I’d like that too. I show up for every demonstration of defiance I can get to. And people come to this site for the red meat; they don’t want a lot of one-hand-other-hand stuff and I get that too. But I’ve done official communications for a living and I’m totally struck at the blatant subtext in what was quoted. In officialese terms it’s the verbal equivalent of the mayor holding his nose the whole time he’s in the same room with Trump. At the risk of suggesting life is complicated, he doesn’t really have the latitude to keep Trump out of town, or make the city government reject him. Could they take some vote to ban official participation? Sure. And Trump could retaliate in ways that would hurt the residents who didn’t themselves get a vote. You just don’t have the freedom as an official that you do as a private citizen. I’m telling you this is, in context, an extraordinary rejection and rebuke. I happen to know I’m right about that from long experience. Anyone’s welcome to his or her differing opinion but once in a great while things like this come along that I have some expertise in. Sorry.
He’s a Republican, Matt
Talk about mental illness.
Noted but he said what he said. If he wanted to express a liking for Trump as a person, an appreciation that he was coming to town, if he wanted to express anything beyond “This is the last fucking thing I need right now,” he would have used different words. He’s a Republican who’s essentially forced to deal with a visit from an unpopular president who’s particularly unpopular I’m guessing in the town of El Paso right now. He’s going to extraordinary lengths to distance himself from that president.
Yes – and, above, he’s going to extraordinary lengths not to do so.
It’s a sad commentary when I’m telling someone else that he or she is reflexively disputatious but for fuck’s sake that’s a politician evading uncomfortable questions. It’s the least extraordinary thing in life. Not even you can argue about the other part’s being unusual. It’s the equivalent of sneering at someone on your doorstep who’s there with a fruit basket after a funeral and saying, “Look, I’ll let you in, but only because I feel I have to under the circumstances.” That’s extraordinary.
I understand completely but I’m sure the mayor, with his extended family of El Paso citizens, want him to do something instead of throwing up his hands and saying “protocol.” Up for reelection or not - what’s the worse that he would endure - he has to do something - show an act of defiance in his opening remarks welcoming the president.Otherwise the impact outside of El Paso will be diminished. And the media moves on - chasing the latest tweet while El Paso … “oh yeah, El Paso”, becomes a memory way too quickly in media history.
Look, we’ve both had our say and there’s not much point in batting the ball back and forth further. That goes for SUBTEXT ALERT anyone here.
Well, it was good for me. Was it good for you?
It was OK. 
In fairness, the mayor had said explicitly "this is the office of the mayor of El Paso in an official capacity welcoming the office of the President of the United States, which I consider is my formal duty.”
El Paso Mayor Dee Margo announced on Monday evening that President Donald Trump will come visit the city
And El Pasoans collectively ask “¿Porque?”
At first, you questioned the suggestion that Margo’s official statement was “dumb.” I agreed that it was not “dumb” – in the narrow sense that serving one’s own interests isn’t “dumb” in the short run. It may be selfish, as @darcy is suggesting, but lots of people think selfishness is smart, and who am I to disagree?
You have also pointed out several times that Margo saying out loud, “Look, I’ll let you in, but only because I feel I have to under the circumstances” is extraordinary. Again, I agree.
Where we may disagree is your notion that Margo “[is] going to extraordinary lengths to distance himself from that president.” He had a clear opportunity to distance himself from Trump in that interview on CNN and he refused to do so, more than once.
Protesters should carry signs showing the shooter’s photo of “TRUMP” spelled out in guns.
He smiled, tilted his head and let the laughter and applause continue after “Only in the panhandle can you get away with that” as he let them get away with it.
Yep…all cities should run credit checks on the bastard and then tell him he is on a cash up-front basis, with a required deposit against any future white supremacist actions.
The Mayor is big on prayers. Maybe he will get Trump to pray with him.
No one has mentioned the money. Trump comes with a promise of Federal funds.
The mayor mentioned it with lips held tightly:
But when the press asked Beto O’Rourke a stupid question based on a stupid premise, he used some bad words – so maybe he and Trump are even!