President Trump is as popular as he’s ever been, and he’s enacting exactly what he said he would do — a trait all too rare among politicians. The two things are not mutually exclusive, however — he is popular precisely because he’s working on exactly what he said he would.
But Republicans in Congress risk blowing all the goodwill and the record approval ratings by not doing what is necessary to have Trump’s back. As the old saying goes, no one can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory like Republicans.
Trump has effectively choked off the border, with illegal immigrant entries cratering from the Biden administration’s open border policies. The deportations of criminals have started, and the welfare benefits have been cut off. But to build the wall and make those Trump changes permanent requires Congress to act.
They’re moving … slowly.
Regulations are being cut, dead weight in the bureaucracy is being laid off and previously wasted money is being clawed back, but Republicans are getting nervous. They may be the only people dumb enough to believe those shouting loudly in defense of mid-level bureaucrats they have never met. They cannot tell the difference at their town halls between authentic constituent concerns and the shrill voices of organized leftists singing for their supper.
Republicans need to put on their big boy pants and accept the reality that the left is mobilized against them and not be cowed by it — it’s what they do. The public is on board with what Republicans are trying to do right now. They just have to stick to it and avoid going wobbly, no matter how loudly the Democrats scream.
The public doesn’t understand about budget reconciliation — nor do they care. Yet, the fight now is not over getting done what they promised, but over whether there will be one or two bills over several months.
If Republicans take care of the little big things, they will have all the cover they need to do pretty much anything else they want. But none of the other things matter if people can’t buy gas, eggs or a house.
If Republicans don’t make the 2017 tax cuts permanent, bring down prices and get the economy rolling again, then everything else they do will come to nothing. If voters can’t afford food or the rent, then Democrats will sweep back into power. With the stroke of a pen, they will restore funding to their friends’ and family members’ scammy non-profits. Our government will go back to pretending not to know what the word “woman” means under Title IX, and to defending in court the mutilation of perfectly healthy children in the name of gender pseudo-science.
That’s why every Republican needs to be rowing in the same direction right now. And of course they aren’t, because that’s what Republicans do.
Democrats march in lock-step. They have uniformity of purpose and thought. Republicans, in contrast, are a coalition of individuals, many of whom, when they find themselves in a position to keep their campaign promises, act like their bluff has been called. Today, most Democrats are leftists. On the other side, it’s different. All Republicans talk the conservative talk, but only about two-thirds of them walk the walk.
Democrats are willing to sacrifice office for the progressive cause — witness the predictable electoral massacre they suffered after they voted for Obamacare. Republicans couldn’t repeal or replace that same law when they won back the majority because the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), having won reelection promising repeal, voted no. The truly shameful part, however, is that when he did so, you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from so many Republican House members who had voted in favor of repeal.
Republicans have the momentum now. This is their moment, yet somehow they don’t have the necessary sense of urgency as the clock ticks on Trump’s honeymoon phase. Every presidency, especially in the second term, has an expiration date. Trump is already a lame duck. Yet he has done everything humanly possible to hit the ground running.
Republicans in Congress are just hitting the ground. Instead of action, we’re getting more worthless committee hearings. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) was charged with releasing the remaining documents regarding the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Rather than simply do the job, she’s planning hearings and a field trip to the scene of the crime. This is why people hate Congress and why that hatred is justified — they are show horses, not workhorses.
The clock is ticking. If Congress keeps dawdling, you can forget the rest of the honeymoon and get straight to the divorce.
Derek Hunter is host of the Derek Hunter Podcast and a former staffer for the late Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.).
