Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

~George Santayana

It’s too bad Tony Schwartz (the real author) or Random House (the publisher) did not choose to title the Donald Trump branded book on negotiating The Art of A Deal instead of The Art of THE Deal.  From my experience as a policy director at the National Governors Association, the objective in any tete-a-tete was to come away with an agreement that both sides could live with and, equally important, preserved a process that has a lifespan beyond the immediate issue at hand, knowing there would be other major disagreements on more issues in the future.  What really disappoints me in the current stalemate between Trump and Congressional Democrats is there are many instances of potentially similar gridlock in Washington, yet no one is using the lessons from those occasions to propose a solution to the current standoff.

I could spend hours and pages rehashing the rules of successful deal making, but one stands out as paramount.  Listen to the opposition and where there is agreement check off the box.  Before you think I’ve joined the “they’re equally responsible for this mess,” let me be clear.  Donald Trump wants to keep a campaign promise based on a big lie. Democrats are using facts (many provided by Trump’s own administration) to make the case a 2,000 mile wall along the Southern border is just plain stupid.  Donald Trump says Democrats do not care about border security (another lie). Democrats are saying Trump shut down the government because he does not want to admit he has already broken his campaign promise to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it (true).

Let’s be honest.  THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY. An additional investment of five billion dollars to better screen people coming into the United States, detect contraband (e.g. drugs and firearms) and make the processing of those seeking asylum more efficient makes a lot of sense. Democrats, deflating Trump’s claim they support open borders, could make that case using the facts they have already put before the American people.

And just yesterday, independent Maine Senator Angus King said there are probably points along the border where an enhanced barrier makes sense even though he does not support Trump’s vision of a border wall. And this is where we already have a model for making fact-based, non-partisan determination of highly charged political decisions.

At what we thought was the end of the cold war after the fall of the Soviet Union, George H. W. Bush began the process of realigning defense priorities and spending to meet future security needs.  This included the closure of many military bases throughout the U.S.  It does not take a genius to understand military bases have a major economic impact on the communities in which they are located.  And no senator or representative was going to voluntarily support the closure of any defense operations in his or her respective state or district.

The solution?  The Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990 which established a commission, consisting of nine independent members, to review Defense Department recommendations and present a closure list to Congress which could either accept or reject the proposal.  No amendments were allowed.  Congressional Quarterly described the process as a way “to reduce pork barrel politics with members of Congress that arise when facilities face activity reductions.”   Between 1991 and 2005, more than 350 military installations were closed or reduced in size through this process.

So let’s end the shutdown today.  Nancy and Chuck, call Mitch (not Donald). Offer the following deal.  In return for passage of ALL seven outstanding funding bills, Democrats will support a five billion dollar increase to the Homeland Security budget to:

• increase the number of border patrol agents,
• purchase detection technology to screen incoming cargo at border crossings as well as at air and seaports,
• hire additional judges to hear asylum cases reducing the need for more detention centers,
• upgrade technology to detect illegal border crossings AND
• fund a nine-member commission to determine the need for, location and construction options for enhanced barriers at the most vulnerable areas along the border. 

The White House, Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the House would each appoint three members and direct them to make recommendations for consideration during the FY2020 budget process which Congress could either vote up or down without amendments.

History suggests it just might work.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP