Day 153: Democrats Are Doing Just Fine

Donald Trump’s unsolicited advice to Democrats in wake of GOP special election wins rings hollow.

In more than five months, the Donald Trump administration’s biggest claim to fame is holding on to four House seats that were up for special election due to the Republican representative being tapped to join the Trump team. Republicans have had to scrap and claw to hold on to those seats, many of which were bright red. As a comparison, Barack Obama’s appointees caused five vacancies in the House in 2009. Those five openings — four Democrats and one Republican — yielded five Democratic seats.

To couch the first 153 days of the Trump administration as a success of their own making is farcical. Controlling both chambers of Congress and the executive office, Republicans have managed to do very little of actual substance and already woefully behind schedule on a number of key objectives.

A lot of that is thanks to hardworking Democrats in each branch and at-large, and a lot of that is thanks to GOP in-fighting and an administration that continues to undermine its own objectives.

Nevertheless, basking in two more special election victories Wednesday morning, Trump had some advice for Democrats.

Let’s refute a few of those assertions.

Healthcare:

Democrats have been purposely excluded even seeing the Senate’s healthcare bill, much less offering amendments or participating in any way. The bill is shrouded in secrecy, designed to pass with 50 votes with Mike Pence breaking the tie. This follows the House’s AHCA bill, jammed through quickly after similar opaqueness. That bill was worked on behind closed doors with everything but a “No Democrats Allowed” sign on the door.

Tax Cuts:

This is largely the same thing as healthcare. The tax system probably needs to be simplified and reformed, not many doubt that. But this is about large scale tax cuts, and Republicans believe tax breaks to the upper class will cause an infusion of dollars into the marketplace down the stream. Unfortunately, there’s little evidence trickle down economics actually works and Democrats have a fundamental disagreement to tax breaks for the rich.

Also, as USA Today pointed out, Republicans have planned to cut Democrats out of that discussion too, but are largely hindered by their own budget.

Republicans are counting using a special process to overhaul the tax code that does not require any Democratic support but does require Congress to first adopt a budget blueprint. But budget expert Stan Collender said the dramatic cuts in Trump’s budget make it less likely Congress can agree on a budget. Without one, Democrats would be able to filibuster any tax plan.

Security:

Democrats and Republicans actually already did work together to gut some of Trump’s proposed budgetary allocations. For instance, Democrats successfully honed in on the fact that many on the right are against a southern border wall, while agreeing to additional security funding.

Both sides agreed that the deal was forged by working together, and not necessarily in lockstep with Trump’s plans.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the $1.1 trillion funding deal a “very good deal for the American people,” while House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi hailed the budget as a “sharp contrast” to Trump’s proposals to gut many domestic programs.

“We now have an agreement that both sides should support,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday, praising the negotiations as “bipartisan and bicameral every step of the way.”

Trump was blasted by many on the very conservative right for signing the budget that many deemed too moderate, or even liberal leaning.

The problems run deep on security, even within just the Republican party, as Time reports: “Tea party conservatives are demanding spending cuts, while supporters of the military want even more money for the Pentagon than Trump sought.”

“Obstruction Doesn’t Work”:

Yes, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) used obstruction successfully for years to thwart Obama’s agenda.

But Trump is 100 percent right: obstruction doesn’t work. He was talking about the firing of James Comey and the Bob Mueller independent investigation, right?

153 days in, 1309 to go

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