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On Friday, Trump tweeted about the GOP's failure to pass health care legislation:
"Republicans, sorry, but I've been hearing about Repeal & Replace for 7 years, didn't happen!"The president complained about the filibuster rule requiring 60 votes to pass major legislation and hyperbolically tweeted that the rule will "never allow the Republicans to pass even great legislation. 8 Dems control--will rarely get 60 (vs. 51) votes. It is a Repub Death Wish!"
This week, President Trump overruled GOP leaders to cut a deal with Democrats on the debt ceiling. And while it's obvious his diehard supporters will not see a problem with that move, it was not the move of a genius.
The idea that taking the very first deal offered by Democrats and asking nothing in return, simply because it was done by the author of "The Art of the Deal," has a tough task in proving that notion, in spite of his base claiming how brilliant it was.
Clearly, Trump has abandoned Republicans to strike this deal, getting a 3-month extension on the debt ceiling and asking for nothing in return. It seems as if he's more concerned with being liked by Schumer and Pelosi than by those he calls RINOs.
In fact, Trump just did exactly what he accused 'RINOs' of doing and that is giving in to the left.
If Hillary Clinton had been president and struck the exact same deal, Trump supporters would be livid, but since it was Trump, there must be some hidden agenda behind it, or it's just Trump's way of proving he can work with both sides of the aisle.
Sometimes, however, working with both sides of the aisle, one side at a time, is merely an indication of a lack of ideological conservatism and that Trump doesn't know what he's doing.
It was only a matter of time before we'd see Trump's pivot to the left. Where he supposedly reached across the aisle to work with the Democrats, he basically gave the shaft to GOP conservatives, something they worried about from 'day one.'
Trump started out as a New York Democrat and his favorite issues such as infrastructure, are more part of the Democratic portfolio.
Again, President Trump does not have a serious conservative ideology.
But at least Chuck and Nancy like him again.
Trump's base would rather see him pivot and work with Democrats if it can provide him with a victory about something, anything, even if it makes the establishment look bad--particularly if it makes the establishment look bad, because now they can blame people like Ryan and McConnell rather than Trump.
Trump says that Congress has disappointed him and his most faithful supporters. But even under ideal circumstances, major legislation can't simply get out of Congress, the first branch of government, without robust presidential leadership.
You can't outsource big decisions to Congress but Trump wasn't aware of this and still refuses to learn.
Example: earlier in the week, the Trump administration said it was ending the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program, which allows undocumented (aka illegal) immigrants brought into the US as children, to stay here. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the program was unconstitutional.
But when the media and former president Obama attacked Trump for being heartless and cruel, Trump then made it clear that he wants Congress to restore DACA by passing legislation.
If Congress doesn't pass legislation, he might still keep the program using the same means AG Sessions described as unconstitutional.
Pivoting to the left isn't going to work out for Trump, however, because for one, Democrats don't actually trust him and most of his agenda is too volatile for them.
The bigger issue, however, is that it's slowly becoming clearer that while he has done some good things, overall, President Trump doesn't know what he's doing.
I truly hope I'm wrong--I want him and the USA to succeed and I'm perfectly willing to change my mind.
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