Posted on 07/06/2017 2:48:00 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
In October 2016, concerned about progressive complacency toward the election just ahead, I tried to draw attention to the dire immediate consequences of a Donald Trump win combined with GOP success in hanging onto control of Congress. I pointed to Paul Ryan’s confident predictions that his own “Better Way” agenda could be smoothly enacted via the un-filibusterable budget-reconciliation process, which he called the “bazooka in my pocket.” On Election Night I warned that big scary changes for the country might be swiftly on the way thanks to the GOP trifecta victory and the Republicans’ power to impose their will no matter what Democrats did to fight or obstruct them.
Turns out I may have spent more time anticipating the actual outcome than did a lot of congressional Republicans, according to one of them, Senator Pat Toomey:
Sen. Patrick J. Toomey offered a simple, remarkable explanation this week for why Republicans have struggled so mightily to find a way to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Look, I didn’t expect Donald Trump to win, I think most of my colleagues didn’t, so we didn’t expect to be in this situation,” the Pennsylvania Republican said Wednesday night during a meeting with voters hosted by four ABC affiliates across his state.
According to the Washington Post’s Paul Kane, this is almost certainly why congressional Republicans agreed upon a “repeal and delay” strategy for dealing with Obamacare soon after the election: They had no real clue how to do anything else. But the lack of advance planning has also been evident in the inability of Republicans in the Executive and Legislative branches to reach any kind of agreement on how to proceed with other very basic agenda items — also achievable without Democratic votes — like “tax reform” and the federal budget. And the disarray extends beyond the legislative process:
Perhaps nowhere did the surprise factor of Trump’s victory show its impact more than in the effort to fill top jobs inside the administration. Clinton’s campaign, fully expecting victory, was stocked with hundreds of volunteer advisers who were already angling for sub-Cabinet-level posts in key agencies including the departments of State, Justice and Defense. Many of them were current or former senior staff to congressional Democrats.
But with Republicans, those connections were rare because few believed them to be worth the effort.
It is hard to overstate the difference for Republicans between the “Trump wins” and “Clinton wins” scenarios. After all, the GOP had been rehearsing the politics of obstruction and enjoying the innocent pleasures of passing consequences-free legislation for six long years after Republicans retook the House in 2010 (and then the Senate in 2014). The transition from gesturing to governing was especially tough for the anti-government party, and it did not help that the new GOP president was so unorthodox, unpredictable, and inexperienced a figure. Republicans did not, as Toomey said, “expect to be in this situation,” so they did not go through the difficult process of airing their differences and putting together pre-vetted consensus plans. On issue after issue, they are doing that now, on the fly, using — as Toomey puts it— “live ammo.”
It’s not going very well.
Except Putin </S>
Another EXCUSE for doing nothing. Sad, sorry, swamp critters (all of them).
Sorry, Hillary did not win a “majority” of the popular vote. Her 48 percent share was a “plurality” owed entirely to the illegal alien voting population of California.
Swamp creature full of ——.
I believe what scares the democrat party most is Trump behind the scenes with little reporting on dismantling the political and money machine that powers there party. he stopped the practice of court settlement money being directed to liberal political causes. trump is in the process of removing those with in the federal government that has used there positions to go after conservative using there positions in the justice department and the I.R.S
I think the next election cycle is going to have a extremely lop sided win by the republican party and when trump comes up for re election it will be even biger
How effing hard is it to do that??!!!
Well...he won, you limp, flaccid gelding gop-ers. Get with the program and support President Trump and his agenda. You swamp dwellers are such liars and quislings. Have you noticed that he is a Republican??? Idiots.
Precisely
Moreover not a one of these wusses has gotten behind Trump’s agenda...which is the people’s agenda
You are correct and my bad for calling it a majority.
“Yeah, I believe that they’re that stupid. “
Of course they are. They’re Republicans.
Corrupt too.
That’s a pretty pathetic excuse when you get down to it.
Toomey, the gun grabber, is an idiot. He’s lucky his opponent, McGuinty, got molested by slow Joe ...
Nah. The truth is much simpler. Of all the politicians in congress; only a handful are people of quality, honor, and decency. The rest are just swamp creatures in it for whatever they can personally get out of it while staying in position of power, position, and wealth.
It’s easy to see who the shysters are; look at the fancy homes they own and fat bank accounts that are no way possible even on a $174k a year salary.
Drain the Swamp!
Yep.
+1
Well said!
You are exactly correct.
Well Hillary did win a majority of the popular vote but that
isn’t exactly how the President is selected.
***
Closer to the truth is that she stole the popular vote through voter fraud. Fortunately, our side came out in overwhelming numbers, by the grace of God, and overcame the impact of the millions of stolen votes.
They didn’t want him to win, he destroyed the 2 faux parties. Hillary in for 4 years, Ryan the next four, the fantastic global order in place in 8. Climate under control as well as everyone else.
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