Drain the Swap He Said; Change Washington He Professed: It Has Gotten Worse Again

Dark Clouds Hover the W/H: Bannon, Conway, Flynn, Ivanka, Kushner, and Pence

(And a Flock of Others)

By most accounts, Donald J. Trump is running government like a campaign. Cite:

Story: Trump promised to drain the special-interest swamp in Washington, but the city’s lobbyists expect boom times ahead as corporate America gears up for a Republican-controlled capital and learns to grapple with a chief executive willing to target individual companies for praise and scorn.

After years of partisan gridlock in Washington, Trump and congressional Republicans are moving to dismantle Obama-era regulations including the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank law that brought new federal oversight of the financial sector after the 2008 financial crisis.

The possibility of an overhaul of the entire tax code is in play versus years ago AND now GOPers unified are itching for this “once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance our agenda.”

Um, so simply screw the people and protect those in office and our agenda; the GOP professes. But, not “We the People and ... promote their general welfare” as the Constitution’s prelude statement says? I see, I see. Protect the status quo now in place at all costs?

For example: In recent years the financial crisis helped slow down lobbying activity. The number of registered lobbyists fell significantly — from 14,822 lobbyists in 2007 to just 11,143 in 2016, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics.

Now, today and under Trump and in just three short weeks: We have seen special interest spending and lobbying up with insiders saying the “pace has been frenetic.”

Companies are scrambling to cope with Trump’s moves, ranging from his blizzard of executive actions — totaling 26 as of late Thursday morning — and concern about his tweeting his displeasure with individual corporations or more so like slamming Nordstrom for dropping a line of his daughter Ivanka’s products.

That raises more serious and new questions and deep concerns about his commitment to separate the presidency from his family’s business interests. Which looks like he is not willing to do – and why not? He has had his business for some 30 plus or longer and now the control of government for just three weeks… what does that mean or what does his personal interest or lack of experience and selfishness mean? Chaos does come to mind.

Trump is not only CINC and president but seems to be and wants to be: “The Deal-maker-in-Chief.” (Or so it seems).

He is willing to directly negotiate with firms for business deals and if they do not; he threatens them with huge excise and other tariff taxes goods coming back in for sale. 

He has to win no matter the cost except for his own family ties and interests and always on his terms.

If not, then you take a hike and prepare for more and more nastiness and public scorn.

Ask yourself: Is this what we WANT, NEED, or EXPECT from our President, or indeed from any other President for that matter?

Hardly – not one bit.