Trump's America, March 2017: Using His Inside VOICE

Sam Stein‏Verified account @samsteinhp 16h16 hours ago

We don’t have legislative language for you

We don’t have a CBO score for you

This thing polls at 17%

The Senate won’t pass it

Vote yes

"maybe we should vote now so we don't lose anybody else"

Earlier today, GOP House Intel chair Rep. Devin Nunes went around members (again) and arbitrarily announced that the March 28 open hearing was canceled.

A House Intel source says this move was a "suicide bomb" designed to destroy the Russia investigation.

Democrats on the Intel committee are meeting now to discuss how to handle the situation.

Really, pulling the bill is the only fig leaf that theoretically covers everybody. It allows for a cruddy "This really needs more time, we understand voters would like to know more," etc etc language that will be laughed at, but nobody has to make a specific statement via a vote either way. Obviously it makes Ryan and Trump both look weak and ridiculous but they'll punt away happily, while McConnell's probably thinking "Well thank god."

yeah but freedom

Who knew!

So as this tweet sums it up:

https://twitter.com/ShaneGoldmacher/status/845310482181435392

A possibility: What if Ryan tells Trump he needs to pull the bill, and Trump tells him he wants the floor vote?

re: Nunes, is it actually believed that the news about there being possible circumstantial evidence of collusion came from the FBI in response to Nunes' bitch move? Cos if so, won't they keep doing things like that if Nunes keeps obviously obstructing?

Trump's gonna drive into the House honking the horn

at this point for my mental health i'm assuming that it passes today, i don't think i can feel optimistic about anything political these days

Hahah oh man

https://twitter.com/MajorCBS/status/845310870607548418

Mulvaney to @SpeakerRyan when informed he didn't have votes for #Obamacarerepeal -- "The president doesn't care. The president wants a vote"

don't worry, the heritage foundation's josh lyman reincarnated is here to shepherd this thing over the line https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/845310830489063424

A possibility: What if Ryan tells Trump he needs to pull the bill, and Trump tells him he wants the floor vote?

isn't this what happened yesterday?

Postpone vs. pull.

he wants it one way but it's the other way, again

"by Executive Order, Affordable Care Act is now rebranded Trumpcare. You're welcome"

I mean he might as well.

Obviously it makes Ryan and Trump both look weak and ridiculous

Well, to US. But we were already there. Trumpoids have already decided to spin this as yet another tale of his awesome strength and wisdom, betrayed at the last minute by establishment weaklings and cowards. His only error was trusting that these professionals knew what they were doing. Ah, well, another example of career politicians being unable to live up to the example of His Donaldness.

Or, what Lord Alfred said.

Trump's approval at -12 this morning. on Rasmussen

strongly approve down to 29%

Trump's presidency is basically a limbo contest at this point

Well, to US. But we were already there. Trumpoids have already decided to spin this as yet another tale of his awesome strength and wisdom, betrayed at the last minute by establishment weaklings and cowards. His only error was trusting that these professionals knew what they were doing. Ah, well, another example of career politicians being unable to live up to the example of His Donaldness.

Or, what Lord Alfred said.

Certainly, and we can't handwave that. And yet: W was down to a 27% that still approved of him at the end of his second term, but that didn't budge. Point is, though, that it was 27% -- Trump's equivalent may be louder, but, as Neanderthal just noted, seems like he hits the same numbers when crunch time arrives.

How are his Russian numbers?

Trumpoids have already decided to spin this as yet another tale of his awesome strength and wisdom, betrayed at the last minute by establishment weaklings and cowards. His only error was trusting that these professionals knew what they were doing. Ah, well, another example of career politicians being unable to live up to the example of His Donaldness.

This is because, as the fence-sitting moderate 'hold yr nose and vote' supporters drift away from the increasingly-obvious insanity, all that's left is the Cult of Trump, who venerate everything that the Great Leader says and does.

xpost -- Bigly.

This is all Trump trying to figure out who's willing to follow him off a cliff, isn't it

Everyone's fave oppo drop guy Rick Wilson had a tweetstorm just now that, some language aside, probably sums things up:

https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/845313114618957824

A key bit:

House Republicans who privately loathe him (and there are a LOT) play the DC game of "My good friend Donald!" and know how to fluff him....They're exhausted and nervous after only a few weeks, and the sense we're moving from FOMT to FHMT is growing. (FOMT: Fear of Mean Tweets/FHMT: Fuck His Mean Tweets)

Which is inline with the Freedom Caucus's reported response to Trump's troll this morning. If they're shrugging and laughing it off, then all of a sudden his supposed powerful vaunted leverage via Twitter is so much gas.

all that's left is the Cult of Trump, who venerate everything that the Great Leader says and does

one of the top posts at the_d is this

http://i.imgur.com/aTWGjem.jpg

we're all clowning him for this and they fucking love it

You know what's Hilarious Thing #2353? Joe Scarborough and co. lamented Trump's decision to hit health care first when he could've gone for something "easy" like "tax reform" yet Scar doesn't acknowledge that Trumpcare is tax reform for the rich.

Fun fun:

https://twitter.com/mj_lee/status/845315058414563328

Wow. @DanaBashCNN reporting Ryan is going to show Trump the votes and tell him they don't have them. He'll ask what Trump wants to do now

First tweet in response:

https://twitter.com/BrianAbrams/status/845315715670396929

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C7sqKMIXwAQXFS1.jpg

This is all Trump trying to figure out who's willing to follow him off a cliff, isn't it

once he identifies the truly-loyal, the purges can begin

xpost I'm sure Trump will argue that the smaller number of votes is actually the larger one

And meanwhile:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/24/bannon-tells-trump-keep-a-shit-list-of-republicans-who-opposed-you.html

“(Bannon) has told the president to keep a shit list on this,” one official told The Daily Beast. "He wants a running tally of (the Republicans) who want to sink this…Not sure if I'd call it an 'enemies list,' per se, but I wouldn't want to be on it."

One aide described it as a proposed “hit list” for Republicans not sufficiently loyal. Courses of action stemming from any related tally is yet to be determined, but the idea and message is that “we’ll remember you.”...

Sources also said that others including Mick Mulvaney, Trump's director of the Office of Management and Budget and co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, endorsed the idea of the running list, and that Trump agreed with the idea.

(Which sounds more like, again, posturing than anything else.)

I approve of them all stabbing each other in the back, this is really best-case scenario for the GOP from my POV

Also surfacing:

https://twitter.com/kelsey_snell/status/845307241968386048

CBO told Senate they can't vote on repeal w/out a score, that could take a week or more. That would push a vote to may, after Easter recess.

Whoops!

It totally hamstrings Ryan in the House - if they have all out internecine warfare, he won't be able to pass anything w out going to the Dems for votes.

xp

since when does the CBO have authority over when the Senate can schedule votes?

In non-health care news:

https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/845319604238987268
New bill intro’d by Sen. Tom Udall has a helluva name

Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness (MAR-A-LAGO) Act

I mean seriously, cui bono is at work here, and if Trump aims to be a beneficiary no matter what, nobody else is getting anything else.

xxpost -- replies indicate a reference to the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

Snell also adds in a followup tweet:

If they amend senate side they will need to re score again and run through parliamentary process

So if the whole goal this entire time was to do something before the recess, THAT'S dead too.

replies indicate a reference to the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

ah, I assume this is related to the "cannot increase the deficit" thing in the reconciliation rules/Byrd rule

More on said act

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Budget_and_Impoundment_Control_Act_of_1974

Also, about that Nunes/Manafort thing:

https://twitter.com/timkmak/status/845316712849428480

.@BradMossEsq, a natsec lawyer, parses the terminology: 'Interviewing' Manafort means that it will be private, and not under oath.

Convenient.

Hey, remember this guy!

http://dailyrushbo.com/limbaugh-it-could-well-be-that-ryan-wants-trump-to-fail/

Tim Mak‏Verified account
@timkmak

Following
More
.@BradMossEsq continues: 18 USC 1001 will apply to Manafort. If he makes false statement in interview, he is subject to criminal liability

BTW, something in the vein of Tombot's notes. Consider how the events here happened during the Obama years. Now consider how much worse they'll be now.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-03-23/inside-alabama-s-auto-jobs-boom-cheap-wages-little-training-crushed-limbs

xpost -- Good to know.

yeah I thought all congressional testimony was subject to criminal liability, whether public or not

Trump is out of his element. He can negotiate his business dealings because they don't make headlines and he can use whatever unscrupulous means he wants and just figure he'll settle out of court when he gets in trouble.

He's not used to everything being out in the open where people can get ahead of him on things