Posted on 03/17/2017 8:36:50 AM PDT by LS
For the second time in just over two months, a judge has blocked President Trump's travel ban executive orders. Forget for a moment that in each case, the court has cleverly stayed away from the actual law and the Constitution and instead has focused on things Trump said as a candidate to determine some mysterious intent.
Many have asked why he can't simply ignore the rulings as Zero did on occasion.
And the answer is very clear: Trump's hold on the Presidency is tenuous. He is in a race (which, so far, he is winning) to improve the economy and deliver jobs before Ru Paul or John McTurd can sabotage his tenure with either a faulty health care plan or investigations.
Trump knows that he cannot give Congress the slightest excuse to launch impeachment proceedings, which many RINOs in both houses are itching to do. Linda Grahamnesty would love to kick Trump out for "overreach." I can see it now: Linda, holding the court order which Trump has defied, prattles on about how important it is to respect the courts---something he said not a single word about when Zero gave the middle finger to a judge.
So Trump cannot pull an Obama and simply ignore the court. He is stuck waiting for Neil Gorsuch to be confirmed---but even then, I'm highly skeptical that the U.S. Supreme Court even knows that the Constitution is any more.
Trump has indeed been playing 3D chess to his opponents' checkers---but he has really only a bishop (Sessions), a couple of knights (Bannon and Conway) and a few pawns.
This is one of the reasons I think he has (so far) "supported" the House "health care" bill, while quietly negotiating behind the scenes with Rand Paul and Ted Cruz to have the Senate rip out the worst parts and do their best to fix this. Not only can he not afford a significant defeat, but he must keep Ru Paul busy playing defense on his own so he can't further undermine Trump.
I have no information whatsoever about the strategy from Team Trump, but as I've stated many times, "the Art of the Deal" lays out how you do these negotiations. First, the "deal" is ALWAYS going to happen and will be "great." You eliminate any notion of the possibility of failure at the outset. (This also is straight out of Robert Ringer's classic book, "Winning Through Intimidation" where there are never any "problems," only "points to be dealt with.") I think this explains why Trump tweets that he is "supporting" the plan while working to completely overhaul it behind closed doors. "A" deal will happen and we will have "a" health care plan, and I'm guessing before it is done it will look almost nothing like Ru Paul's bill. But we'll see.
Meanwhile, consumer confidence reached a 13 year high, manufacturing jobs grew at a much faster rate than their proportion of the economy, and the manufacturing index rose for the sixth straight month---ironically, exactly the amount of time since Trump was elected.
Everyone wants Trump to do all things instantly, but even the chessmaster knows he must be careful with the limited pieces he has left. If Trump can buy 3-4 months of economic growth, and continue his increasing approval in the polls, he may have enough leverage with the public to ignore a judge's order or flatly slap down a plan like Ru Paul's. Until then, the constant undermining by McTurd, McConnell, and other RINOs---not to mention the Democrats---narrows his options. My guess is that he may not appeal the travel ban, expecting the USSC even with Gorsuch to fail us yet again. Like Reagan, Trump is finding that he can push one or two big agenda items, but not more. He has chosen jobs/the economy and so far rebuilding the military. We'll see if he can get more.
Probably not what everyone wants to hear exactly, but reality is reality.
People with brains know this.
Hothead armchair generals dont want to hear it.
If they dont like the way congress is acting, then they can learn to get a mob together and confront the idiot they sent there.
Once President Trump has his ‘full’ cabinet, I think you’re going to see a different pace...
The whole reason the committees have been dragging their feet on his appointments is simply they want him to do something so they can impeach him...but with Sessions there, that isn’t going to happen and they are really showing the American Voter how petty they are...
Put another way:
Trump is playing 3D chess to win.
The Left is willing to flip the table.
To win, Trump has to not piss off the Left so much they flip the table.
Probably not what everyone wants to hear exactly, but reality is reality.
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I guess it’s also reality that Trump is “100% behind” the GOP Healthcare Plan.
Sorry, but we’re growing weary of the mental gymnastics of trying to justify Trump’s support for RyanCare. I
I guess I’m just not smart enough to understand things that should only require common sense.
Can you imagine working as a CEO where you're effectively answering to a board of directors comprised of people like Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, John McCain and Lindsey Graham?
Trump has some 62,000,000 pawns out here, standing at the ready.
Great post!
The challenge. He likes the challenge.
This sounds exactly right.
Trump will spend months (a couple years?) consolidating and expanding his power.
It is not Trump’s way to make enemies unless (like with the Fake News and Hillary) he can benefit overall by the enmity.
Only thing I cringed at was ‘tenuous’. Everything else a good, clean reality check.
I disagree with you on this one point. The Ryan "repeal/replace" bill is such a pathetic piece of legislation that Trump would have been better off simply ignoring it while his administration crafted his own recommended bill behind closed doors. It is likely to die in the House and/or Senate anyway simply because it's not going to save anyone any money ... so why go out on a limb and support something so idiotic?
Actually it makes perfect sense. Trump follows through on a campaign promise with a completely reasonable TEMPORARY travel ban from terrorist-supporting countries. The left, in their inimitable fashion responds with reflexive knee-jerk opposition.
Trump objects, but doesn’t have the meltdown that we saw so often with Øbongo. Instead, he submits a revised EO that is greeted with the same contempt. Trump is maintaining an even keel and not rising to the bait from the left or squishy right (graham).
Like you said, some of us are impatient for results - and Some of us are spoiling for a fight, even a proxy fight.
Trump is doing just fine.
“I guess it’s also reality that Trump is “100% behind” the GOP Healthcare Plan.”
Not from what he said to Tucker. He said if the bill ends up being bad he wouldn’t sign it. Said it twice.
Trump needs a crackerjack legal team instead of a political appointment.
“Trump has some 62,000,000 pawns out here, standing at the ready.”
Yes, we the people need to stand by him. There is no other real alternative at this time.
I never knew him to “like a challenge” where he wasn’t in the driver’s seat and ultimately in control of the situation.
These are good points. Do you think Trump could get people to work on defense if he suggests/tweets that the courts are overreaching and it is time for Congress to investigate the courts and possibly impeach/remove a judge or two. Would that put the courts on the defensive or should he still wait for Goursh to be confirmed?
Ok but one thing.
Trump ain’t playin no games I know that he comes across publicly as lighthearted but when it comes down to brass tacks, I would bet that Trump is serious as a heart attack.
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