As the midterm elections approach, to defend his war with Iran President Trump likes to say: “Americans are happy to pay extra to keep Iran from getting a nuclear bomb.”
Taxpayers are responding with: “We don’t want to pay extra because Republicans are in office. We want them out.”
Thus polls, at the moment, are showing a likely Democratic wave for Congress in November. Will it mean majorities in the House and Senate?
Dunno.
To respond to the affordability crisis and thus the losses the President’s team sees happening, the President has tried:
Not a winning formula for Republicans in November and the polls are indicating (and they can, and will change) that Democrats may take control for the next Congress.
That doesn’t only mean Trump’s agenda (if you can name what it is) is dead. It will mean that rather than the Congress looking the other way and the Supreme Court endorsing much of his whittling of power away from the Legislative branch to the Executive branch, the Congress will take back some of its authority.
If Democrats take power, it will mean two years of hearings, investigations and, likely, impeachment though as with his first two impeachments in his first term, it still will take two-thirds of the Senate to convict him, thus conviction is unlikely.
So, is the future brighter for consumers? Maybe but it’s not a sure thing.
It means Democrats need a legislative strategy to make things better for consumers. And, they will need a signature from the President to make their strategy law. Overriding a presidential veto takes two-thirds majority in the House and the Senate. Democrats, even if they retake power, won’t have it at those levels.
So, taking over majorities in the Congress doesn’t mean life automatically gets better for American consumers.
It might mean, though, that the damage Mr. Trump is doing to our democracy may stop or at least be slowed.
It means Congress will begin retrieving the power Trump has taken away.
It may not mean an end to the madness.
But it’s an important step toward the sanity.
Taxpayers are responding with: “We don’t want to pay extra because Republicans are in office. We want them out.”
Thus polls, at the moment, are showing a likely Democratic wave for Congress in November. Will it mean majorities in the House and Senate?
Dunno.
To respond to the affordability crisis and thus the losses the President’s team sees happening, the President has tried:
- Proposing to end beef tariffs to lower beef costs. Ranchers, a key constituency of his, protested
- Instituting high tariffs to punish exporting countries for allegedly taking advantage of American consumers. The result: Prices, as predicted by economists for decades and evidenced by Hawley-Smoot 100 years ago, increased on Americans
- Proposes cutting $5,000 checks to every taxpayer IF they elect a Republican Congress. Even Republicans in Congress protested because they don’t want to add to the national debt which has hit $40 trillion under Trump
- Pronounces magically that prices have gone down during his presidency. The facts are different: the consumer price index has increased from 3.4 percent to 4.3 percent since he took office. Ground beef and steak prices are up about 20 percent. Gas surged more than 30 percent. Rent, up. Airfare, up. Health care, up.
Not a winning formula for Republicans in November and the polls are indicating (and they can, and will change) that Democrats may take control for the next Congress.
That doesn’t only mean Trump’s agenda (if you can name what it is) is dead. It will mean that rather than the Congress looking the other way and the Supreme Court endorsing much of his whittling of power away from the Legislative branch to the Executive branch, the Congress will take back some of its authority.
If Democrats take power, it will mean two years of hearings, investigations and, likely, impeachment though as with his first two impeachments in his first term, it still will take two-thirds of the Senate to convict him, thus conviction is unlikely.
So, is the future brighter for consumers? Maybe but it’s not a sure thing.
It means Democrats need a legislative strategy to make things better for consumers. And, they will need a signature from the President to make their strategy law. Overriding a presidential veto takes two-thirds majority in the House and the Senate. Democrats, even if they retake power, won’t have it at those levels.
So, taking over majorities in the Congress doesn’t mean life automatically gets better for American consumers.
It might mean, though, that the damage Mr. Trump is doing to our democracy may stop or at least be slowed.
It means Congress will begin retrieving the power Trump has taken away.
It may not mean an end to the madness.
But it’s an important step toward the sanity.
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