Great Expectations

(Great Expectations)

February 22nd is the birthday for George Washington. Revolutionary War Hero, first President of the United States. The current President of the United States, Donald Trump, could be "going postal." Not the events of a deranged mail man shooting up an office, but President Trump, could be looking to incorporate the Postal Service into perhaps the Commerce Department. The Service has been losing money for decades and when people used e-mail more than regular postage, the need for stamps necessarily decreased. But as long as letters to Santa or to gramma who sadly broke her hip.


That is what one expects from President Trump. Are the same standards being applied to Congressional Republicans ? To borrow a line from Star Wars, "I grow tired of asking this, this is going to be the last time. Where is the Rebel Base ?" Or, where is the vote on the Reconciliation Package ?


Doubts about the final go ahead are accumulating. On the rumor that GOP progress on the tax cuts is in jeopardy, the Dow Jones sold off almost eight hundred points on Friday. It was also that a story in the Wall Street JOURNAL that United Health is under investigation for charging practices. Its stock tanked and took several hundred points of the Market itself.


However, the idea of Trump's invincibility and the smooth passage of his agenda is now an open question. It was not necessarily supposed to be easy but a small Majority, for which Speaker Johnson is complaining, he might not have the problem of "political geography," where the Conference has so many Members that it would be difficult. With a grand total of at best a two seat Majority, and assuming the President's program is popular, whatever internal cleavages, like the Freedom Caucus, should allow for their assent and move the Legislation forward.


Complaining that the Senate is charting its own course, independent of the House and has no tax provision as of yet. The Upper Chamber is deliberative to a fault, literally. One of the reasons the Gingrich Revolution of 1994 fizzled is the Senate, which also turned to the GOP, could not pass the Items from the Contract For America. President Trump is the "new" Speaker Gingrich and as the former Speaker has said, Trump's Presidency is the most consequential in recent history. Trump would hardly dis-agree.


But a vital piece of the agenda will remain elusive as long as Congress cannot agree on fundamentals. Gingrich comments are also the warning. Either Republicans strike now, or it will back to the wilderness. 

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