It's about 2020
Weve been saying this for two years now but here we go...
Trump is a useful idiot to the Republicans. They are willing to take Trumps impulsiveness as long as they get their legislation and their judges. This is about power. They would have an indecisive and impulsive Trump that they can trick into doing anything than a qualified Democrat that will disagree with them on everything.
The government is shutdown now because they know if Trump gets a funding bill that does not include a wall, he will sign it because they know Trump has thin skin; he doesnt want to be blamed; he will cave to the pressure.
Everything surrounding funding the government is not about a wall (at least for Congressional Republicans). Its about 2020. Mitch McConnell is thinking about 2020. They are thinking about how Trump can get re-elected in 2020 and how to run their own campaigns alongside Trumps.
They know if a funding bill without the wall funding hits the Senate floor, it will pass. They know if a funding bill goes to Trump without wall funding, he will cave to pressure and sign it. They backed themselves into this corner. They, while having a majority in both chambers of Congress, chose to keep pushing the wall discussion back. If they truly wanted funding for a wall over the last two years, there was nothing stopping them.
Trump has been played by his own party and I truly dont think he knows that he has.