Posted on 02/02/2019 2:11:57 AM PST by Theoria
G.O.P. congressional leaders used tactics to minimize the president’s influence and maximize their own control over public policy.
Donald Trump has a Congress problem. He can’t get Republicans to promote his policies. And when he forces the issue — as with his border wall — he can’t win their support.
But most Americans don’t know that. After all, Republican legislators voted with the president well over 90 percent of the time during the 115th Congress. Record numbers of appellate judges were confirmed, and the president signed major tax legislation. Many observers have concluded that Mr. Trump dominates the Republican Party, and his loyal base holds congressional Republicans tautly in line.
But discerning legislative influence is more difficult than it appears. Throughout the first two years of the Trump presidency, Republican leaders in Congress skillfully used a variety of tactics to minimize the president’s influence and maximize their own control over public policy.
Critically, congressional Republicans have adopted strategies that make the public — and more important, his conservative base — think Mr. Trump is in command. To casual followers of political news, the visible evidence from congressional votes and news releases suggests a powerful president leading a loyal congressional party. In reality, Republican legislators have hidden their influence, purposefully disguising a weak president with little clout on Capitol Hill while also preserving party unity.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
It’s why they lost the House.
But they're not. The RINOs have effectively destroyed the GOP. President Trump may as well just form The America Party at this point - with a lion for a mascot.
This is not news to any conservatives. In fact, this is one of the main reasons that Trump was elected in the first place: the republicans are no longer a conservative political party anymore. They are socialist lite. Just because they have impeded The President on some issues, he has successfully implemented Trumpist policy on many fronts. We have a thriving economy because of his economic plan, renegotiated trade deals, 500,000 new manufacturing jobs in just 2 years, stronger military, and much, much more. After Trump is gone there will be no going back to the old and dusty socialism lite. The current Gope will cease to exist. Make no mistake, President Trump has altered the political landscape for good.
I’ll tell you what. Trump is what won last time around.
Trump.
If he were not running, Hillary would have been president right now.
Hillary.
Not somebody in the GOP. Hillary.
Wake up GOP.
(though to be fair, it is the New York Times writing this)
“If he were not running, Hillary would have been president right now.”
I think it’s clear that much of the GOP establishment would have been fine with that.
Paul Ryan and the other GOP traitors tried to distance themselves from Trump after he secured the nomination in May 2016. Instead of studying Trump’s strategy so they could learn how to win elections, they disavowed him, and turned their backs on the millions of GOP primary voters who supported Trump. I literally changed my voter registration from GOP to Independent when the did that in May 2016. I have come to loathe the GOP.
It’s also why I get robocalls from the RNC at least twice a day to beg for money, and I refuse to even answer. They can go to blazes until they start, as a party, publically supporting Pres. Trump and his agenda.
It is clearly part of why they lost the House.
While I am not certain about either McConnell's personal position or whether he could have actually done a recess. He was unable to change the rules to end Democrat obstruction of nominations due to a cadre of anti-trump Republicans that were more than his margin of control of the Senate (primarily the Usual Suspects, MCCain, Flake, Corker, Sasse?, Collins?, Murkowski). The fact that there is no Republican governing majority without a group that opposes the majority of the party on any given party plank results in nothing getting done and ruins the reputation of the parties' leaders.
How Republicans Erased Trumpism>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Wishful thinking.
The populist movement is here to stay, whether PDJT is in office or not.
We have a long line of others in line for the prize, witness Starbucks Coffeeman Howard Shultz, who is now realizing that he is a populist. It would not surprise me if he eventually becomes a Republican.
Sorry NY Slimes! The GOP is being remade. And McConnell? He’s got to go!
It’s called the uniparty for a reason.
George Washington was prescient.
Trumpism is here and will grow.
the GOP backstabbed the voters, the ELECTED PRESIDENT,
and lied and lied and delayed .... until
Ryan and his soapy RINOs DELIBERATELY lost the House.
GOP = backstabbing liars who hate America
the people erasing Trumpism are the OWNERS of Congress. The folks that employ an army of K St. lobbyists who literally, by hook or by crook, by lead or silver, bend and twist the ears and mouths on Capitol Hill to do the job for which they were bought.
elections serve only to layer a veneer of legitimacy on the process. It goes on only as long as We the People continue to let it
Congress needs to be moved to its home districts where they can meet electronically. the 17th ammendment needs to go.
Trump won in 2016 with the support of many people who are NOT Republicans. And yet Republicans in Congress won their own districts in 2016 by larger margins than Trump did ... and in 30+ cases the GOP candidate won in a district that Trump lost. So the Paul Ryan strategy of distancing the GOP from Trump in 2016 actually worked very well.
Let's face reality for what it is ... we don't have a Republican president. Trump is an independent who simply hijacked the GOP nomination process to get elected.
“It’s also why I get robocalls from the RNC at least twice a day to beg for money, and I refuse to even answer.”
I always answer them and then blast them with why I won’t give them a penny of support. They need to know why. And then hang up. The GOP doesn’t even have Republicans or conservatives answering their phones.
“Such “negative” agenda-setting leaves little trace; without a vote, it becomes difficult for opponents or voters to identify or understand what happened.”
Trump supporters DO understand what happened. This is more NYT “opinion from within the elite bubble.”
This is what we get when we vote ‘lesser of two evils’ we get the evil either way.
Trump tried to stage a hostile takeover of the GOP, which has failed.
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