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Forget Trump, Congress Is the Problem
We on Ricochet may be divided on Donald Trump, but there should be one thing that unites us — a white-hot hatred of our despicable and anti-conservative (or just utterly spineless) Congress.
Leaving aside the budget that gives the Democrats everything, and only gives us money to fund the military, despite controlling Congress, there have been repeated failures to enact conservative legislation. It’s not Trump standing in the way, it’s Congress breaking promises repeatedly. No repeal of Obamacare, despite running on that issue and having passed a repeal bill under Obama that died in the Senate. Numerous conservative nominees stalled in committee or waiting for approval.
Where is the conservative agenda? Do people think Trump is not going to sign bills that carry out conservative policies? We have a rare opportunity to enact an agenda, which will probably be ending soon. Even if Trump is a horrible human being, he will sign these bills — just give him the wall and some immigration enforcement, which are conservative goals last time I checked.
If this is what we get for voting Republican and donating time or money, why bother? This was a Pelosi-Schumer budget, plus the military. Why can’t we pass a budget just with Republican votes? Start lean, and add just enough pork to get it to pass. Maybe try following regular order like you promised? Then again, maybe the Republican Party is no different from the Democrats except for piously invoking Reagan and preaching about civility while robbing us blind. It’s almost like the Scoop Jackson/Harry Truman Democrats are now running the GOP.
If you think that Trump being kicked out of the Solar System would solve this, ask what that would change about this budget from hell, delivered by Congress? If we build an android that exactly duplicated Reagan as of 1980, how would he handle this Congress differently? (Would he prefer Tip O’Neill to Paul Ryan?)
So, Ricochet: can we stand united in denouncing this abomination of a budget? It’s not like we don’t already know exactly what arguments each person would use regarding Trump, without actually persuading a single person. Can we demand that Congress step up and start controlling spending? “Either work with Trump or outflank him on the right, but act instead of just virtue signal. Don’t bend over and act like a masochist being whipped by Schumer and Pelosi — you have the majority. Use it. If you don’t, the Democrats certainly will.”
If we shift from the tired debate on Trump, which by now is a vaguely horse-shaped smear on the ground, we might be able to target the sellout Republicans who were behind this Betrayal Budget. Get a Congress that is consistently conservative and the GOP will stand for more than just Trump.
Published in Domestic Policy
Thanks for the link @blondie. I had not seen @olesummers post.
Had to quote, @cdor … system limits the Likes I can give otherwise I would give it one hundred likes. The last paragraph is bit too #tadtroll.
In fairness the bill (as every omnibus bill is) was engineered to be veto-proof. That’s on Ryan and McConnell. If this happened in year 1 of Trump’s second term after substantial rebuilding of the military had been accomplished a veto would clearly have happened. But a veto under these circumstances had two bad things in it: (1) the Dems forced a shutdown over DACA earlier and a shutdown precipitated by Trump would have lost his high ground on DACA, and (2) the Dems would have protracted the shutdown to deny military spending increases until they got what they wanted. There is no question this was a win for Pelosi/Schumer, but it could have been bigger. Trump did his best to mitigate the win with jawboning about no DACA solution in the bill.
I wouldn’t really say there is “no money” for the wall. There is $1.6 billion, which is probably everything that could be spent this year anyway. I think we all recognize that the basic deal Trump is looking to get is amnesty for the DACA “kids” in exchange for fully funding the wall. I think he can probably still get that, as long as the GOP holds the Congress in November. This $1.6 billion is kind of a freebie for us. I can’t be too disappointed about that.
So…No.
This underscores 2 points to me.
Long term – A line item veto for the president would be fantastic – I understand many governors have this option to them. This gives congress an out – look at all the stupid spending the president approved! … The way they love to shift powers – and blame from their own offices you’d think this would be a natural reform that they’d support.
Secondly in the short term, this is why the mid-term elections are vital. Trump is a deal maker. He’ll make a deal with whomever has congress. Trump will make every deal possible – he’ll deal himself out of a job.
More interesting, from the same article:
Signing a terrible omnibus spending bill that does not promote his agenda, while devastating to his base, is surely not an impeachable offense. But you could be correct. Legality never seems to get in the way of getting their way for progressives.
If Congress is the problem, then the solution for us must be to change Congress. In the US system of government, that requires first changing the masses of ordinary people. If it is true that “we have got to be taught, before it’s too late” to hate, it is not Congress that should be the target but our neighbors who selected them.
Leaving aside the spiritual question of whether our spirit should be of hate or of love, just how does one go about changing the masses of ordinary people? I think that there are two possible methods.
The first is an appeal to common emotion.
The second is an appeal to common thought.
Regarding the first, any competent demagogue can show us how to do that, and social media tools can make the process faster. The result is a hysterical mob, and that is known to be a powerful force for change. A big enough hysterical mob could not only change Congress, it could lynch them. Then Bernadette and Tom and their old Hyde Park comrades could go back to Plan A, although Michelle and Barack are getting a bit old for cop-killing and bomb-making.
With respect to the second approach, an idea (say, that God created all men equal, and endowed them with certain inalienable rights) gets communicated to the masses in only one way.
First, it becomes a growing topic of debate in the intellectual elite. It eventually gets the support of an overpowering mass of intellectuals. That gradually transforms into the support of an powerful mass of the second-hand dealers in ideas (Ricochet contributors, talk-show hosts, movie actors, CNN anchors, university Education professors, union leaders, singer-songwriters). Maybe half-a-century after the start, it gets the intellectual support of a sufficient mass of ordinary people.
Lets see how they like it in November when a disgusted base sits on it’s hands.
Unfortunately, the overpowering mass of “intellectuals” aren’t interested in unalienable rights.
This is not the end. Or the beginning.
Trumps bobs and weaves with no apparent purpose. Tweets also for the same hell if I know reason Yep, He should have vetoed this piece of crap, but for whatever reason he didn’t. And yup, it is really frustrating. But then he will surprise you with something good.
He is all we’ve got and remember the alternative is like committing hari-kari. Pence would be no better. I really doubt he would stand up to McConnell and Ryan. He has never shown much of a spine on the big issues. The GOPe would gobble him up and spit him out.
Despite the ridiculous scheming of McConnell and friends the Pubs will likely pick up Senate seats in November only because the math is so heavily in their favor and because the Dems seem so hellbent on going over an irrational Leftist cliff into the abyss any chance they get. Yes the Pubs are very bad, but the Dems are ten times worse at least.
That would require a nation that is consistently conservative.
A group of baboons is called a “Congress.”