MSNBC | Republican officials take aim at progressive protests MSNBC Earlier this week, Donald Trump rolled out an interesting new conspiracy theory: the progressive protests that have unfolded in the wake of his election, the Republican president said, are his predecessor's fault. I think that President Obama is ... |
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Republican officials take aim at progressive protests - MSNBC
As Trump advanced to the White House, commentators closely and regularly monitored the vital signs of the Religious Right. Last night, that pulse started to flatline.
During his first address to a joint session of Congress, the new president avoided any of the hot button issues that regularly animate social conservatives. In 60 minutes, Trump didn't talk marriage and he didn't breathe a word about abortion. Those omissions were deliberate, chances are.
The Trump White House appears completely uninterested in waging the culture wars that defined the last sixteen years. That doesn't just mean a major realignment among the Republican Party, it also represents a potential shift in national politics. Pundits would call this a pivot. In reality, it's more like a giant aircraft carrier turning on a dime.
Think back to the prime time addresses of the last two presidents. While Presidents Bush and Obama were diametrically opposed, they had one thing in common. Both were happy culture warriors, who used their bully pulpit to advance social causesalbeit in opposite directions.
When Obama talked to Congress, it almost sounded like he was reading from a Think Progress newsletter. And Bush wasn't much different. He hardly ever passed up a primetime opportunity to permanently brand Republicans as the anti-abortion party. Six of his eight State of the Union addresses mentioned the right to life.
And the Texas president was never subtle. In his first State of the Union after winning re-election, Bush absolutely hammered social issues. For voicing his support of "a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage," Bush got a standing ovation from Republicans. In less than three minutes, the GOP caucus was back on its feet applauding Bush's words about "striving to build a culture of life."
Those social conservative crowd pleasers were often the bread and butter of Bush's messaging. But last night that base was left hungry when Trump didn't mention their favorite culture fights. So far his rhetoric has mirrored his policy.
Despite the warnings broadcast from the left, Trump isn't coming for women's birth control or gay couples' marriage licenses. Sure, he has reinstated the Mexico City policy and withdrawn Obama's bathroom directives. But otherwise, Trump has taken a hands-off approach. Vice President Mike Pence summed up this new federalism when he told Focus on the Family's James Dobson that many controversies "can be resolved with common sense at the local level."
What's all of this mean? It means the culture wars will rage on, but the White House will be sitting it out.
Also from the Washington Examiner
The White House ruffled CNN anchor Jake Tapper after Vice President Mike Pence was made available for several interviews Wednesday but not with the network the administration fights with the most.
In a Twitter message that morning, Tapper suggested the White House was being petty.
"'Trivial fights' should be 'behind us,'" Tapper wrote, quoting a piece from Trump's joint session speech from the night before, "but hours later White House offers Vice President Pence interviews to every major U.S. TV broadcaster except CNN."
Sure enough, Pence's official schedule did include several interviews, including with NBC, ABC and CBS.
03/01/17 2:55 PM
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
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Republican Rebranding: Trump completely skips social issues - Washington Examiner
The Next Dilemma of the Republican Tax Overhaul Wall Street Journal (subscription) WASHINGTONHouse Republicans are struggling to write a crucial piece of their tax plan: the rules for partnerships, limited liability companies, and other pass-through firms that account for a majority of U.S. business income. Republicans want to ... |
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The Next Dilemma of the Republican Tax Overhaul - Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Teton Countys Republican Chair and now County Commissioner Harley Wilcox has been recognized by the State Republican party, winning the Outstanding County Chair award.
The Outstanding County Chair award is one of our Hall of Fame awards that dates back to 1978, said Chairman of the Idaho GOP, Steve Yates. [It] is awarded to one county, legislative district, or region chair who has demonstrated a commitment to the Republican Party.
Yates explained that the awardee is selected by a committee from nominations made by party members.
Harley is an outstanding County Chair, who has clearly demonstrated the work and sacrifice that is required to be successful in elections, Yates said. His efforts were vital in turning Teton County from blue to red.
Harley has only been actively involved in politics since December 2015, when he became the county chair.
It was a surprise to me when I was called and asked if I would be in Boise to accept an award for my service as the Republican Chair, he said. I felt very humbled to be on the stage with the other recipients of the Hall of Fame awards for the State of Idaho. These are people that had spent a lifetime of dedication to the party and had all been involved in politics much longer than I.
No small reason for winning the award was Teton Countys election results, which led to a Republican sweep of all offices on the ballot, including two county commissioners, the sheriff and the county prosecutor.
I know that the election successes locally were a group effort, said Wilcox. I hope that in some way we have helped the people of our community learn that together our votes count.
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Commissioner Wilcox wins state Republican award - Teton Valley News
Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., said Monday that he could not get behind the Republicans current plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare.
Walker, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, which has 170 members, told Bloomberg that he would recommend that his fellow members reject the plan, too.
The bill contains what increasingly appears to be a new health-insurance entitlement with a Republican stamp on it, he said.
With the GOP-controlled Congress starting its third month of work on one of its marquee priorities, unresolved difficulties include how their substitute would handle Medicaid, whether millions of voters might lose coverage, if their proposed tax credits would be adequate and how to pay for the costly exercise.
VIDEO TRUMP TALKS CRAPPING OBAMACARE WITH GOVERNORS, LAWMAKERS
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office made their job even dicier recently, giving House Republicans an informal analysis that their emerging plan would be more expensive than they hoped and cover fewer people than former President Obamas statute. The analysis was described by lobbyists speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations with congressional aides.
For many in the party, those problems while major are outweighed by pledges theyve made for years to repeal Obamas 2010 law and substitute it with a GOP alternative. Conservatives favoring full repeal are pitted against more cautious moderates and governors looking to curb Medicaids costs also worry about constituents losing coverage. But Republicans also see inaction as the worst alternative and leaders may plunge ahead as soon as next week with initial House committee votes on legislation.
VIDEO: WILL 'NOW OR NEVER' STRATEGY UNITE REPUBLICANS?
I believe they have left themselves no choice. Politically they must do something, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a Republican economist and health analyst, said Monday.
President Trump spoke about health cares complexities on a day he held White House talks with dozens of governors worried Republicans could shift a huge financial burden to the states by curbing Medicaid, the federal-state program that helps low-income people and those in nursing homes pay bills.
Trump also met with insurance company executives concerned that uncertainty about possible GOP changes could roil the marketplace. Insurers said they remain committed to working with the administration and the GOP-led Congress.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Monday that Republicans have yet to win any Democratic support for their effort and said the odds are very high Obamas law wont be repealed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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Key Republican would vote against GOP's ObamaCare replacement - Fox News