Sunday Political Brunch: Rising from the Ashes of Defeat

“The Sunday Political Brunch” -- March 26, 2017

Dr. Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is the Chief Political Reporter for the
five Nexstar Media television stations in West Virginia, and a frequent
political analyst on various media outlets nationwide, including “The
Brian Copeland Show” on KGO Radio 810-AM San Francisco.

(Washington, D.C.) – I was in the Nation’s Capital last week on
assignment and it got me to thinking about some of the tumultuous
transitions of power we’ve had in this country. The Trump administration
has had some major speed bumps along the road – including a big one
this week - so let’s “brunch” on that:

“Obamacare Repeal” – The warning signs were already
in place. As I have said for weeks, the House does not owe its
Republican control to Mr. Trump. They got there on their own in 2010.
So, it’s no surprise that enough Republicans bolted the party line and
said, “No,” on the current repeal and replacement of Obamacare. It will
be different – if, and when - we ever get to the Senate where clearly
Trump’s coattails kept the Republican majority in charge. Make no mistake, this
is a major defeat for the Republican Party, but by no means has the
Titanic hit the iceberg, yet.

“Getting Stuff Done” – All new administrations (and
the media) focus on the “First 100 Days” of a new White House almost
obsessively. I’m not sure where the concept originated, but rarely has
anything monumental happened in the first three-plus months of any
administration. As of today, we’re at day 66 of the Trump years. Yes, a
bunch of Executive Orders were issued – some successful; some blocked in
the courts – but the “100 Day” report card is still graded as
“Incomplete.”

“Public vs. Private Sector” – I learned a valuable
lesson covering the 1992 Presidential campaign, with businessman Ross
Perot in the mix as an upstart independent candidate. Perot – like Trump
– never held political office, but made billions in private business.
When you are the CEO you can yell, “Jump!” and your workers reply by
saying, “How high?” In politics, it doesn’t work that way, especially
with built-in checks and balances on power. Mr. Trump simply can’t tell
Congress what to do. Perot was placed on the Board of Directors at
General Motors, after it bought out his company. It was a contentious
“shotgun marriage” in which Perot could not get along with the others
and was eventually dismissed. I deeply respect Perot, but it was an
indication of his inability to work well with others in power. It’s a
lesson for President Trump.

“The ‘Gorsuch Factor’” – For President Trump to turn
the momentum in his first year, he needs a big, big victory. Since
Democrats have now announced they will filibuster the nomination of
Judge Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court, Trump has a battle he can
fight and win. As mentioned earlier, the Senate owes its majority
directly to Trump’s coattails, so he needs to call in the favor. Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has little choice but to invoke
the “nuclear option” to let a simple majority of the Senate approve
Gorsuch.

“Who’s at Justice?” – In 1993 it was almost like the
famed Abbott and Costello skit, “Who’s On First?” except it was a rough
spot in the first weeks of the Clinton administration. Who would be the
U.S. Attorney General? I was just days into my first job as a
Congressional Aide, working for the House Judiciary Committee. Zoe Baird
was nominated to be Attorney General but dropped out after it was
learned she hired illegal immigrants to care for her children, and
failed to file taxes. Then, Federal Judge Kimba Wood was nominated, only
to bow out for also having an illegal immigrant nanny. Janet Reno – the
third nominee – became Attorney General. The lesson here was that
President Clinton quickly cut his losses (twice), and moved on.

“Self-Inflicted Wounds” – I have often said in this
column that the worst political wounds are often self-inflicted. Former
President Clinton can blame Republicans all he wants his 1998
impeachment, but it never would have happened if it weren’t for Mr.
Clinton’s own reckless behavior. Partisans will argue for eternity about
whether impeachment was warranted or not, but that’s beside the point.
The President’s own actions led to a year-long power struggle, that was a
problem of his own making. Other cases in point: Congressman Anthony
Weiner, President Richard Nixon, Congressman Wilbur Mills, Congressman
Gary Condit, Senator Ted Kennedy, and the list goes on. In politics, you
often “reap what you sow.”

“Why All This Matters” – Politics is about momentum,
and about public support for your agenda. President Trump has wasted a
lot of political capital with his incessant “tweets” that blow up in his
face, i.e., the Obama wiretap claims. He needs to get his agenda back
on track, and he needs not to offend his own allies. One thing he needs
to remember is that every House member and one-third of the Senate is up
for re-election in 2018; but he is not. Many in his own party may
abandon him, to save their own political skin.

What issue should President Trump focus on, after Obamacare? Tax
reform? Immigration reform? Let us know your opinion by clicking the
comment button at www.MarkCurtisMedia.com.

© 2017, Mark Curtis Media, LLC.

Photo courtesy: Mark Curtis Media.