Before we get there, however, we’ll likely hear in the next few days and beyond a lot more talk about “fence” and “wall” and repeated false claims from Trump and Republicans that Democrats already supported a wall because they voted for fencing across a portion of the border (mostly on government land) west of Texas in 2006 and late in 2013. And this could impact media coverage and put more pressure on Democrats.

But that fencing, which includes miles of gaps, is nothing like the 30-to-50-foot wall Trump previously envisioned, nor is it anything like his more recent visions of “beautiful” 30-foot steel slats with spikes on top. The fencing in 2006 was a trade-off Democrats took to stop Republicans from retaining an amendment deeming undocumented immigrants felons. Later, in 2013, in return for comprehensive immigration reform that would have put millions of undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship, Democrats lent support to additional fencing, but the GOP ultimately voted the bill down.

Trump, however, said at various times during the 2016 campaign that none of that fencing was adequate or something he viewed as a “wall.”

Still, Democrats fear bad media coverage, even with the backing of the majority of Americans (most of whom say in polls that they are both opposed to the wall and to shutting the government down over it).

As Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent wrote in his book Uncivil War, even when Democrats were presented with polling from progressive groups showing that Trump and Republicans would be blamed during the last government shutdown, they caved in:

“The message that came back to progressive groups from lawmakers was that they were frightened of negative mainstream media coverage — a factor that just doesn’t weigh heavily on GOP lawmakers.”

Even though Democrats have held firm — and even if it would seem crazy to capitulate with the American people behind them — the pressure has to come from voters to their Democratic representatives, via phone calls and emails telling them they’d better not cave this time. And that pressure should be put on Democratic leadership as well as on every possible presidential contender and Democratic senator up for re-election in 2020.