House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Tuesday released a hype video of sorts to pump up the Republican base at the prospect of walling off the U.S.-Mexico border — and using their tax dollars to fund the project.
Over a thumping techno baseline and 808 claps, Ryan made the argument for funding the barrier with taxpayer dollars, despite President Donald Trump’s endless campaign promises that the Mexican government would pay for the wall.
“1,954 MILES ALONG AMERICA’S SOUTHERN BORDER” flashes on screen as the viewer observes Ryan touring the border in a helicopter. “IT’S TIME FOR THE WALL.”
“I had the opportunity to travel down to Texas, to go to the Rio Grande Valley and spend time with our border patrol,” Ryan said in a voiceover. “When you see what they’re up against, it really gives you even greater respect for what they do.
“They clearly need more tools and more support to do their jobs effectively. That’s why we’re going to get this done this week,” he added, as “LET’S GET IT DONE” flashes on screen.
The lack of any specific time stamp — “I had the opportunity to travel,” “this week” — works conveniently for Ryan: the footage of him touring the border on horseback and via helicopter is nearly six months old.
While a press release accompanying the video touts the House’s funding fully “President Trump’s FY2018 $1.6 billion request for a wall along our southern border” (House Republicans used a procedural maneuver to avoid a vote on that item specifically, couching it in a larger, unrelated funding bill), that’s a fraction of what most experts expect the wall to cost.
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, have said such funding stands no chance of getting by their chamber. Ryan himself has hedged against the border wall in the past, as well.
Ryan is on a horse, but he needs to remove the shirt.
Trump promises his Mexico wall is 'way ahead of schedule
By LOUIS NELSON 02/24/2017 11:20 AM EST
President Donald Trump said Friday that his long promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is “going to start soon” and is “way ahead of schedule.”
Addressing a fawning crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump repeated a regular talking point officials from his administration have used in the past, that “we’ve defended other nations’ borders while leaving ours wide open, anybody can come in.” That line prompted audience members to shout, “Build the wall,” inspiring Trump to deliver an update on the project.
“Oh, we’re going to build a wall, don’t worry about it. We’re building the wall. We’re building the wall,” he said in an apparent aside from his prepared remarks. “In fact, it’s going to start soon. Way ahead of schedule. Way ahead of schedule. Way, way, way ahead of schedule. It’s going to start very soon.”
One of us, one of us…
The optics for this are worse than when Ryan washed clean dishes for the cameras.