“The Sunday Political Brunch”—March 5, 2017

Sunday, March 05, 2017

Mark Curtis, GoLocalProv Contributor

 

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Mark Curtis

It’s never a dull moment in the world of politics, and this past week was no exception. President Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress, and there is certainly a lot to chew on. Let’s “brunch” on that this week:

“A Different Donald” – I have no qualms about saying it was the best political speech Donald Trump has delivered to date - hands down. I am neither endorsing nor condemning the policies here; instead, I am critiquing the style and tone of the speech. The address was organized, thematic, structured, disciplined, emotional - when it needed to be - and dignified, yet with a challenging tone at times. It was the most “un-Trump” speech he has ever delivered. After his harsh and provocative convention acceptance speech and his Inaugural address, this was quite a departure.

“What is ‘Being Presidential?’” – As I’ve often said, trying to define “Presidential” is just like trying to grab a handful of Jell-O – it’s an elusive quality. But here are some likely traits: confident, yet with humility; respectful of the dignity, traditions, and history of the office you represent; compassionate; respectful of your opposition; strong (emotionally and politically); resolute; firm, but fair; knowledgeable, yet with an open mind to learn (aka, don’t be a know-it-all); and deferential to the expertise of others. I could go on. It’s a tapestry of traits. Whether you agree or not with his policies, this was probably the most “Presidential” Mr. Trump has appeared through the course of the campaign and now his time in office. Will it last? Stay tuned.

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“Who Remembers?” – Quick! Name the most memorable line from last year’s final State of the Union Address from President Obama! Or, what was President George H.W. Bush’s most memorable moment in his four addresses? Who was President Clinton’s most memorable gallery guest? What? Cat got your tongue? Don’t feel bad; you are not alone. The State of the Union or joint session addresses are more political pep rallies than they are policy roadmaps. Few – if any – ever result in meaningful laws being passed, or policies being implemented.

“The Opposing Response” – I am of two minds on this. My gut says get rid of the opposing party response; my brain says that - in the interest of trying to show fairness - we need to continue it, potholes and all. It’s always awkward and forced. Remember Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), grabbing the water bottle for an odd gulp a few years back? You knew instantly that it would soon be a Saturday Night Live skit! This year it was former Governor Steve Beshear (D-KY) with a whole host of stiff, frozen, “Hollywood-extra" types, awkwardly sitting behind him. “I’m a proud Democrat, but first and foremost, I’m a proud Republican, and Democrat, and mostly, American,” Beshear said. Huh? The opposition response just never works for either party.

“The Immigrant Crime Victims” – Certainly the most controversial and contentious policies of the new President are with regard to immigration. He has made a point of showcasing U.S. citizens who have been the victims of crimes perpetrated by illegal immigrants. On Tuesday night, some of the victims’ family members were in the gallery. Three of the survivors of murder victims were African-American. Clearly, the President is trying to get beyond the perception that he cares only about white people. It underscores his point and the issue if he shows the impact of illegal immigration on a diverse population of victims.

“Jewish Community Centers” – Noting that it was the final day of Black History Month, the President called out those threatening and attacking Jewish Community Centers, and other bias crimes. "Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week's shooting [of Indian victims] in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms," Trump said. This should silence those who call Trump a Nazi, but some will likely persist.

“Blame it on Obama” – If the speech had a low point, I thought it was the veiled criticism President Trump leveled at President Obama’s performance over the past eight years. Look, that works and is fair game on the campaign trail; but we do have something of a tradition in this country where Presidents don’t bash their predecessors once in office. It’s about “politics stopping at the water’s edge” and preserving a respect for the office itself, while not demeaning the previous occupants. I just found the tone jarring and unnecessary since Obama’s not the President anymore. But, as I’ve said often, U.S. politics is now in uncharted territory.

“Trump’s Dilemma” – By so many accounts – yes, from Republicans, and even from many Democrats – the President made a very forceful and passionate speech before Congress. He looked and sounded Presidential. It played well in the 24-hour news cycle. The problem for him (and many politicians) is that good news has a very short shelf-life, akin to that of a loaf of bread. Within days, the controversy about Russia and Attorney General Jeff Sessions dominated the headlines. The bottom line: It’s tough to get and to sustain positive momentum in the nation’s capital.

“What Have You Done for Me Lately? – Politics is a “What have you done for me lately” business. People want a policy payoff. Anyone can read a teleprompter and give a good speech. It’s quite another thing to deliver bills that Congress will pass that have a positive outcome for the public at large. President Trump has touted immigration reform, job creation, and repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obama Care) as top priorities. But where are the bills? Unless legislation is introduced in Congress – that gains traction, and ultimately an affirmative vote - then all we’ve seen and heard are empty promises.

What do you think should be the number one legislative priority of the Trump administration?

 

Related Slideshow: Trump’s Win - What Does it Mean for Rhode Island?

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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."

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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." 

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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."

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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."

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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."
 

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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."

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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."
 

 

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