Trump isn't going to build a wall. He's started building a steel slat fence that's mostly replacement fencing and can be defeated with a $100 reciprocating saw.
A fence isn't a wall. Mexicans are already cutting through it with saws lmao. He promised a concrete wall.
You left out the part where the Border Patrol got multiple prototypes, tested them, then
specifically requested those slats, as it would be better operationally than a straight up wall.
“So what prototyping was meant to do was help us inform what is the best in terms of operational use,” Waldman said. “So when the Army Rangers who tested on them, what we found is that bollard actually is the best for us because we’re actually able to see through it. So that’s what we were able to take away from prototyping.”
A blank wall is better as a stand-alone barrier, with no other security measures. But the border is constantly being patrolled; increased border security has
always included a combination of barriers, cameras, lights, and human patrols. The people doing the patrolling want the slats so they can see what's going on.
(Funny how the media spent the last 2 months demanding Trump listen to experts when it comes to the pandemic. He listened to the experts when putting together the "wall", then the media mocked him for changing his approach afterwards.)
In terms of the election--I think Trump's base, which has been following the wall saga for the last 4 years, understand this. They see how hard Congress fought Trump, yet Trump hasn't backed down and actively pushes for it, even at the cost of letting deals die if he doesn't get his wall. The people who care don't view the fencing as a betrayal, they view it as a compromise and want the guy who delivered it to deliver
more of it.
And to be blunt, that's mostly what the wall represented politically: someone in power
finally taking border security seriously. Americans have been getting betrayed on this, by both parties, since Reagan signed that amnesty back in the 1980s. It was not enough for another politician to come in and say, "hey guys I'm totally going to secure the border, I'm super cereal this time!"
The wall represents a border control that can't be defunded once it's put up, and supporting a wall is unequivocal signalling that you take the border seriously. It was never about race, it was about honesty.
I'd be happier if it was 30 feet of blank concrete, with overhanging ramparts and a double wide patrol path on top, because that's more secure without active patrolling. I have no doubts the Democratic Congress will seek to defund Border Patrol in the future, forcing them to be ineffective in their mission. Their crazier elements are already openly calling for ICE to be completely dismantled.
But if you think the wall-wanters are going to vote out the only guy in 40 years who has delivered something tangible, just because he gave Border Patrol what they wanted, you're crazy.
