law School graduate, says his priority is upstate New York and moving past the shutdown over "an antiquated solution to border security." Lauren Dezenski: In five words or less, describe your first emotions when you realized you won in November.
Antonio Delgado: Humbled by the opportunity.
LD: What's your top priority in your first term?
AD: I want to be accountable to the people, both in terms of how I operate and what I work on. I will be responsive and available to the people of my district: I will hold one town hall in each of the 11 counties in my district within my first year in office. We will have strong constituent services operations to help with everything from small-business loans to veterans' benefits. And my legislative focus will be on the key priorities that are impacting folks' lives in upstate New York -- such as improving access to quality health care, expanding rural broadband, supporting our farmers, and protecting our water infrastructure.
LD: What's your expectation on what happens with the current partial government shutdown?
AD: It needs to come to an end. From farmers to business owners to federal employees in upstate, we're seeing the real consequences of the shutdown. It's incredibly irresponsible, especially considering it all comes down to playing politics over an antiquated solution to border security.
LD: What was your biggest lesson from your campaign?
AD: Show up, listen, and be accountable. There's a sense -- and I think it's accurate -- that too many politicians just listen to corporate special interests and have become entrenched in Washington. So I don't take corporate PAC money, and I show up everywhere in the district so I can hear what really matters to people, and act on it.
LD: Do you have a favorite pump-up song? What is it?
AD: "Twofifteen" by Black Thought
LD: Tell me about your favorite food from your district.
AD: Too many options to pick from. But I do love going to Bun N' Cone in Margaretville. Thank you to Francisco Durán for today's member tip! Is there someone we should talk to from your district? Email lauren.dezenski@cnn.com with your suggestions -- and thanks to all of you who have already reached out! | | | Do you ever have times where you can't stop listening to Two Door Cinema Club? No? Just Lauren? OK then. | |  | | Today's topic: No holds Barr-ed. | | Congratulations to second lady Karen Pence, who's taking up another job -- and one that has nothing to do with the administration.
Pence will be teaching art at a northern Virginia elementary school twice a week through May. She taught art for 25 years in the classroom before becoming first lady of Indiana in 2013. Pence is an award-winning watercolor artist and recently illustrated a picture book about the family's pet bunny, Marlon Bundo.
There's no word on whether BOTUS (bunny of the US, duh) has also taken up a second job. | |  | Trump's big beautiful border wall: A history | | President Donald Trump's vow to build a wall on the southern US border started in 2015 when he was still a presidential candidate. But the popular campaign promise has led to more questions than concrete answers.
Psst, if you haven't, click this big beautiful YouTube subscribe button! | | Kirsten Gillibrand: Is announcing her run for president on Tuesday night. The New York senator will announce that she has formed an exploratory committee while on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" tonight, and plans to visit Iowa on Thursday.
Amy Klobuchar: The Minnesota senator says she has spoken with her family about a 2020 presidential run and they are "on board." Twitter was set ablaze on Tuesday afternoon after someone left a possibly fake prototype for a campaign logo in a D.C. coffee shop. Klobuchar's team denied its authenticity, saying it "must have been prepared by an overly enthusiastic supporter, but it was not commissioned by our team."
Eric Swalwell: The California congressman is headed to early voting state South Carolina on Saturday for the Greenville Women's March and Spartanburg County Democratic Party's Blue Carolina Black Tie Gala. | |
SO YOU WANNA GET PAID DURING THE SHUTDOWN? | | Too bad, you can't, at least according to the courts.
That's because a federal judge today denied a request by a federal employees union that air traffic control officers be paid during the government shutdown.
The partial government shutdown is in its 25th day (the longest in history) with no end in sight. | |  | | From Brenna: "'Little bunny foo foo hopping through the Senate, picking up committee votes and getting back my old job.' -William Barr, probably. OK, not really. He was talking about legal things, as lawyers are wont to do. Share The Point with your favorite lawyer!" | | | | | | |
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