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Welcome to the World of Pulitzer Prize Winning Political Cartoonist Michael P. Ramirez |
Trump's Fire and Fury 08-11-17 See Michael's latest cartoons HERE
Plenty of fire and fury to go around
THE MEMO: Trump's base cheers attacks on McConnell
NIALL STANAGE - 08/11/17 THE HILL 1 Grassroots conservatives are cheering on President Trump’s attacks on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), even as Republicans inside the Beltway express anger and confusion. Trump has assailed McConnell repeatedly this week for the failure to pass legislation that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare. Republican senators have rushed to McConnell’s defense — much as they did when one of their former colleagues, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, found himself in Trump’s sights late last month. Even some Washington voices that are normally supportive of the president, such as former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), have suggested Trump is going too far.But it is a very different story among conservatives whose frustration with the ways of Washington propelled Trump’s rise. “The overarching theme from coast to coast was that people wanted to take a wrecking ball to Washington and they were hopeful that Donald Trump would be elected and would be that wrecking ball,” said Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots. The establishment pushback on Trump’s comments, she asserted, was evidence of “just how thick the resistance is inside the swamp.” Trump’s outsider cachet has given him significantly more popularity than McConnell among conservatives. The Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling last month found McConnell’s job performance winning approval from only 30 percent of Republicans, while 46 percent disapproved. For Trump, 81 percent of Republicans approved and only 16 percent disapproved. Those numbers provide an important context to this week’s jibes, with Trump taking on McConnell via Twitter and in comments to reporters. “Can you believe that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed Repeal & Replace for 7 years, couldn't get it done,” Trump tweeted on Thursday. Later that day, he implored McConnell, “Mitch, get back to work and put Repeal & Replace, Tax Reform & Cuts and a great Infrastructure Bill on my desk for signing. You can do it!” As if that were not clear enough, Trump told reporters at his Bedminster, N.J., golf club that he was “very disappointed in Mitch.” Trump’s comments prompted a number of Republicans to speak up for McConnell, including Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas. Cornyn tweeted that passing legislation required a “team effort” and that “no one is more qualified than Mitch McConnell to lead [the] Senate in that effort.” At least eight other Republican senators had expressed some form of backing for McConnell by Friday afternoon. read more |
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