Posted on 09/09/2017 9:46:48 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
Keep these numbers in mind: 316 to 90 and 80 to 17. They were the lopsided votes in the House and Senate in support of the deal President Trump made with Democratic leaders on storm aid, the debt limit and government funding.
Remarkably, all the no voters were Republicans.
The numbers shout that we are witnessing a potential turning point in the Trump presidency, one that could further shake up Washington and rattle the calcified political parties.
Frustrated by the failure of GOP majorities in both chambers to pass his agenda, Trump followed through on threats to work with Democrats.
Signs suggest it was not a one-off deal, as the president already is discussing other topics with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma helped spark his decision. Trump was clear that, especially on storm relief, he wanted fast, bipartisan action that reflected the way ordinary Americans were helping each other, especially in hard-hit Houston. With Irma aiming at Florida and the southeast, the president recognized that the public would have rightly viewed political squabbling during national emergencies as an infuriating failure.
Still, the circumstances didnt stop all the GOP grumbling, with some Republicans astonished that a president from their party had accepted Dems terms on the debt limit to get a quick deal. Not surprisingly, Trump was hardly apologetic, firing back on Twitter: Republicans, sorry, but Ive been hearing about Repeal & Replace for 7 years, didnt happen! a reference to the failure to overturn ObamaCare.
He also issued a warning on tax reform, tweeting: Republicans must start the Tax Reform/Tax Cut legislation ASAP. Dont wait until the end of September. Needed now more than ever. Hurry!
The developments show the president shedding the party straitjacket and being true to his disrupter candidacy.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Its the GOPs own fault. As long as tax cuts and other issues aren’t hindered let him do this.
The only deals Democrats will do is deals where they screw over Republicans. Their goals are the polar opposite of what Trump ran on. The deal to keep the government open months ago was a disaster - even Lindsey Graham said he thought the Republicans got screwed. Dems got nearly everything they wanted. They gave Trump an increase in military (although not as much as he wanted), money to fix some existing fence on the border, and some school choice in DC. That was it.
So he prefers to work with democrats who admit who they are, instead of democrats pretending to be republicans.
Makes sense to me.
If you pretend to be a republican but prove by your actions you’re really a democrat, you shouldn’t be allowed in Congress.
I don't think that the DC Democrats and the RINOS are rattled by those numbers. Conservatives might be.
That means you, McCain. Ryan. Murkowsi. Burr. Corker. And so on.
The most conservative thing a president could do is turn all of Washington on its back end.
Trump has been paying attention.
He sees that there are no conservatives with an ounce of ability to advance conservative principles. And he realized the reason for this—Washington politics.
So he’s destroying Washington politics.
President Trump figured out who holds power in Congress, regardless who has the majority. Republicans gave Obama everything and more for 8 years... pox on them.
I hope Trump isn't planning to permanently work with Democrats, but just long enough to show Republicans that the games are over and it's time to get to work for the American people.
-PJ
By a large margin, most DC congress critters like the deal and voted for it.
“The only deals Democrats will do is deals where they screw over Republicans. “
OK, but does anyone care if if Republicans - a completely ineffective and corrupt collection of terrible politicians - are screwed over? We know the Republicans cannot and/or will not deliver on the important agenda items, so why not screw them...and throw them on the ash-heap of history while we’re at at. No more worthless and corrupt party is even imaginable. The Democrats may be corrupt totalitarians, but at least they know how to do things. Republicans are just corrupt imbeciles. They will never stop being pissed that Trump hijacked them. So get rid of the worthless buffoons.
Stupid, stupid Establishment Republicans doing their best to be loyal to only heaven knows what!
“Republicans doing their best to be loyal to only heaven knows what!”
Their well-lined pockets, that’s what.
Right now, Congressional republicans need that. Neither Congressional republicans nor democrats are our friends. But President Trump knows this, and played them off each other and came out the winner.
The hopes of the democrats will not be fulfilled. This is a great maneuver by President Trump.
1. These hurricanes, including this maneuvering to get disaster relief funding, is going to give his approval numbers a big jump up. He will be correctly seen by the American people as someone able and willing to protect Americans, even at the cost of partisanship. With higher ratings, it will be harder for the republicans to continue fighting him.
2. Congressional leadership looks bad in return.
3. Congressional leadership was outmaneuvered by the president badly. They planned to obstruct his agenda for four years by painting him as an extremist, while portraying themselves as moderates trying to control him. By doing a deal with the democrats, Trump became the moderate, and Congressional republicans will now need to move to Trump's right. Which is where Trump wanted them.
4. Democrats, while spending the last year and a half calling him the devil, came running like happy puppies to the White House to work with him. How is that going to play with democrats? Either Congressional democrats are now on the side of the devil, or Trump never was. Trump wins either way.
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