March 26, 2017

Tax Reform Is Already In Trouble

March 26, 2017 By Taegan Goddard

Stan Collender: “Many of the very same pressures that stopped the GOP’s American Health Care Act dead in its tracks will be present again with tax reform. As a result, unlike what many analysts were saying just a few days ago, corporate tax reform this year not only is no longer a sure thing , it has to be considered to be in trouble.”

“But there will be one big difference between Obamacare and tax reform: it won’t be as easy for Congress to pass a budget resolution in May or June as it was for it to adopt a budget resolution this past January and, without one, the reconciliation procedures won’t be available.”

“The reason for that difficulty? The January fiscal 2017 budget resolution was largely pro forma; it made no substantive policy changes and was done just to get reconciliation instructions in place for ACA repeal. Many House and Senate Republicans held their noses and voted for it even though it had high deficits and what they considered to be excessive spending levels only so the AAC repeal debate could get underway. By contrast, the fiscal 2018 budget resolution that Congress will consider later this year will be the real thing, with deficits and spending levels that will be anything but acceptable to many representatives and senators.”

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https://politicalwire.com/2017/03/26/tax-reform-already-trouble/

March 26, 2017

A Kennedy for Connecticut governor?

By Neil Vigdor Updated 10:20 am, Sunday, March 26, 2017

His name opens doors, but comes with the burden of lofty political expectations: Ted Kennedy Jr.

Now in his second term as a state senator, the Branford Democrat and disability advocate is said by multiple sources to be strongly leaning toward a run for governor in 2018.

A person close to Kennedy put the chances at “90 percent” that the health care lawyer and son of the late “liberal lion” Edward M. Kennedy jumps into the race, capitalizing on his name recognition and a potential vacuum if fellow Democrat Dannel P. Malloy opts not to seek a third term as governor.

Kennedy, 55, declined an interview request, but issued a statement to Hearst Connecticut Media demurring about his gubernatorial plans and calling it an honor to serve in the state Senate, where he is co-chairman of the Environment Committee. He is the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.

“If other opportunities to serve were to arise, I would consider them,” Kennedy said. “But right now, I am focused on my legislative agenda to strengthen our state finances, bring jobs back to our state, protect our environment, promote disability rights and preserve access to health care.”

more
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/A-Kennedy-for-Connecticut-governor-11028630.php

March 26, 2017

Trump may bypass hardline conservatives on tax, White House says

Source: Reuters

Sun Mar 26, 2017 | 12:00pm EDT

By Lindsay Dunsmuir and Doina Chiacu | WASHINGTON

Fresh off a defeat on U.S. healthcare legislation, the White House warned rebellious conservative lawmakers that they should get behind President Donald Trump's agenda or he may opt to bypass them on future legislative fights, including tax reform.

Both Trump and White House chief of staff Reince Priebus scolded hardline conservatives who rejected legislation backed by the White House to overhaul Obamacare.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Priebus held out the possibility of working with moderate Democrats as well as Republicans to pass other aspects of Trump's agenda, such as his proposed budget, the revamp of the tax code and a renewed effort at healthcare reform.

"If we can come up with a bill that accomplishes the goals of the president with Republicans alone, we'll take and we'll move forward with it," Priebus said.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-taxes-idUSKBN16X0MM

March 26, 2017

Adam Schiff is 'full of Schiff': Roger Stone says he didn't write 'hashtag WikiLeaks' so no collusio

Adam Schiff is ‘full of Schiff’: Roger Stone says he didn’t write ‘hashtag WikiLeaks’ so no collusion

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/adam-schiff-is-full-of-schiff-roger-stone-says-he-didnt-write-hashtag-wikileaks-so-no-collusion/

March 26, 2017

Schumer On Possibility Of Working With Trump On ACA: 'It's Not Me, It's Him'

Source: Talking Points Memo



By ESME CRIBB Published MARCH 26, 2017, 11:57 AM EDT

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Sunday that it is "virtually impossible" for Democrats to work with President Donald Trump to improve Obamacare unless Trump is willing to change his position on repeal.

"We have ideas, they have ideas, to try to improve Obamacare. We never said it was perfect, we always said we'd work with them to improve it. We just said repeal was off the table," Schumer said on ABC's "This Week."

He said that Trump never reached out to Democrats about the Republican bill which was pulled on Friday half an hour before its scheduled House floor vote. Trump blamed Democrats, among others, for the bill's last-minute implosion."The President never called us once about this," Schumer said.

He said that Trump is undermining himself with his threats to let Obamacare "implode completely."

"For the President to say that he'll destroy it or undermine it, that's not presidential. That's petulance," Schumer said. "And it's not going to work."

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/chuck-schumer-trump-its-not-me-its-him

March 26, 2017

Conservative pundit: The only president with a worse 100 days than Trump is the one who died...

Conservative pundit: The only president with a worse 100 days than Trump is the one who died the first month

TOM BOGGIONI
26 MAR 2017 AT 11:39 ET

On MSNBC Sunday morning a conservative radio host took multiple shots at President Donald Trump’s faltering relationship with his own party, saying the first two months of his administration have been a disaster.

Appearing on AM Joy, commentator Charlie Sykes was asked by fill-in host Jonathan Capehart how things are going for Trump within his own party.

“Does it make much sense for the president to wage this all-out war, all-out battle on fellow Republicans, moderates and conservatives,” Capehart asked. “What have you, what’s he’s got, what is this, day 65? He’s got three and a half more years?”

“Yeah, so far the only president who had a worse 100 first days would be William Henry Harrison who didn’t last past 30 days,” Sykes quipped to laughter from the panel.

“This is what is so dangerous for the Republican governing majority at this point,” Sykes continued. “You had this disaster on Friday. The president made it really clear he didn’t care that much, he wasn’t engaged, he wasn’t passionate, he never bothered to learn the details of the (health care) bill.”

more
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/conservative-pundit-the-only-president-with-a-worse-100-days-than-trump-is-the-one-who-died-the-first-month/

March 26, 2017

Ted Koppel Tells Sean Hannity He Thinks He's Bad for America

by Josh Feldman | 11:41 am, March 26th, 2017

CBS Sunday Morning today featured a piece from Ted Koppel on America’s serious divisions and a back-and-forth between Koppel and Fox News’ Sean Hannity on the subject.

Koppel opened by talking about the “alternate universes” Americans are living in these days, running clips of people like Hannity, John Oliver, and Tomi Lahren in talking about the people who are “driving the country further and further apart.”

Part of Koppel’s report focused on the rise of conservative media and the influence it’s played on the current state of American politics, citing Rush Limbaugh in particular.

In the snippet of the interview that aired during the segment, Hannity told Koppel that he needs to give the American people a little more credit––that they can distinguish between news and opinion programming.

He sensed Koppel’s cynicism and asked, “You think we’re bad for America? You think I’m bad for America?”

Koppel said, “Yeah.”

Hannity told him “that’s sad” and reiterated his belief that he’s “selling the American people short.”

Koppel offered Hannity a partial compliment by saying he’s very good at what he does, but added that he’s also “attracted people who are determined that ideology is more important than facts.”

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/ted-koppel-tells-sean-hannity-he-thinks-hes-bad-for-america/

March 26, 2017

Leader Of GOP's House Hardliners: Still A 'Good Chance' Of Obamacare Repeal

Source: Talking Points Memo


By ESME CRIBB Published MARCH 26, 2017, 11:32 AM EDT

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said on Sunday that he believes there is still "a good chance" Republicans can unite along the ideological spectrum to repeal and replace Obamacare.

"I still believe that there is a good chance, if moderates and conservatives can come together, that we repeal and replace Obamacare," Meadows said on ABC's "This Week."

He brushed off President Donald Trump's tweet from earlier Sunday morning claiming that "Democrats are smiling in D.C." over the bill's implosion.

"If they're applauding, they shouldn't, because I can tell you that conversations over the last 48 hours are really about how we come together in the Republican conference and try to get this over the finish line," Meadows said. He said the bill, which was pulled half an hour before it was set to go to the floor on Friday for a vote, was "not a final passage."

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mark-meadows-still-good-chance-of-obamacare-repeal

March 26, 2017

Trump rewrites his playbook

Mike Allen 36 mins ago

Amid high-stakes postmortems that include conversations with President Trump about White House staffing and operations, aides are rewriting their plans for the next legislative fight — with a weakened president and speaker, emboldened House hardliners, and a party at war with itself.

"It's like you're in a room with 2-year- olds, and one side complains about any attention you give the other," a White House official said.

Forget pie in the sky like tax reform or a massive infrastructure package. Now aides fear a government shutdown when the current continuing resolution runs out at the end of April.

"I'm worried about everything right now," said a senior Republican operative who's in the war.

The new White House sequence: Focus on the Supreme Court confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch between now and the Easter congressional break. After that, work urgently on funding the government, and begin the conversation about tax reform.

more
https://www.axios.com/trump-rewrites-his-playbook-2330735585.html

March 26, 2017

Danziger: How Do We Know When To Cheer?

http://www.nationalmemo.com/danziger-know-cheer/