by Robert Reich:Im in Washington today. Heres what Im finding:The mood in the city
Last edited Thu Jun 8, 2017, 09:21 PM - Edit history (1)
I’m in Washington today. Here’s what I’m finding:
1. The mood in the city is the same combination of jubilation and dread I recall just before the Watergate hearings over 4 decades ago, among Republicans as well as Democrats.
2. The jubilation is that, with Comey’s testimony, the nation seems to be moving into a new phase of scrutiny of Trump, who, like Nixon, looks increasingly cornered and desperate.
3. The dread is at what a cornered and desperate Trump might get up to next.
4. I don’t know anyone in the Trump White House, but I’ve spoken with some people who do. They tell me the White House is split between a few Trump loyalists who are at war with almost everyone else in this town, and others who are looking for ways to bail out.
5. Congressional watchers here say there’s zero chance Paul Ryan’s House will move toward an impeachment inquiry, regardless of what Comey says.
6. This raises the stakes for the midterm elections next year, which most people here are already viewing as a referendum on whether to Trump remains in office.
7. This, in turn, is making it harder for congressional Republicans who are likely to be in close races to defend Trump.
8. And it’s putting ever more pressure on congressional Democrats to publicly declare that Trump should be impeached, even though Democratic leaders are trying to discourage such talk.
9. Meanwhile, nothing is moving on Capitol Hill. Senate Republicans can't agree on a replacement for the Affordable Care Act. House Republicans can't agree on a tax cut. At the same time, civil servants in executive branch agencies and departments -- who do most of the day-to-day work of government -- are understaffed, overwhelmed, confused, and wary.
10. Bottom line: Washington under Trump is more dysfunctional than I've ever seen it. And that's saying something.
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