The so-called president is on his way to foreign places, where he will no doubt say really stupid things and continue to be an embarrassment to the nation. But until that happens, here are some other facepalm-worthy news items.
You remember a few days ago, when the House passed (with much fanfare but no Democratic votes) a health care act that was intended to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act? And how Republicans, including the so-called president, celebrated and said See? We can accomplish stuff after all! It’s a win!
Well, maybe not. The bill never went to the Senate. It may never go to the Senate. The House may have to do it over.
House Speaker Paul Ryan hasn’t yet sent the bill to the Senate because there’s a chance that parts of it may need to be redone, depending on how the Congressional Budget Office estimates its effects. House leaders want to make sure the bill conforms with Senate rules for reconciliation, a mechanism that allows Senate Republicans to pass the bill with a simple majority.
Republicans had rushed to vote on the health bill so the Senate could get a quick start on it, even before the CBO had finished analyzing a series of last-minute changes. The CBO is expected to release an updated estimate next week.
In order to qualify as a reconciliation bill, a bill has to slice at least $2 billion off the federal budget. Otherwise, it has to go to the Senate as a regular bill, which makes it subject to filibuster.
We’re learning more about this week’s Big Woopsie — Trump’s meeting with Russian officials in the Oval Office. The New York Times has learned that Trump bragged to the Russians that firing FBI Director Comey had taken the pressure off.
“I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job,†Mr. Trump said, according to the document, which was read to The New York Times by an American official. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.â€
Mr. Trump added, “I’m not under investigation.â€
Guess again, sweetums.
I have been pondering… Trump will (not may) be impeached when it’s clear he’s a liability to the 2018 elections and a complete disaster for the GOP in 2020. It will be done to get Pence in the White House – Pence may be implicated but there won’t be 66 members of the Senate who will remove Pence. (There may be a majority in the House if Ryan pushes for it, but the Senate won’t screw over Pence to make Ryan’s dreams come true.
Impeach means bringing charges in the House. It takes a 2/3 vote in the Senate to convict. Do democrats want to help the GOP remove Trump in late 2017 or early 2018?
Consider the potential difference between Trump as POTUS and Pence as POTUS. Today, Trump is a huge risk because he seems to be compromised with the Russians. But if that becomes established this year – that Trump is under direction by the Kremlin, he’s not going to be able to ACT on it. He’ll be the lamest lame duck we’ve ever had in the WH. For precisely that reason, the GOP will want to impeach. But if Trump’s power has evaporated, do the democrats want to replace him if President Pence will be effective?
Maybe damaging Trump and leaving him in place until 2020 will be smarter than removing him when Pence would wreak more actual damage. One would expect Trump to resign under those circumstances, but if Trump is immune from criminal prosecution until he’s impeached or leaves office Trump will clutch at the straw of winning in 2020 to avoid going to jail. Fracturing the GOP along Trump/not-Trump lines for two straight elections will castrate the GOP. That might be the best strategy.
Doug,
I’m generally in agreement with your comment.
I also don’t want VP Dense to move up, because he will joyfully – no, make that gleefully – sign any laws/bills that will help strip any human/civil/voting right attained after 1900.
In effect, he and the fucking psycho GOP loons want to move America back to the Gilded Age – and no, I don’t mean the one we’re in now: The Neo-Gilded Age – or, preferably, back to Antebellum America
However, we have to think about other people around the world.
t-RUMPLE-thin-sKKKin – with his tiny, orange, itchy trigger fingers just a few feet from the “Nuclear Football – is ‘a clear and present danger’ not just to people in other countries, but to every form of life on our planet!
.
We may have to make some rather serious sacrifices in order to save the humans, and flora and fauna on this rapidly overheating planet.
With Dense, we Americans lose a lot.
But with t-RUMP, the whole world may be lost.
I’m hoping for a twofer. Gaslighter Pence is into the corruption up to his halo. Investigation will find enough dirt on him; maybe Trump will throw him under the bus in an attempt to save himself. Nixon threw over Agnew.
The Russians got what they wanted and paid for. Chaos, confusion, and infighting in the United States, and themselves off the international radar screen. The decrease in American hegemony will have lasting international repercussions. We here will all pay for that. The price depends on the quality of the damage control and common attainment in lessons we have learned. Â
Here c u n d gulag perhaps sees the path forward. First we must do what it takes to fix the damage and make sure the United States is operating without covert Russian control. Doing this will weaken us and we must still be able to deal with hostile actions and natural disasters. Russia, having achieved considerable influence and control is not likely to relinquish it easily. Many corporations and anti-social groups (e.g. KKK) appear to have sold out to further their self interest and /or profits and will remain complicit.
As noted prevention of annihilation and irreparable environmental damage to the planet must be prevented at the same time. No person in the chain of command seems capable or trustworthy enough to achieve this alone, which is as our system is designed. Getting this done will take all three branches of government and the support, co-operation, and trust of the vast majority of the American people. A tough and expensive job but I see no other path that is not a dead end. Â
I agree with Doug’s analysis of the political options. However, for some reason I am feeling/thinking Trump will go down by his own hand. I am convinced his personality will never allow him to resign. His ego requires him to win but he has gotten himself into a position where he is not in complete control and he is not winning. He has told us what winning as president means to him. It is complete adoration, the public seeing him as the best, most wonderful president ever. I could add all the superlatives he uses but I’m sure you know what they are. This is not happening and it is not going to happen because he keeps shooting himself in the foot. He does not know how to behave as a president. Like a kid, he sees it as having ultimate power and doing whatever he wants and everyone loving it. In the DSM (4 or 5?) narcissistic personality is an Axis 2 diagnosis, a personality disorder. There is no treatment, no meds that can be used to change things. All personality disorders are very difficult to deal with partly for that reason. Trump is 70 yo and has been successful in his terms by behaving like he always has. I don’t see him changing. Whatever happens, he will blame others. That is one reason why we cannot let the political solution prevail. It does not really solve the problem. Trump will be revengeful. Trump is right in one aspect, this is one presidency like we have never seen before.