Republican leaders have now had a full day now to celebrate their retention of majorities in both houses of Congress–and to start the kiss-and-make-up phase of their relationship with President-Elect Donald Trump. But I hope that behind the smiling faces is a realization of the incredibly dangerous situation in which those leaders now find themselves.
Donald Trump may have been the Republican nominee–but he is certainly not a Republican–nor a Conservative. He did not run on the “GOP Agenda”. He received luke-warm at best support from those he must now work with in Washington. And he most likely feels like he owes nothing to those Republican leaders to advance their causes either.
So what happens when Hillary Clinton does not get “locked up”?
What happens when no “magnificent wall” is built along the Mexican border?
What happens when 13-million illegal immigrants are not deported from the country?
What happens when an Islamic Terrorist that came to the US as a refugee shoots up a shopping mall?
What happens when the Affordable Care Act is repealed–but is not replaced due to a Democratic Filibuster in the Senate?
What happens when repeal of trade deals results in tariffs and quotas overseas–and US exports plummet?
What happens when shuttered production plants don’t immediately fire back to life because it’s still too expensive to manufacture stuff here?
What happens when coal mines don’t reopen because it’s still cheaper to fire power plants with natural gas?
What happens when Supreme Court nominees that everyone thought were going to “uphold the Constitution as it was written” instead become “creative in their interpretation of the document” (like Chief Justice John Roberts)?
What happens if the economy doesn’t grow at 4% annually–like a certain Presidential candidate predicted it would?
And what happens when President Donald Trump takes to the TV airwaves in Oval Office speeches and press conferences to throw the Republicans in Congress under the bus because none of the above happened?
Those who elected Donald Trump President didn’t do it because they are “Republicans” or even care about the “GOP agenda”. Lack of support from Republicans actually helped his campaign. So when the outrageous things that he promised them for the last year-and-a-half don’t take place–they will be more than happy to blame the “Establishment that rigged the system against their President”.
Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell may have been handed the keys to the kingdom this week–but nlowthey have to share it with Godzilla.
