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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy are Republicans getting so little done? Because their agenda is deeply unpopular.
By Paul Waldman June 2 at 2:30 PM
Every new president tries to claim a mandate for his agenda, that because he won the election that means the public supports everything he wants to do. But ask yourself this: Is there anything anything on the agenda of the Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress that enjoys the support of the majority of the public?
Lets look at a couple of examples from the biggest items on their agenda, starting with health care. The latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds that an incredible 84 percent of Americans say that its important that any replacement of the Affordable Care Act maintains the ACAs expansion of Medicaid. Even 71 percent of Republicans said so. Which is a problem for the GOP, because rolling back the Medicaid expansion is the centerpiece of the Republican repeal plan. Republicans are arguing among themselves about whether it should be done slowly or quickly, but the whole point of the exercise is to undo that expansion so that they can fund a large tax that mostly goes to the wealthy.
The Senate is right now tying itself in knots trying to figure out how to pass something that satisfies the GOPs conservative principles but that the public wont despise, and it may be slowly realizing that this is impossible. I dont see a comprehensive health-care plan this year, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said yesterday, and hes probably right.
Lets move on to taxes. At yesterdays speech announcing his pullout from the Paris climate agreement, President Trump made this little digression:
Our tax bill is moving along in Congress, and I believe its doing very well. I think a lot of people will be very pleasantly surprised. The Republicans are working very, very hard. Wed love to have support from the Democrats, but we may have to go it alone. But its going very well.
It was certainly interesting to hear that the tax bill is moving along in Congress, because there is no tax bill, neither moving along, standing still or spinning in circles. The administration has produced nothing more than a one-page list of bullet points on taxes, and congressional Republicans havent written a bill, either. There have been no hearings, no committee votes, nothing. This is one of those moments when its hard to figure out if Trump is lying or genuinely doesnt realize whats going on; earlier this week he tweeted:
Link to tweet
more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/06/02/why-are-republicans-getting-so-little-done-because-their-agenda-is-deeply-unpopular/
leftstreet
(36,112 posts)hands
The GOPers know this won't last, so apparently they're eating their own trying to pass something, anything!
DURec
Gothmog
(145,553 posts)Yeah