The Daily Beast has a good run down of internal angst in the Republican Party over Trump’s decision to push for full repeal of Obamacare. On the face of it, this seems like a self-defeating decision, one made in the face of opposition from members of Trump’s own cabinet. After all, opposition to previous efforts to repeal Obamacare fuelled mass protests that roiled Trump’s presidency and were a major factor in the Democrats retaking the House in the midterms. Read More
There is a very short Daily Beast article that is making the rounds. The headline reads: “Obama Warns New House Dems That Liberal Policies Like the Green New Deal Are Very Expensive.” A funny thing happens if you read the article instead of just the headline.
Mike Lee takes Senatorial iconology to a new level:
WATCH: Sen. Mike Lee uses Reagan, a machine gun, and a velociraptor to argue against @AOC's Green New Deal https://t.co/q30t3Johaq pic.twitter.com/hluEacyvNE
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 26, 2019
One of the difficulties in covering the Trump administration, which the media has yet to solve, is that it is breathtakingly mendacious and constantly willing to make up stories out of whole cloth. Here’s an example which got lost amid the Mueller news: outright fabrication about a failed attempt by Trump to unilaterally change policy on North Korean sanctions.
Newly emboldened by the end of the Mueller investigation and claiming vindication, Donald Trump is returning to an ambitious policy goal that he had previously been defeated at: completely eliminating the Affordable Care Act. This is something that Trump failed to do even when Republicans had control of both houses of congress. But now the Trump Administration hopes to achieve this goal via the courts.
Part of the sadness of Donald Trump is that even in moments of triumph he can’t enjoy himself. This was true after his victory in 2016 and it’s true now. Instead of basking in vindication, he’s become even more vindictive.
The man who self-interestedly objected to President Obama sounding the alarm on Russian meddling during the 2016 election is now blaming President Obama for not doing more to counter the meddling.
The Nixon Foundation has announced the death of Fred Malek, former personnel director in the Nixon White House.
Fred Malek, dedicated public servant, counselor to presidents, and decisive, inspirational leader passed away yesterday at 82.
Statement from the Nixon daughters: https://t.co/j4oEShHOQw pic.twitter.com/1lggmmkM8K
— Nixon Foundation (@nixonfoundation) March 25, 2019
I been trying to place the fallout from the Mueller Report in larger historical perspective. These tweets by Dave Weigel of The Washington Post has been clarifying:
I’ve thought for a long time that the working template for presidential scandals is not Watergate, but Iran Contra. Protect the president at all costs, and go to the base to say it’s a witch hunt. Worked for Bill Clinton eventually, too.
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) March 25, 2019
Watergate, not Iran/Contra: that is to say a President having to resign from scandals is very rare (it’s only happened once). More common is for a president’s underlings and associates to take the fall, sometimes to be rewarded later with a pardon.
Amid the Mueller/Barr news, the story of Trump’s nomination of Stephen Moore to be a governor of the U.S. Federal Reserve is getting buried. This is a shame since this is a hugely consequential position, one of the most important appointments a president can make. Also, Moore is ridiculously unfit for the job.