One of the charges you hear about Le Grand Orange is that he's like Nixon. It's true --
they both give Democrats what they want:
President Donald Trump briskly overruled congressional Republicans and his own treasury secretary to cut a deal with Democrats to keep the government operating and raise America's debt limit. The immediate goal was ensuring money for hurricane relief, but in the process the president brazenly rolled his own party's leaders.
In deal-making mode, Trump sided Wednesday with the Democratic leaders — "Chuck and Nancy," as he amiably referred later to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — as they pushed for the three-month deal. The deal had the effect of brushing aside the urgings of GOP leaders and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for a much longer extension to the debt limit. Republicans want that longer allowance to avoid having to take another vote on the politically toxic issue before the 2018 congressional elections.
So, what do you make of it? A few brief thoughts:
- Trump is not a Man of Words. Words trip him up. Trump is a Man of Action. He wants to do things. Washington is not a place where it's easy to do things. So to Get Something Done, he decided to throw in with the Dems. It shouldn't really surprise anyone.
- Republicans are too busy fighting to figure out how to work with Trump. It's clear that Trump is tired of dealing with Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell. Can't say I blame him for feeling that way, frankly.
- Because the MSM will always have the backs of Democrats, Schumer and Pelosi can concentrate on results. Ryan and McConnell believe they have to manage appearances first. And they can't do it, because no matter how many concessions they make to appear reasonable, they will always be monsters because the MSM says they are. Until and unless they embrace their monstrosity, they will remain ineffective. All the Strange New Respect in the world is provisional. John McCain was a great guy until he became a monster. Now he's back in the Strange New Respect business. That football is always going to be pulled away.
- Trump will learn that Schumer and Pelosi aren't his friends soon enough. What he does with that knowledge is anyone's guess.
6 comments:
i dont think trump sees chuck and nancy as friends as much as he sees them as sub-contractors. and sub-contractors can be hired-fired based upon need. mitch and paul had their chance. will they learn this lesson, or not? for that matter, will the GOP-at-large learn this lesson? this remains to be seen.
i dont think trump sees chuck and nancy as friends as much as he sees them as sub-contractors. and sub-contractors can be hired-fired based upon need.
Except Trump can't fire them. They are more like the mobsters Trump had to deal with in the construction trades, except more dangerous.
I agree with Gino that Trump isn't blind about Schumer and Pelosi. I can see this being a warning to the Republican leadership. Also, it's a way to differentiate Trump from them.
To your point about getting over monsterdom, Mr. D, the GOP leadership is unlikely to learn the lesson because some people will get gouged by it before any victory is won. And their own skin is more important that any principle, so they won't do it.... unless they perceive that they are saving their skin.
Right, but you don’t gain vision by gouging your eyes out. And today I’m seeing reports Trump is talking to Schumer about abolishing the debt ceiling entirely. If there’s no limit, there’s no chance of ever getting spending under control. I know Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are feckless, but Trump is playing a really dangerous game here and we can’t pretend this footsie game with the Democrats is teaching anyone a lesson, other than that the Republicans are hopelessly fractured. If Trump wants to make positive change, he has to lead, not switch to the other side.
It's was never a ceiling when kept raising i it.
It's was never a ceiling when kept raising i it.
True, but it was a bargaining chip that did allow Republicans the opportunity to slow down and kill some budget items. I suspect we'll miss it if it's gone.
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