Maybe Trump Should Read His Own Book

The Art of the Deal? The loser can’t negotiate with toast. He got rolled big time on the budget negotiations that keep the government operating until September. Don’t let him near any international treaties, or he’ll give away Oregon.

Behold:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) secured nearly $5 billion in new domestic spending by exploiting disagreements between Trump and GOP lawmakers over spending priorities.

Democrats’ lopsided victory on the five-month deal, which is likely to be approved this week, means it will be very difficult — if not impossible — for the GOP to exert its will in future budget negotiations, including when it comes to Trump’s 2018 budget blueprint. …

… The extra money for domestic programs will now be that much harder to strip out of future budgets, and Trump’s priorities, such as money for a wall along the border with Mexico, could be more difficult to include. …

… In addition to the $5 billion in domestic spending, the bipartisan agreement released early Monday morning is packed with Democratic priorities, such as protection for funding for Planned Parenthood, a permanent extension of health care for coal miners and money to help Puerto Rico make up a projected shortfall in Medicaid.

In short, Trump’s budget cuts sleep with the fishes.

And since it worked so well this time, he’s already threatening a government shutdown in September if he doesn’t get what he wants.

The government spending deal just reached in Congress isn’t some enormous triumph of progressive politics, but with the exception of a boost in military spending it didn’t include many of Donald Trump’s various campaign promises or budget proposals. Since Trump himself is frequently disengaged with policy issues, it’s not entirely clear that he recognized this is what was happening while the dealmaking was taking place.

But once the deal was reached, coverage of it inevitably trickled out onto cable news, the president’s chosen source of political information. So it’s no surprise that he’s reacting somewhat defensively on Tuesday to the scale of his defeat.

On one level, his message is pretty banal — the right would make more progress in budget negotiations if Congress had even more Republicans. But he also threw in what looks like a surprising call for Republicans to take a tougher line next fall when this round of appropriations expires and threaten a government shutdown unless they get their way.

However, it’s unlikely conditions will be more favorable for Trump in September than they are now. If current trends continue his administration is likely to become more dysfunctional, not less, and what little honeymoon he had is now officially over.

9 thoughts on “Maybe Trump Should Read His Own Book

  1. t-RUMPLE-Thin-sKKKin was right:
    I’m tired of all of the whining.

    What?
    “WINNING?”
    Really?
    A-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

    My bad…

    Still, I’m tired of all of the whining!
    He acts like out of all of the 44 prior Presidents, HE’S the only one to ever have been criticized, and roasted in the press!
    I guess he completely forgot how he was a one-man attack squad on one Barack Hussein Obama.
    Maybe he does have dementia?

    Regardless, the big man with tiny hands forgot to put his big-boy pants on.
    What a putz!

    I’m thankful, because the only ones saving us from him and his fellow GOP sociopath’s, are he and his fellow GOP sociopaths.
    Incompetence “trumps” idiology!

  2. Maybe he does have dementia?

    No, no.. What you’re looking at is the product of severe narcissism. I can understand how it could be easily mistaken for dementia, but the reality is he’s not forgetting anything. He’s completely controlled and overtaken by his narcissism so in a sense he’s helpless to speak against and or relate honestly to any facts outside of his own narcissistic narrative.

    Looks like Donnie is having a presidential potty training session.. Now everybody ooh and aah and clap with encouragement while little Donnie has his executive bowel movement. We don’t want him to shut down.

  3. When he was building the brand in NYC, “The Donald” was a favorite. It implied that if Trump was in on a deal, you should want in on that deal – or if Trump was in on a deal, you dare not oppose the deal. In DC his brand doesn’t count for squat. (I think that will get past the spam filter.) Do insert your own colorful figure of speech for ‘squat’.

    Trump got none of what he wanted in the budget – he may get shut down for a second time on health care. (It’s close.) He’s not going to be able to execute his tax cuts as planned – if anything gets written, I’m not sure the Freedom Caucus will go along.

    Trump is doing as much damage as he can with his cabinet picks and executive orders – and it is substantial but he’s thrashing helplessly in DC when he expected he could own DC with his brand. The magic of being “The Donald” isn’t the same in reality as it was on a reality show.

    If Trump isn’t impeached, I wonder if he will develop an ingrown toenail and resign for medical reasons.

  4. Doug,
    Phlebitis seems to be the prefered malady for conservative politicians whose dreams are found to be eIther scams or schemes.
    Nixon used it to gather sympathy after he left office.

  5. In honor of Donald Trump, I do believe this “election” was the largest con ever perpetrated on the American public. Not quite up to historical international standards, yet, but there is an upcoming election in 3 1/2 years.

    For a sociological perspective of the current predicament we find ourselves in, read Chapters 22 & 23 of Huckleberry Finn on the King and the Duke. We have just been through night one of the The King’s Cameleopard, or The Royal Nonesuch.

    Republicans should heed the warning: “Better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

  6. Any shutdown that happens would be part of some plan to advance Trump Family Acquisition, the driving force of his presidency.

  7. We’re a pretty resolute bunch out here, be hard to give us away. There is a sizable population that wouldn’t be unhappy to just walk away.

    And ah, out here even the liberals are efficiently armed. Snakes.

  8. Pingback: They’re Losing — Keep Fighting – FairAndUNbalanced.com

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