The Note: Democratic daydreams of replacing Trump don't help the party's identity

The TAKE with Rick Klein

Stories have converged to give simultaneous coverage to Oprah and The Golden Globes, “Fire and Fury” and the 25th Amendment, Tom Steyer and an impeachment plea, and even a physical this week for a certain “very stable genius.”

But Democratic daydreams of end-stage scenarios for the Trump presidency could prove a distraction the party can’t afford.

Focusing on President Donald Trump’s fitness for office means a little less energy expended on what he’s actually doing in office. The wheels of the regulatory state are turning, even as battles loom with broad implications for immigration, spending, and health care.

Speculating about Oprah Winfrey’s presidential prospects doesn’t help Democrats solve their identity crisis, or do anything to slow – much less unwind – the Trump presidency.

Democrats may want to remember the words of Sen. Lindsey Graham. Graham was on “The View” Monday, and recalled referring to candidate Trump as “a xenophobic, race-baiting, religious bigot.”

“Guess what,” Graham continued. “He’s our president.”

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

It can be hard to play the game if the rules keep changing.

While perhaps the Trump administration’s decision to discontinue Temporary Protective Status for many El Salvadorans in the country should have not surprised bipartisan negotiators working on immigration deals this week, it definitely threw the lives of another 262,000 human beings into the mix.

The Trump administration has been consistently ending these temporary programs as deadlines come up, but the deadlines themselves are largely arbitrary and the White House could have easily punted and extended this one (as other Rs and Ds have in the past) while deal-making regarding the future of DREAMers continues and looks to be pushed to the brink.

Today's meeting at the White House is the first time the president's team has signaled the commander-in-chief is meeting with a group of bipartisan members to specifically discuss immigration legislation.

Democrats could use this latest move to demand other White House concessions or maybe the other way around. Maybe putting another piece of immigration policy on the table encourages everyone to back away from the notion of something comprehensive right now and instead focus selectively on DREAMers and border security.

Either way, the timing means the lives of thousands of people who live in the U.S. currently will likely be used as bargaining chips. If not now, then down the road.

The TIP with Ali Rogin

With only eight working days left to avoid yet another government shutdown, Democrats and Republicans at tomorrow’s White House meeting will attempt to jolt the virtual standstill over negotiations to fund the government—as well as score a deal on DREAMers.

Leaders are trying to achieve a funding deal that sets spending caps, reauthorizes the Children's Health Insurance Program, does disaster funding and deals with DACA.

Here's where both sides are digging in their heels right now: Republicans: Spending caps. Democrats are insistent that spending levels for both military and domestic expenses be raised the same amount. Republicans argue that this notion of "parity" is a non-starter and that military spending should not trigger equal spending amounts on the domestic side. And of course, it's hard to move any of the other pieces on the chessboard if you haven't established spending levels. This issue seems to be a matter of who blinks first.

Democrats: Wall funding. Many Democrats think the Department of Homeland Security’s expected request for $18 billion in wall funding poisoned the well for discussions over DACA. But they're curious as to whether this is really the number Trump is pushing for, or whether it's just an opening flare from the president behind “The Art of the Deal.” Democrats will head into today’s meeting trying to feel the administration out and looking for room to negotiate.

While today’s meeting might not lead to a hashed-out, bipartisan deal, it will provide a better sense of where the parties and the White House are digging in their trench lines.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

QUOTE OF THE DAY

QUOTE OF THE DAY "Just saw @Oprah's empowering & inspiring speech at last night’s #GoldenGlobes. Let’s all come together, women & men, & say #TIMESUP! #United" -- Ivanka Trump tweeted along with a video of Oprah’s acceptance speech for the 2018 Cecil B. de Mille award, showing Trump’s support of the Time’s Up movement to protect women from sexual harassment.

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