Low energy

Neither the president* or the tag team of Pelosi and Schumer were up to the task last night.  Somebody needed to make a compelling case for ending the government shutdown and articulating an endgame for the dispute over a southern border wall.  tRump dutifully read the lies and the litany of crimes committed by illegal immigrants, but he looked like he would rather be having a root canal sans painkillers.   Even his "so help me god" was half hearted.  Pelosi and Schumer looked equally uncomfortable while sharing a single lectern.  While the facts and the moral weight of their arguments were overwhelmingly correct, they didn't seem very passionate either.  The losers of this farce are the government workers and contract workers who are pawns in the dispute.  The latter will probably never be paid for the lost time.  Those actually employed by the government will be made financially whole, but at what cost to their self perception and dedication to the important work they are doing.  This shutdown, as opposed to those in the past are changing citizens' perception of government in a way that is not good for our political economy.