"The Sunday Political Brunch" -- February 19, 2017

Dr. Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is a nationally known political reporter and analyst based on the East Coast, and a frequent contributor on KGO Radio 810-AM San Francisco.

(Charleston, West Virginia) – Everyone has been talking about the first 100 days of
the Trump administration. Forget that! How about the first 30 days,
which we are completing this weekend? This has been a wild,
roller-coaster ride, but many of the potholes the President hit, have
been experienced by others before him. Let’s “brunch” on that this week:

“Out Like Flynn” – They love to split hairs about these things in
Washington, DC. No one wants to say someone’s been fired; they always
“resign.” Well, what happens is the President of the United States asks
for your resignation, which is a polite spin on saying, “You’re fired!”
National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is gone; and now his potential
replacement - retired Vice Admiral Bob Harward - says he won’t take the
job. This NSA position has been a headache for other Presidents, too!

“Tossing Rice” – President Obama’s final National Security Advisor
was a lightning rod for controversy. Susan Rice held the job for
three-and-a-half years, but earlier troubles prevented her from ever
gaining the measure of respect to which the office is entitled. Earlier
in the Obama administration, Rice was the U.S. Ambassador to the United
Nations. When four Americans were killed at a CIA outpost in Benghazi,
Libya in 2012, Rice went on numerous network newscasts to say the
attacks were a direct result of a "heinous and offensive [anti-Muslim]
video", and was spontaneous, not pre-planned. We learned not long after,
there was no such video motivation; and no such protest. It was a
calculated and deliberate terrorist attack. The fallout likely prevented
Rice from being named Secretary of State.

“A Bad Berger” – To be fair, the late National Security Advisor Sandy
Berger violated no laws, ethics, or principles that we know of while he
held the post during the Clinton administration from 1997 to 2001. It
was after he left the post that he got into a whole heap of trouble. In
2003 Berger was scheduled to testify before the 9/11 Commission about
anti-terrorism measures taken while President Clinton was in office. In
preparation for his testimony, Berger visited the National Archives and
illegally removed four classified documents and smuggled them out of the
building. Berger later plead guilty to the charges, and had his law
license revoked.

“Win One for The Gipper’s Wife” – In 1982 National Security Advisor
Richard Allen was forced to resign after a Japanese reporter claimed he
had bribed Allen to secure an interview with First Lady Nancy Reagan (a
charge never made in court; nor resulting in any legal sanction). Allen
said he intercepted a check made out to Mrs. Reagan, to avoid any
embarrassment to the Reagan family. Nonetheless, the drumbeat of
negative headlines eventually led to his departure.

“Why the NSA Pothole?” – Others who held the job also ran into
political trouble and controversy, too, so why? My assessment is that
this is a crucial intelligence, diplomatic, and political job. Imagine,
for example, having to be Secretary of State, CIA Director, and Chairman
of your own political party all at the very same time. There have got
to be conflicts and temptations galore. I say this not to make excuses
for Michael Flynn or the others, but to demonstrate that NSA has been
the Achilles Heel of many a Presidential administration.

“The Puzder Puzzle” – Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder
officially became the “sacrificial lamb” of the Trump Cabinet
appointees. It happens to virtually every President, whether they have
Cabinet appointees or Supreme Court nominees go down in flames. It’s a
Washington, DC parlor game as a way to one-up a President. Think failed
Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork in the Reagan era, or failed Defense
Secretary nominee John Tower in the Bush I administration. President
Clinton had two nominees for Attorney General torpedoed before finally
settling in on Janet Reno. It happens!

“Mending Fences” – Speaking of the failed Labor Secretary nominee,
President Trump quickly found a replacement by nominating Alexander
Acosta, to head the Labor Department. Acosta – if approved – would be
the first Latino in Trump’s Cabinet. This was something for which the
President was criticized - not selecting a Hispanic in the first place
- after Trump garnered 28 percent of the Latin vote nationwide.

“Immigration Delineation” – The President is also on the defensive
(both legally and politically) over his Executive Order banning travel
to the U.S. from seven majority Muslim countries. While he lost in the
Court of Appeals - and may bypass a Supreme Court fight by issuing a
more Constitutionally defensive order - he has wasted enormous political
capital on his signature issue – immigration reform. Rather than using
executive fiat, he would be better served by codifying immigration
reform by getting Congress to pass reforms into law. He needs to co-opt
his party’s majorities in the House and Senate while he still has them.
“Going it alone” is a bad strategy in Washington, DC.

“Why All of This Matters” – It has been portrayed that Trump’s rough
start is somehow unprecedented, or an anomaly. We’ve shown here that
most Presidents have major hiccups in their first 100 days. But the
public and other branches of government only have so much patience.
Presidents Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and others had troubles out of the
starting gate, but corrected their course and bounced back. Trump could
take a page from the Reagan playbook (pictured above) – Reagan won as a
Washington outsider; yet embraced official “insider” Washington when he
got there – to great political success. Sometimes, history can repeat
itself.

What do you think of President Trump’s first 30 days? Just click the comment button at www.MarkCurtisMedia.com.

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