It’s All Just Slipping Through His Fingers

March 23, 2018Politicaldonnyray

The political fallout for this President embedded in the omnibus spending bill heading to his desk today will be his undoing. For someone who apparently relishes the sound bites, the attention, the accolades that move him to rally his base while exorcising his (many) detractors, he’s inexplicably chosen to take a pass on this opening. Odd, since ‘stir the pot’ is the most consistent rationale you can apply to what he says, and what he does.

This spending bill of 23 March 2018 presents Mr. Trump with a rich opportunity to show up the lawmakers, vilify the swamp denizens, call out McConnell, Ryan and the other RINOs for the Bush-remnant GOP slugs that they are, soak up the applause, and pay no price. Citing the glee of Schumer and Pelosi over this bill’s bankrolling of the progressive left agenda, he could have vetoed it loudly, with fanfare and smugness. He could have scolded the GOP leadership for betraying Republican principles, and ask out loud how they expect to hold power in the Fall by selling out their constituents in the Spring. He could pronounce that he has “saved them from themselves” by vetoing the bill.

Consequences? None. The Congress is so bought into this spending bill, and they have crafted so many layers of political cover, that a Trump veto would be overridden and the bill would pass, averting an election year shutdown. It has 65 “yea” votes in the Senate; getting two more to flip and sustain an override is no great feat. Mitch McConnell could say, we kept the government working. Paul Ryan could say, we did it for our armed forces. The leadership would say the President didn’t appreciate the full impact of the bill failing, so an override is justified. Chuck Schumer could tout the shackles of sequester have at long last been broken, and Nancy Pelosi could champion the continued support of the downtrodden by the rest of us. Just like they’re doing now, only with the added delight of an end zone spike for a veto override, further splintering the Republicans.

But even with a failed veto, or maybe especially with a failed veto, Trump could talk the tough talk, be the big man, hit the stump as the last vestige of fiscal conservatism; a self-portrait as the only man keeping his promises to the people. There’s every chance the GOP may have spent its way into oblivion, and the Democrats may have abandoned DACA and all it stands for one time too many. But Trump, now there’s a man of the people: the only person in Washington fighting to MAGA. With anybody else, you could say ‘taking the moral high ground’, but that hardly applies. But had he used his veto, he could revel in castigating the GOP establishment for their spendthrift capitulation and abandonment of principles, and mercilessly excoriate the Democrats for deserting the Dreamers. For once, he could have outmaneuvered his Beltway adversaries. But no.

Instead, he’ll do it “on the cheap”, like most of his private sector ventures, and try and have it both ways. He’ll say he had deep misgivings over the size of the bill; the debt and deficit implications, the pittance afforded for his border wall, and profess faux-consternation over the Dreamers’ predicament. But he’ll still sign it. He’ll later say he was against it, trying to suck goodwill from the marrow. He’ll lament aloud how he wishes now that he’d vetoed it, but he couldn’t justify compromising our terrific military. He will shamelessly fall back on the McConnell-Ryan argument to bolster his criticism of them.

Where in the world are his domestic policy advisors, and more plainly, who are they? The Trump base is not going to sit still for runaway spending, semantics on amnesty and a border wall, half-truths and half-promises. Yes, he has delivered on plenty. But his dismissive treatment of critics, both scurrilous and legitimate, won’t carry the day with those who believe your word is your bond. Massive missteps on Obamacare and immigration, and missed opportunity on fiscal responsibility, will cost him core support. His domestic policy shortcomings will undermine his foreign policy achievements in the hearts of those who elected him to office. They will see him as no better than the rest.

They will stay home.

The Democrats will be the new majority.

His tenure as lame duck shall commence.