The sudden appointment of Robert S. Mueller as a special counsel for the federal investigation into the Trump campaign’s relationship with Russia highlights a key question: Which choice poses the greater risk for Republicans in Congress, to support a potential impeachment or to close ranks behind the president? To defy […] Read more »
Trump Is Testing the GOP’s Limits
… Events are pressing on Trump so quickly that it’s hazardous to project his current support from his party too far into the future. Congressional Republicans aren’t defending Trump because of deep personal loyalty. Instead the GOP alliance with Trump is rooted in shared political interests. Congressional Republicans need him […] Read more »
A reminder: House health-care bill is more unpopular than Trump is
… Despite all of the controversies that Republicans are now facing, here’s a reminder that the House GOP health-care legislation still seems like a bigger political problem for Republicans than Trump. Consider these numbers inside the recent NBC/WSJ poll, which show that the House GOP plan is much more unpopular […] Read more »
Comey’s Firing Shakes Up Jittery Republicans
It’s time for congressional Republicans and their strategists to start popping their blood-pressure meds. Even before President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, the potential for GOP problems in next year’s midterm elections were real. CONT. Charlie Cook, Cook Political Report Read more »
Lessons for Trump Detractors From a Loyalty Expert
You’ve probably never heard of James Kane, but elected officials, party strategists, and even some reporters could learn from his perspective as a behavioral scientist (instead of a partisan hack) about how to fracture President Donald Trump’s base and the future of the two parties. … According to Kane, people […] Read more »
Should Democrats Recruit Pragmatists or Progressives?
A Republican friend of mine recently argued Democrats need to run candidates like former congressman Heath Shuler if they are going to become competitive again as a national party. The Democrats, he insisted, are just too liberal, especially culturally, to win where they must. Given the Democrats’ ongoing debate over […] Read more »