DAVE ROSS

Ross: What to call it if it isn’t a ‘Trump shutdown’

Jan 7, 2019, 9:03 AM

investors, tweet, trump shutdown...

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

I’ve been having a Twitter debate with a couple of people who think it’s unfair to call this a “Trump shutdown.”

Which strikes me as ridiculous. What would really be unfair would be to not call it a Trump shutdown. The president was refreshingly clear in that Oval Office debate with Chuck and Nancy last month.

“I will shut down the government, I will take the mantle,” Trump said.

So yes, I call it the Trump shutdown. Just like when Obama started calling the Affordable Care Act “Obamacare,” so did I. It’s only polite.

It’s like when a company pays millions to put its name on a bowl game, you use the name. Like the “Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl,” or “Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl,” or the “Gasparilla Bowl.” And since the president seems to be willing to pay any political price for this, he should get naming rights.

As for how this should end – it is his constituents who have the most skin in the game here. Of the 15 states most dependent on federal money in various forms, I count 11 red states. Which means they have control of their destiny. If they decide the shutdown isn’t working, they could join with Democrats and put together enough votes to override any veto and end this tomorrow. Whatever it’s called.

Dave's Commentary

Dave Ross on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to dave rossTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.

Dave Ross

kristi noem book...

Dave Ross

Ross: Gov. Kristi Noem’s new book includes alleged meetings with dictators, dead dogs

Did South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as she claims in her new book?

2 days ago

Image: Sound Transit tested train service on the 2 Line between southern Bellevue and Microsoft for...

Dave Ross

Ross: We built it, and they had better come

About 17,500 people attended the opening of the Eastside light rail line. It shows a curiosity about getting to Redmond without driving there.

7 days ago

Photo: A pro-Palestinian demonstration takes place outside the link light rail station at the Unive...

Dave Ross

Ross: Does the right to protest outweigh the right to learn?

When does a protest cross the line? I can answer that. When it devolves into violence, obviously it crosses a line.

9 days ago

privacy pods...

Dave Ross

Ross: Tracking employees’ vital signs at work via privacy pods, what could go wrong?

I saw a Bloomberg story about the latest innovation to reduce your stress level at work: Privacy pods.

1 month ago

car culture...

Dave Ross

Ross: Are we killing car culture? Or is car culture killing the US?

I don’t think the question is whether we're going to "kill" our car culture. The real question is can we stop our car culture from killing the U.S.?

1 month ago

drivers data insurance...

Dave Ross

Ross: As cars release driving data to insurance, is your driving my business?

Every move you make, every swerve you take, every lane change you fake – someone’s watching you. Do drivers have a right to keep driving data private?

2 months ago

Ross: What to call it if it isn’t a ‘Trump shutdown’