If he needed allies in Congress, he should have started byb rooting out the GOP traitors with a veto on the omnibus. If nothing else, it would have forced every GOP yes vote - months in advance of midterm campaigning - to justify opposing his MAGA agenda. It was the leverage he could have used again and again. It was the bullhorn blaring “betrayal, betrayal.”
Even the veto override would have been, in the long run, a victory for the President. Candidates willing to primary GOP incumbents would be far more likely to emerge if they knew POTUS was still standing and fighting.
Now, the leverage is all gone. His base is deflated. The Mueller probe doesn’t matter now. Either way, this President is a lame duck, even before his party loses power.
Top tier challengers need to step up. Won’t happen. Primary voters are the base and since they won’t change guess who the problem is?
I agree with you. There are not enough populist millionaires who can run and win like Trump did. If he wants allies, he needed to lead the way with a veto of that terrible routing we got.
Essentially, Trump fired his potential allies with his signature. Motivation prompted by an understanding of his supporters not his strong point. Leaders must lead with courage. He choked.