The Trump Card...

[muttly]

Regarding Sessions and whether Trump will and or should fire him. A better idea would be to keep Sessions on as AG. Firing him would create chaos...or more chaos.
A good article by Andrew McCarthy from National Review.
One major point in his article is that the FBI probe was a counterintelligence investigation not a criminal one, so Sessions' recusal was way to broad.
It hits on what mistakes were made with his recusal and how it can be somewhat fixed. This looks like the best case scenario at this point. Again, firing Sessions will create a firestorm so this looks like the better way.
Article excerpt below:
Instead of badgering his attorney general on Twitter, perhaps the president could, you know, act like a president and instruct his Justice Department to comply with federal regulations.

Sessions could be directed to consider whether his recusal complies with the regulation that limits disqualification to criminal investigations as to which there is a conflict. To the extent it does not, he should amend the recusal to conform to the regulation.

Rosenstein could be directed to consider whether his appointment of a special counsel complies with the regulations that limit such appointments to criminal investigations or prosecutions as to which the Justice Department is conflicted. He could further be directed to specify exactly what potential crimes the special counsel is authorized to investigate.

Sessions, Trump, and the ‘Counterintelligence’ Confusion

 

[ATeam]

Sessions could be directed to consider whether his recusal complies with the regulation that limits disqualification to criminal investigations as to which there is a conflict. To the extent it does not, he should amend the recusal to conform to the regulation.

Rosenstein could be directed to consider whether his appointment of a special counsel complies with the regulations that limit such appointments to criminal investigations or prosecutions as to which the Justice Department is conflicted. He could further be directed to specify exactly what potential crimes the special counsel is authorized to investigate.

If that happened, what difference would it make and for whom?

 

[ATeam]

The Senate defeated Repeal and Replace last night, denying Trump a key win. This piece offered up an interesting response. Should Trump start a third party? Should he be like Abraham Lincoln and do to the Republican party what the Republican party did to the Whigs?

Time to replace the Republican Party with a pro-Trump party

Trump toyed with the idea early in the campaign. He explored the idea years ago when he formed an exploratory committee to run for president as a Reform Party candidate. Given his history with the Republican Party and recent developments, would it make sense for him to dust off the old idea and act on it?

 

[ATeam]

That's Politics 101. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Refuse to scratch my back, and I'll claw yours.

Is that what happened last night when McCain cast the deciding vote against Trump? Is McCain remembering
Trump's comment ("I like people who weren't captured") and other criticism previously delivered?

Should we add this to Turtle's Politics 101 instruction? "Claw my back and be clawed in return."

Trump has dished out a lot of political pain to Republicans. Karma and Politics 101 places him in line to receive much back.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

when I went to bed they Pence at the ready expecting a close vote....so even the skinny bill got defeated?...that says a lot....it wasn't even a replace bill....from my understanding it was just removing the personal mandate and tax penalties....something the insurance companies warned NOT to do as rates would skyrocket again.

Whats surprising is the GOP have had 8 yrs to have an alternative plan and they come to the table empty handed, not a clue....

 

[ATeam]

Whats surprising is the GOP have had 8 yrs to have an alternative plan and they come to the table empty handed, not a clue....

Their problem is they took an absolutist, all-or-nothing partisan position in the beginning. The problem was compounded as public support for Obamacare grew over the years. The Republicans maintained their absolutist position, putting themselves in the untenable position of pushing a bill that less than 20% of Americans wanted.

Simple answers to complex problems work on the campaign trail. Not so much in the halls of Congress.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Whats surprising is the GOP have had 8 yrs to have an alternative plan and they come to the table empty handed, not a clue....

Their problem is they took an absolutist, all-or-nothing partisan position in the beginning. The problem was compounded as public support for Obamacare grew over the years. The Republicans maintained their absolutist position, putting themselves in the untenable position of pushing a bill that less than 20% of Americans wanted.

Simple answers to complex problems work on the campaign trail. Not so much in the halls of Congress.

an elephant can hang from a 10 story building by his trunk....in theory...

 

[Turtle]

Is that what happened last night when McCain cast the deciding vote against Trump? Is McCain remembering
Trump's comment ("I like people who weren't captured") and other criticism previously delivered?

I guess you could look at it that way. The easy cheap shot retort would be that McCain has a brain tumor.

But McCain has been unwaveringly consistent since well before the beginnings of the Obamacare debate in 2008 that health insurance and healthcare on a national level is so fundamental and and all-encompassing that it yogis not be forced on the American people in a partisan manner, since by doing so it would necessarily divide the country. He was right 20 years ago, he was right 10 years ago, and he's still right about it.

This triceratops-sized "skinny repeal" of a turd should be been defeated in a 98-2 vote.

Should we add this to Turtle's Politics 101 instruction? "Claw my back and be clawed in return."

While I appreciate the credit, I did not come up with it.

Trump has dished out a lot of political pain to Republicans. Karma and Politics 101 places him in line to receive much back.

That's hardly a surprise, as is made clear in the above linked article. Democrats, Republicans, doesn't matter. The entrenched establishment elites in the swap like their swamp swampy. That Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin is hardly a new notion.

 

[Turtle]

Their problem is they took an absolutist, all-or-nothing partisan position in the beginning.

May like the Democrats did with Obamacare.

I said it then, and I still think it's the case, because national health care affects every American on such a fundamental and personal level, or needs to be voted on by the states as a Constitutional Amendment. Or at the very least, as legislation, have 75% agreement in Congress. Anything less is too partisan.

 

[RoadTime]

The longer this repeal/replace/duct tape fix goes on. The more I think, just repeal this beast. Keep one thing, preconditions and turn it back to the people and individual insurance companies.

Oh my, the millions of people that would go from having unusable insurance (like me) to having to get something that might actually be useable if they choose. I vaguely, remember something like this pre-Obama.

But that's just a crazy idea

Sent from my P00I using EO Forums mobile app

 

[muttly]

Sessions could be directed to consider whether his recusal complies with the regulation that limits disqualification to criminal investigations as to which there is a conflict. To the extent it does not, he should amend the recusal to conform to the regulation.

Rosenstein could be directed to consider whether his appointment of a special counsel complies with the regulations that limit such appointments to criminal investigations or prosecutions as to which the Justice Department is conflicted. He could further be directed to specify exactly what potential crimes the special counsel is authorized to investigate.

If that happened, what difference would it make and for whom?

It would prevent Mueller from going on a fishing expedition about some land deal 10 years ago to some Russian. Sessions would keep him on the rails and have him stick to the objective of discovering what Russian meddling there was in the election.

 

[Turtle]

Rience Priebus just got voted off the island.

 

[muttly]

Turtle beat me to it again.

 

[muttly]

Rience Priebus just got voted off the island.

 

[ATeam]

GOP establishment Priebus is out and a retired Marine Corps general will take his place. What remains the same is the chief's own leadership style and personality traits. It will be interesting to see how the White House team behavior changes, if it changes at all, with a considerably different chief of staff in place.

 

[davekc]

Anyone notice that the current plots are from the apprentice?
On a side note, the failure on Ocare is a blessing. No one wants to own the current mess.
McCain actually did the republicans a favor. Let it tank and then address it.

 

[muttly]

Good bye Velvet Hammer.
Scaramucci out as WH Comms Director.

 

[davekc]

Good bye Velvet Hammer.
Scaramucci out as WH Comms Director.

That was quick. Heard Kelly requested his removal. Good call in my opinion.

 

[muttly]

Good bye Velvet Hammer.
Scaramucci out as WH Comms Director.

That was quick. Heard Kelly requested his removal. Good call in my opinion.

CNN's April Ryan quoting a source. Scaramucci said to Chief Of Staff Kelly 'I don't report to you'. Kelly: 'You're gone.'

 

[Turtle]

CNN's April Ryan quoting a source. Scaramucci said to Chief Of Staff Kelly 'I don't report to you'. Kelly: 'You're gone.'

That's the kind of reporting, and sourcing you find at celebrity gossip publications. Next we'll be seeing reports that one of Ivanka's gal pals says Ivanka is distraught because her stepmother is no longer speaking to her because Ivanka chooses Huggies over Pampers for her baby.

According to SHS (Sarah Huckabee Sanders) at the White House staff meeting the president made it very clear that everyone on staff, including everyone everyone (including Jared, Ivanka, Bannon, everyone) reports to the Chief of Staff, and goes through him to get to the president. So for Scaramucci after the meeting to then tell Kelly the exact opposite of what the president just finished saying doesn't make sense.

What makes sense, especially considering the president's own comments on the matter, is that Scaramucci was escorted off the White House grounds by security because of his unprofessional profanity-laced tirade, and the fact that one of the targets of the tirade was Steve Bannon.