But wait a second. We don’t have that deal for a DREAM Act yet. All we have are inflated expectations of a deal because Schumer and Pelosi, after a dinner meeting with Trump, rushed out a statement declaring, “We agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security, excluding the wall.” After some White House pushback, they clarified with a follow-up statement: “[T]here was no final deal, but there was agreement” to work toward one. The belated elaboration raises the question why Schumer and Pelosi spiked the ball so soon.
Granted, there’s value for Democrats in pinning down Trump and sowing division among Republicans. But Trump is the kind of person who’s just as happy holding a Rose Garden ceremony for a bill that cleared only one house of Congress as he is hosting one for an actual law. Prematurely announcing a “deal to make a deal” has given Trump the veneer of bipartisanship without him actually earning it.
One might more easily excuse a little excess exuberance if not for Schumer’s hot mic comments, which display an eagerness to portray Trump as a willing negotiating partner and pursue a wider range of legislative compromises. That attitude could send Democrats down a slippery slope.
