Corker demands Trump back off tax reform. Because congress is doing so well on 2017 issues?

[as seen on tv]

"Yeah - its true that I had no objection to Obama's tax increases. So what?"
​

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/what-do-republicans-want-to-hear-from-trump-at-lunch-a-lot/2017/10/24/40806300-b8ad-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html?utm_term=.c2ac732b6f97




Raise your hand if you want tax reform to be the work product of a loudmouth republican senator from Tennessee.


Hmm . . . no takers? Okay, raise your hand if you believe congress – collectively - should be left to its own devices to shape the new tax plan, since they exhibited such unity of purpose and clarity of thought on health care, immigration, etc.


This is Bob Corker’s dilemma. He demands Trump take no position in tax reform. After the president made this a campaign issue. And presidents – from JFK to Obama – have historically taken a considerable role in shaping tax policy.

Corker, if you want to usurp the powers of the president, you should perhaps run for president yourself. I’m sure with your national name recognition, stellar record of accomplishments in office, and “leadership”, you’d go far, right?


Corker does deserve some pity though. I totally get where he’s coming from. 9 months into his presidency, Trump has observed that republicans in congress are divided and can get nothing done. So Trump is now reaching across the aisle to find moderate democrats with which to forge majorities on bills. Corker is scared to death that someone like Chuck Schumer is going to sound more reasonable on tax compromises than the man from Tennessee is himself.


Sorry Bob – it’s the republican “every man for himself/refusal to compromise” that brought us to this point. It was made quite clear earlier this year that dozens of senators were perfectly happy to see Obamacare to continue, after campaigning for office on a promise to replace or repeal it.


That’s not to say I’m giving a thumbs up to Trump’s highly malleable tax proposal at this stage. It has changed, and hopefully will continue to do so. But Trump has the responsibility to lead (or fail) on tax policy, and suffer the consequences.


Whatever happens in 2020, I guarantee you that Trump cannot run for re-election on the premise that “I trusted Corker on tax reform, and he failed to deliver”.


In fact, Corker isn’t even running for re-election in the 2018 midterms. Shortbread will probably claim this gives him “the freedom to be independent”.

I view it as an excuse to dodge accountability.

​

 

[JuliefromOhio]

Sen Corker knows that Trump will put the kibosh on a tax bill the same way he did the healthcare bill.

Remember how Trump had the House over to the White House and they cheered and cheered the passage of healthcare in the that body? How many days later did Trump come out and say that the House bill was "cruel and mean?" LMAO

The Republicans were obviously using 401Ks as a negotiating tool in their tax bill, so what does the purported "art of the deal" president do? He tweets and takes it off the table. LMAO

 

[as seen on tv]

Sen Corker knows that Trump will put the kibosh on a tax bill the same way he did the healthcare bill.

the newspapers may be incorrect then?

I kept reading that the senate could not muster a simple majority of republicans (let alone democrats) to vote on healthcare. Trump didn't pull anything.

 

[JuliefromOhio]

the newspapers may be incorrect then?

I kept reading that the senate could not muster a simple majority of republicans (let alone democrats) to vote on healthcare. Trump didn't pull anything.

Usually, the president leads his party to come together and vote on the legislation both want. Trump did the opposite for the healthcare bill and will do the same on the tax bill.

BTW, I watch C-span for direct quotes from Trump and House and Senate proceedings.
The newspapers just repeat it. Bottom line, C-Span shows what Fox News won't.

 

[ObamacareForever]

I think its fair to stop calling it tax reform. They are not simplifying the tax code. I think deficit-busting tax cuts would be a more accurate description.

 

[bdtex]

How helpful has Trump honestly been? He acts more like Waldorf than POTUS.

 

[as seen on tv]

How helpful has Trump honestly been? He acts more like Waldorf than POTUS.

im not saying I support trumps tax or obamacare ideas.

just that congress was even LESS helpful on obamcare, and the president is the owner of tax policy, not some random senator from a flyover state

 

[as seen on tv]

I think its fair to stop calling it tax reform. They are not simplifying the tax code. I think deficit-busting tax cuts would be a more accurate description.

agreed - unless we have a drastic reduction in brackets, and elimination of deductions, it's all optics. we currently have 70,000 pages of tax law. my guess is that whatever trump+congress does will cause the number of pages to grow, not shrink.

 

[as seen on tv]

Usually, the president leads his party to come together and vote on the legislation both want. Trump did the opposite for the healthcare bill and will do the same on the tax bill.

BTW, I watch C-span for direct quotes from Trump and House and Senate proceedings.
The newspapers just repeat it. Bottom line, C-Span shows what Fox News won't.

I don't think we can blame trump because he got 48 republican senators to say yes, but 2 said no. that's not a judgement on the merits of healthcare reform, thtough. its a judgement on the lack of unity among republicans who campaign in one direction and vote on another.

obamacare reform is a fiasco. tax reform my eventually turn out to be the same, but we aren't there yet.

 

[ObamacareForever]

I don't think we can blame trump because he got 48 republican senators to say yes, but 2 said no. that's not a judgement on the merits of healthcare reform, thtough. its a judgement on the lack of unity among republicans who campaign in one direction and vote on another.

obamacare reform is a fiasco. tax reform my eventually turn out to be the same, but we aren't there yet.

campaigning on replacing Obamacare was effectively campaigning on giving everyone a teleporter. Both an Obamacare replacement and a teleporter were in the same phase development. And why didn't cross Republicans minds that Republicans could possibly replace it with something worse?

 

[JuliefromOhio]

I don't think we can blame trump because he got 48 republican senators to say yes, but 2 said no. that's not a judgement on the merits of healthcare reform, thtough. its a judgement on the lack of unity among republicans who campaign in one direction and vote on another.

obamacare reform is a fiasco. tax reform my eventually turn out to be the same, but we aren't there yet.

I think we can blame Trump.
One has to be delusional to believe that a personality-disordered, mentally unstable, know-nothing Trump can deliver anything.

 

[JuliefromOhio]

I think its fair to stop calling it tax reform. They are not simplifying the tax code. I think deficit-busting tax cuts would be a more accurate description.

Well, you know what Republicans say when they're in charge.....deficits don't matter.
And that's a Dick Cheney quote.