You Can’t Always Get What You Want…or Can You? - “The Sunday Political Brunch”
Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™
You Can’t Always Get What You Want…or Can You? - “The Sunday Political Brunch”
“The RFK Jr. Challenge” – For McConnell, his recent votes against certain Trump picks were heavily political. He and Trump don’t much like each other, and McConnell was a last-minute “no” on Pete Hegseth to be confirmed as Defense Secretary, so Vice President JD Vance had to break a 50-50 tie. As for his vote against Gabbard, McConnell just didn’t see her as qualified. But his vote on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services, has been very personal for McConnell. He is the only sitting U.S. Senator who is a polio survivor. Leading up to the vote McConnell said, “anyone seeking the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures.” Kennedy’s questioning of many vaccines has received blistering criticism from some on both sides of the aisle. But in the end, he was confirmed 52-48 with McConnell as the lone Republican voting no.
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“A Technical Knockout?”—Ok, let’s switch the comparison from baseball to boxing. Yes, the initial nominee for Attorney General, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) Florida was a first-round knockout and it looked like he might not be the only one. Hegseth, Gabbard, Kennedy, and others faced a similar doomsday scenario, but all got in. This is unusual in any White House, even with a majority in the Senate. Still, it does not mean that Trump has the numbers to get his way every time. Just wait until he tries to pass his goal of a single giant tax, spending, and policy bill in the House where the Republican majority still stands at a slim one-vote lead. Some Republicans in key moderate swing districts may not want that, as it could spell their defeat in 2026. Right now, this is Trump’s Achilles Heel, if he has one.
“Democrats Still Have Weapons” – The minority party is not without some leverage. Given the GOP one-vote margin in the House, it was hoping to secure another safe seat. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) is the nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and should be easily confirmed soon. There must be a special election in New York State, in her heavily GOP-leaning district. But this week Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) New York and Democratic state legislative leaders toyed with the idea of waiting until the general election in November to hold a vote for the Stefanik seat, instead of having the election much sooner, say May or June. That would mean Republicans could not lose one vote on any bill in the House, otherwise, the bill would automatically fail.
“Trump’s ‘Carrot and Stick’ Counterattack” – After much pushing and shoving, Governor Hochul and Democrats backed down. First, six Republican Congressmen from New York threatened to bring a federal Justice Department investigation into the election delay. But the real kicker was simply money. Hochul supports a newly implemented Congestion Pricing law that jacks up tolls so high it is meant to encourage people to use public transit instead, to clear the roads and clean the air. Trump doesn’t like the plan but has been negotiating with the governor about a deal. He’s said to favor allowing some of the tolls, if the special Congressional election is held as soon as possible. The deal is estimated to bring in $15 billion for New York City. If Hochul helps Trump, (and he helps her), he made it again with the “art of the deal!”
“Supreme Trouble” -- I want to circle back to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) Kentucky for a moment. He and Trump are bitter enemies, even though they worked in tandem to create the current 6-3 Republican appointee majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. They only accommodate each other, when it serves the self. I have long predicted that Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito might retire early in a second Trump term. While McConnell no longer sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee that initially considers judicial nominees, McConnell is Chair of the Senate Rules Committee. That committee is essentially the “gatekeeper” of which bills and nominations get to the full Senate floor. To spite Trump, McConnel could simply tie the process in knots, and don’t think he wouldn’t do it to secure a court nominee more to his own liking. Keep a close eye on this!
“Trump’s ‘Bull-DOGE-er’ Plows Away” – Trump’s first month back in office was sprinkled with multiple media appearances and press availabilities. Certainly, the most interesting was this past week’s appearance with Elon Musk, who leads the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, now affectionally known as DOGE. During much of the briefing, Musk was giving his 4-year-old son nicknamed “Lil’ X” a shoulder ride. The event was cute, but the impact of potential looming cuts is worrisome to many. Musk said later in the week, “I think we do need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leaving a lot of them behind.” He added, “It’s kind of like a weed, if we don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back.” Keep in mind that Musk is strictly an advisor. Neither he nor his agency have the power to do anything, except make recommendations to Trump. The courts and Congress may still have some say. At least six federal lawsuits aimed at stopping Trump’s executive orders are in the courts right now. But his terminations and buyouts of thousands of federal workers are already underway.
“Muster of Bluster?” – President Trump is again testing the international waters. He held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, in which he offered to help negotiate an end to Russia’s war with Ukraine. Of particular concern were reports these talks might not include Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump insisted Thursday that was not true, saying, "They're part of it. We would have Ukraine, and we have Russia, and we'll have other people involved, a lot of people.” Critics found little assurance of that. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia in the Obama Administration, Michael McFaul said on X, “Diplomacy 101: Don’t give anything without getting something in return. Don’t negotiate in public. Don’t negotiate about Ukraine’s future without first coordinating your position with Ukrainians.” Still, it’s just another example of Trump trying to get a lot accomplished on many fronts, just weeks into his final term. I don’t think he’s about to take his foot off of the gas pedal.
“You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!” – Politics is sometimes the theatre of the absurd, with two examples this week. The Trump White House has indefinitely banned the AP, the Associated Press, from any White House media briefings or press pool travel on Air Force One. The reason?
AP insists on referring to the large body of water in the Southeastern U.S. as the Gulf of Mexico, and not the Gulf of America, as Trump has insisted he changed by executive action. And in an unrelated matter, a framed mugshot of Trump’s booking photo from his election interference case in Georgia, now hangs right outside the Oval Office. The photo literally scowls at those who enter. But what’s the message?