2017 Apr 23^rd

Today on “Meet the Press” Reince Priebus was so eager to blame Democrats for Trump’s failure to nominate the over 450 appointments needed to keep the executive branch functioning that he was reduced to babbling. He kept at it until Chuck Todd, the moderator, had to shut him down and move on. Then on came Senator “little” Marco Rubio who was asked about his new leader’s 180 turns on everything from China as a currency manipulator—not anymore; to Janet Yellen as bad for the economy—not anymore; to NATO a no longer useful organization—not anymore; etc.. Senator Rubio, the right wing Washington Examiner reported, said his new hero had every right to change his mind as his entry into the presidency produced new information. Naturally, this would lead him to change his mind about ever so many things. It seems Rubio did not expect Trump to inform himself about these things while he was a candidate.

If the world changes between the time Trump is a candidate and the time Trump is president then Trump has a perfect right to change his position about those things that have changed. That is not what happened here; what happened here was that Trump’s ignorance about the world was exposed to him and to everybody else. We aren’t talking about Trump’s daily intelligence briefing, this was information Trump, or any ordinary citizen, could perfectly well have obtained anytime. Trump was too busy soaking up the adulation of his rally crowds and playing golf to bother learning about being president.

This Saturday marks Trump’s 100^th day in office, a milestone Trump has said we should ignore but that he talks about incessantly. Much is made of how much he has accomplished, or hasn’t accomplished, over this time. Except for signing executive orders repealing some of the protections President Obama put in place with his executive orders, Trump hasn’t accomplished much. One thing he has accomplished: he has eliminated an OSHA regulation requiring employers to keep track of workplace injuries and deaths; just more needless regulation…from management’s viewpoint.

He has nominated Neil Gorsuch who did require senate approval to become a SCOTUS associate justice. While that required legislative action Gorsuch’s appointment owes as much to Senator McConnell’s machinations as it does to President Trump.

It is hard to find any other legislative accomplishments by Trump. There were plenty of defeats, some legislative and some at the hands of the courts. The effort to undo The Affordable Care Act was an embarrassing joke. That effort had a 17 percent approval rating and was not even brought to a vote. What happened to, “I will repeal and replace Obamacare on day one.” He can’t have legislative victories if he refuses to spend time persuading legislators that his positions are worth supporting. He hasn’t done that and he probably will not do that. He apparently believes because the legislature is Republican it should give him what he wants. He’s finding out that isn’t how the legislature works. Now he seems prepared to try again to “repeal and replace.” He will get more egg on his face.

The courts have mooted his travel restrictions on Muslims and now they have done it twice. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has distinguished himself by dissing a Hawaiian Judge who stopped the implementation of this act by referring to him as being from “some island out there.” If Trump doesn’t stumble all over himself then his appointees will show him how it’s done.