PINGThanks Hoosiermama, and LS
Posted on 05/03/2017 2:53:06 PM PDT by V K Lee
I have refrained from jumping on the Trump-defense bandwagon over the budget just as I have refrained from bashing what is a terrible budget bill. Trumpers were righteously indignant, feeling betrayed. Trump defenders always cling to the “Trump is playing 3D chess” (which, in fact, so far he has done). One is evidence of things we can see, the other, as the Bible would say, is faith—evidence of things not yet seen.
Vice President Mike Pence and Sean Spicer put the best lipstick on this pig they could, pointing to the gains in defense spending, the abandonment of the dollar-for-dollar tradeoff of having a dollar of military spending offset by a dollar of domestic spending, or noting that this continuing resolution is really Obama’s budget, not Trump’s. Even so, as Winston Churchill said of the Miracle at Dunkirk, “Wars are not won through great evacuations.” At best, Trump got an evacuation.
But all of this rationalization and all of the scathing criticism overlooks some genuine nightmares that lurk, Freddy Krueger-like, just below the slumbering surface.
Many of us have long thought that elections were the remedy for getting rid of swamp dwellers. We celebrated when Eric Cantor was replaced by Dave Brat. Yet nothing seems to change. Why? We must all reorient our thinking about how Washington works. Sundance, in “Conservative Treehouse,” has done a masterful job of explaining why the Republicans did not have a Repeal/Replace health care bill ready, for example: because the parties do not write legislation, the lobbyists do. Trump arrived with virtually no lobbyists in his debt, nor he in theirs. Quite the contrary, most of Trump’s agenda was to cut the ground out from under the lobbyists. Enter Freddy Krueger.
Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and virtually all of the Congressional and Senate Republicans are deeply, deeply in thrall to these forces. No matter what they say in public utterances, reducing the size and scope of government, limiting illegal immigration, or almost anything else on Trump’s agenda is 180 degrees opposite of what they wish. They must pretend to go along, but when it comes to actual crafting of legislation, actual negotiations, and actual voting, the vast majority will be on the wrong side. The “defense buildup?” That’s easy to justify to many Republicans because of their support from defense contractors. But a Wall? Not a chance. The Republicans in the House are not “divided.” They weren’t “snookered.” They didn’t want to fund Trump’s agenda, and didn’t want to defund their own.
Now, here is Freddy’s reality: Trump arrived thinking that since he won the election (decisively in the Electoral College), since he was the de facto leader of the Republican Party, that Congressional and Senate Republicans would for the most part support his agenda. I’m sure he thought that the few stragglers—a Collins here, a McCain there—could be “negotiated with” on a one-to-one basis. Remember, Trump wins these. He hates package negotiations where it’s more difficult to leverage the opponent.
But the Republicans not only don’t follow him, they are actively and aggressively seeking to undermine his agenda in private, while in public standing beside him. The knives gather around Caesar. It gets worse. Not only to they privately not support him (or want to support him), some of them are itching for the opportunity to remove him. Once again, some observers will say, “Oh, that’s silly. They would be tossed out in 2018 immediately. They’d be primaried.” And it wouldn’t matter, because they’d still find government jobs, lobbying jobs, state level jobs. Look at someone like Ohio’s Mike DeWine. Once a state senator, then a Congressman, then the U.S. Senator from Ohio—thrown out because of his weak-kneed support for guns in the Dem heavy 2006 election, DeWine did not go away. He wasn’t “unelected.” He resurfaced as the Ohio Attorney General in 2011, then has been discussed as the next gubernatorial candidate from Ohio. So here’s one swamp-dweller to whom an election meant nothing. All the readers of this column can think of many De-Wine Kruegers. Do they fear an election? Of course not. It’s merely a temporary job relocation.
I do not think Trump fully grasped this aspect of the Swamp. But the Swamp is deeper.
Remember the Obamacare fight? Remember all the “principled”/”conservative” Democrats who would vote against the Obamacare bill because it had abortion or was a “budget-buster?” What happened to them? What happened to, say, “pro-life” Bart Stupak, who voted for the bill? Oh, he got bounced in the 2010 election, only to join the Venable Law firm . . . in D.C. Think ol’ Bart took a pay cut? In other words, “principle” did not matter, nor did the threat of losing a House seat because there was really nothing to lose.
Now for the really bad part. While neither side wants to acknowledge this, all are aware that Trump’s grip on power is tenuous. No Republican would say as much, but there are likely a dozen House members who would enjoy any excuse to cite “high crimes and misdemeanors” against Trump to support impeachment. Certainly one could find 10 senators, beginning with McCain, Graham, and Collins, who would align with Democrats to convict. There would have to be a “legitimate” reason, but I don’t think Paul Ryan would have to stretch the “high crimes and misdemeanors” phrase too far (remember, it does not require a violation of the law, only whatever the House says is a “high crime or misdemeanor”) to start proceedings. (“I just have to. The circumstances call for it,” he would say.) It’s safe to say that if things continue as at present, many Republican congressmen will lose their seats in 2018, which would only increase the likelihood of impeachment.
So like it or not—and this is not an excuse, but a reality—Trump is totally on his own in the budget process. Rush Limbaugh has insisted that Trump’s team must write the budget themselves, but that will not in any way get it out of one of Ryan’s committees, and certainly won’t get it passed. At the same time, Trump is on the high wire stretched between the Petronas Towers. One observer suggested he hold the next USSC justice hostage to his budget or tax bill—but that plays into the hands of the Swamp, which is perfectly fine with a 4-4 tie that ties Trump’s hands in excluding terrorists or any number of other executive orders.
I don’t know how Trump escapes from this net. All he has going for him now is the job growth and the widely perceived view that he is good for the economy, and that he is keeping America safe. He’ll need that, and more, to eventually find a Trenton where he can win a major game-changing victory.
Thanks K for posting
Ping!
We celebrated when Eric Cantor was replaced by Dave Brat. Yet nothing seems to change. Why?
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Taking out the weasel Eric Cantor did save us from Rubio’s amnesty.
And even though Eric Cantor was a head weasel, he was only one weasel.
If more districts had followed our lead and dumped their weasel, there would have been change.
It still needs to happen if we are to reclaim our country.
A hundred weasels being removed by primary will bring change.
PINGThanks Hoosiermama, and LS
Well Trump said he is ready to “shut down” the government next September if he doesn’t get what he wants. I hope so. Ultimately it’s going to be a game of chicken, and the chickens have been all on our side. Trump can win by just hanging tough, as long as he realizes his own party is part of the problem.
President Trump doesn’t have a ‘party’ he is neither Democrat, Republican or Independent...he’s an American!!! Born on America Soil, grew up on American soil and built his Empire by starting on American Soil...
President Trump will DO what is in the best interest of America and Her People!!! That’s why we voted him in as President of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA!!!
I don’t know if he does, his chumminess with Ryan and attacking the Freedom Caucus suggest he doesn’t, although that could be acting for strategic reasons.
The swamp draining really is up to us, the weasels have to be removed and only the voters can do that, Trump can’t.
Which is why he is having so much trouble. He has few allies.
We have to provide more by removing the Uniparty eunuchs in primaries.
Good article. So, what’s the strategy to take back our country from these traitorous weasels? We’re facing left wing globalists who want to destroy us, our families, our culture and our communities.
My first thought is to create a strategy where they fear us taking away their wealth and power.
Somehow or other Ryan has to be replaced. Nothing positive will happen while that swamp snake remains in charge.
Trump needs to keep talking directly to the Deplorables and to send Ivanka and Jared to the lib swamp oF NYC.
“Certainly one could find 10 senators, beginning with McCain, Graham, and Collins, who would align with Democrats to convict.”
It’s hard to trust an author when the author doesn’t get his facts right. Currently, there are 46 democrat and two independent senators. Even considering that the two independents caucus with the democrats that only adds to 48. The Constitution requires a two thirds vote to convict and remove from office. That’s 67 votes. You would need 19 republicans, not 10, to defect.
Unable to say I can’t disagree with either of you. The Trump children need to take a step back and disengage.
The only way to get to Tall Paul, would be to disengage him from his voter base in Wisconsin. Only persons living in Wisconsin would be able to do this. Other states suffer due to their lack of intelligence.
“It’s All for one and One for all”
I have already got one gone from my State...Chaffetz...and maybe Hatch, not sure on that one yet...
How’s your State doing???
Salary grade indicates no clue as to strategy. However, you can be certain there are men *and women* who are working on something. Why? Because many of them feel this country is broken and now the time has come to repair the damage done. This is the reason for DJTs winning the election. It’s now or never.
Paul Swamp Snake Ryan is safe in his district. But he could be ousted as Speaker without losing his seat.
For example. Ryan said he’d refuse the Speakership unless the Freedom Caucus backed him. Well it’s not too late. If the FC announced they have No Confidence in Ryan, and said the House needs a new Speaker, Ryan’s position would be untenable.
We started it with Cantor.
Most of the other Republican reps. from VA are pretty good except for Barbara Comstock.
Our possibilities on Senator are slim unless we can get a bunch of illegal aliens and northeastern liberals to move out.
Good article by LS. Read it several times last night.
Alexander, Corker, Flake, Graham, Hatch, Heller, Hoeven, Murkowsky, McCain, Rubio, Burr, Tillis, Portman, McConnell, Thune, Cornyn, Cochran, Isackson, Blunt, Johnson, Gardner, Toomey, Capito, Fischer, Collins, Wicker are all Cheap Labor Express Republicans.
None of them want the wall built or the laws enforced.
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