Fecteau: Trump’s Embarrassing First-100 Days
Matt Fecteau, GoLocalProv Guest MINDSETTER™
Fecteau: Trump’s Embarrassing First-100 Days
Mr. Trump has to pull a rabbit out of a hat to salvage his nascent legacy, which is why his administration is heading toward this farcical showdown with Congress. You see, remember that southern border wall Trump said Mexico would pay for? Well, that turned out to be a sheer lie. So Trump is including this wall in the American budget at taxpayer expense despite strong opposition in Congress even if it results in a complete shutdown of the government.
Trump’s first 100 days differ very much from the past. For all of Trump’s berating of President Barack Obama, Mr. Obama had some serious legislative accomplishment in the first 100 days such as the stimulus package, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Mr. Obama also okayed the Trump surge in Afghanistan, and started the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq – the latter didn’t turn out so well.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTWhile Mr. Trump’s victories are few and far between, he bombed a couple of countries. If you consider blowing up some 'bad hombres' in Afghanistan and bombing a bunch of obsolete jets in Syrian jets a triumph, as an infamous banner behind a past president on an aircraft carrier once said, “Mission Accomplished.”
During the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump and his campaign team produced a plan called, “Contract with the American Voter.” Key elements of his plan which included term limits, labeling China a currency manipulator, and the renegotiation of NAFTA were simply, yet conveniently forgotten. Other parts, including the hiring freeze, were simply modified, lifted – as the saying goes, “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
Mr. Trump did keep some promises, though difficult to believe. He withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but Congress never formally voted on it so this move was merely symbolic. He rolled back some regulations and approved the Dakota Access Pipeline, which were considered small conservative victories. Yet, a majority of the promises remain broken.
Mr. Trump recently went so far as to say, “No administration has accomplished more in the first 90 days." That does a supreme disservice to basic American history; Mr. Trump should explain that to FDR, but as we know, FDR is dead just like Frederick Douglass; Mr. Douglas, mind you, is the guy Trump believes 'is being recognized more and more’ (referring to him in the present, ‘living’ tense). In the world of Kellyanne Conway-style alternative facts, anything is possible, including resurrection.
Trump’s claims of accomplishment are likely based on a number of executive actions – including orders, presidential memorandums, and proclamations – he has taken. Executive actions can be overturned by the next administration. I’ll have to give credit where credit is due, Trump has issued 32 executive orders, the most since World War II. If Trump was a Democratic President named ‘Barack Obama,’ the Republican National Committee would be condemning him as a dictator, and mailing him constitutions on his birthday – remember that?
Mr. Trump’s principal accomplishment by far is appointing a conservative Associate Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court – Mr. Neil Gorsuch. Even that was wrought with controversy, not receiving one Democrat vote in the Senate (the Democrats were still seething over the lack of a vote on Chief Justice Merrick Garland). Republicans eventually used the dreaded nuclear option to suspend Senate rules, filling the vacancy in an exceptionally partisan, toxic manner.
Mr. Trump does have one less recognized accomplishment; Mr. Trump has golfed more than any president in recent memory, including Mr. Obama. Yes, our current president will go down in history as one of our most seasoned golfers ever to live in the White House. If there is a golf ball to be hit, Mr. Trump will be there with his ten-thousand-dollar Honma irons in hand – go, Donald, go.
The 100 days of the presidency are more symbolic – that is understandable. Nevertheless, the way Mr. Trump talked during the campaign, his tenure and his time in office were supposed to be all puppies and rainbows. Mr. Trump came to Washington D.C. with a can-do attitude, but found out this isn’t the business world or television; you need to compromise and work with the other branches of government.
With no real legislative accomplishments, this is embarrassing for a man who said he can allegedly get things done. Maybe a reality television star isn’t a prerequisite for success in Washington D.C – just a thought.
Trump's Win - What Does it Mean for Rhode Island?
Jennifer Duffy
Cook Report
"We don't really know what a Trump presidency means for the nation, never mind the smallest state. One of the unintended consequences of last night's results is that Sen. Jack Reed won't be chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Chalk that up as a loss for RI."
Pam Gencarella
Head of Ocean State Taxpayers' Association
"Trump’s win means that his signature issue, illegal immigration, could have a big impact on RI, hopefully reversing our course as a sanctuary state and saving the state taxpayer millions of dollars. While we agree with his 'repeal and replace' Obamacare stance, we have no idea what that means to the RI debacle known as UHIP. It is not a stretch to believe that federal funding for this kind of system will be off the table so, will RI be stuck with this massively expensive system that still doesn’t work and that is expected to cost another $124 million to fix?
Trump's belief that there is significant fraud in the Food Stamp program and the policies that may come from that belief could have a negative impact on RI's local economy since there are businesses in certain cities that rely heavily on this program, fraud and all. On the upside, we may be able to ditch the UHIP program if there is significantly less need for processing welfare program requests (ie. Medicaid and food stamps) resulting from fewer illegal immigrants and less fraud. While we are ambivalent about his touted child care policies, if enacted, it may force our legislators to revisit the ever growing state cost of subsidies in this area and possibly reduce the fraud and abuse in this system."
Kay Israel
Professor at Rhode Island College
"With a Republican President and Congress, Rhode Island will probably be excluded from the 'fruits of victory."
The congressional delegation will be able to vocally make their presence felt, but in the long term it's more symbolic than substantive.
For Rhode Island it's a matter of holding on and waiting until '18 or '20 and a surge in Democratic influence."
Jennifer Lawless
Professor at American University
"The RI congressional delegation just became even less powerful than it was. With unified government, Trump doesn’t need to quell Democrats’ concerns or acquiesce because he’s worried about a Democratically-controlled Senate.
His appointments will reflect that. His executive orders will affect that. And the conservative policy agenda he puts forward will affect that."
Len Lardaro
Professor at University of Rhode Island
"Well there's a few things -- because there's not going to be gridlock, that's a big difference if it had been Hillary and a GOP Congress, in which nothing would got done. We'll at least get a half a billion in infrastructure that's going to pass which will have an impact.
I think you'll see there will be reduced reliance on government nationally -- and that's where we'll stick out like sore thumb. We've relied way too much on government -- and our government is highly inefficient and ineffective. Maybe, just maybe, in this who cycle of things we might be forced to be small and more efficient for once.
A couple of other things -- interest rates jumped. The one to follow is the ten year government bond rate -- which is tied to mortgages. It went from 1.7% to 2.05% in one day. The point is -- if the ten year stays high, mortgage rates will start going higher -- and in the short time people will run to re-finance.
That's the short term impact -- but then if rates stay hight, that will make mortgages more out of reach. And we just passed a bond issue to limit open space -- housing has limited upside here.
The next thing -- the Fed Reserve will go ahead with tightening next month. A strong dollar will hurt manufacturing. When the dollar is strong our exports become more expensive overseas.
Our goods production sector -- manufacturing and construction -- in the near term will do a little better, but as time goes on will be more limited. But something you won't hear, is there are lags in fiscal policy, of six months to year. So we won't really see the effects until the third our fourth quarter of 2017, going into 2018."
Mike Stenhouse
RI Center for Freedon and Prosperity
"As the unbelievable turned into reality this morning, it struck me that the presidential election was not really all about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. It was about a fed-up people, revolting against a corrupt system - the "beast" - that relentlessly favors insiders. Hillary personified the beast, while Donald personified the slayer.
Sadly, based on election results in our state, Rhode Island's version of the beast lives on. I fear our political class has not learned the lessons from the Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump movements - and will continue with their government-centric, anti-family, anti-business status quo."
Kristina Contreras Fox
VP of Young Democrats of America
"A Trump Presidency means the validation of the ugliest part of America. In RI, as with the rest of the country, the hammer of his hatred will fall hardest on minority communities. Being a blue state doesn't make us immune from this danger.
Trump won over 35% (39.5) of the vote here! We need to look in the mirror, and not lie about what the reflection shows us. No more hiding underneath a blue blanket. I expect those who claim Democratic values to be true to those values. The gulf between words and actions have turned into fertile ground for Trump's message to grow here in RI. If you call yourself a Democrat, if you claim to stand in opposition to Trump, now is the time to prove it. Show up and fight back."
