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Republicans Tag

One of my favorite things to come out of the Republican ObamaCare flailing is Kemberlee's term for it:  a cluster. It is that.  But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly has one card left up his sleeve, and he intends to use it next week: force his caucus to record for their constituents (and for posterity) their vote on ObamaCare repeal.  (Democrats will vote, too, of course, but we know how that will go.) I like this move.  Put every single Republican on record for once and for all on ObamaCare repeal, and let us see who stands where and how that compares to the numerous repeal votes each cast when Obama was in the White House, veto pen at the ready. This isn't a single-play for McConnell; it's part of one-two punch that he hopes will rally Trump supporters and others who want ObamaCare gone (or those who want to keep it.).  The pressure resulting from a formal repeal ObamaCare vote will help him herd recalcitrant members behind . . . something that is less of a cluster.

I will never understand how the Republicans managed to screw this up so badly. And let's be clear, this is the fault of Republicans in Congress, not Donald Trump. The talk of repealing Obamacare started years before Trump was even a candidate. Their first attempt a couple months ago fell flat on its face. The second time, it passed in the House on a squeaker vote. Now, they may have to vote on it again. Billy House reported at Bloomberg:
House May Need to Vote Again on GOP Obamacare Repeal Bill House Republicans barely managed to pass their Obamacare repeal bill earlier this month, and they now face the possibility of having to vote again on their controversial health measure.

House Republicans desperately want to reform taxes, but so far the only plan they have developed has gained no leverage. That's because border adjustment makes up a majority of the plan, which few, including top retailers, want anything to do with. The border adjustment is a tariff. It adds a tax on imports, which will inevitably raise prices on consumers. Common sense economics: A business must make a profit in order to supply goods and services. It cannot do that without money. In order to make money when a tax is added or raised, the business must raise the price on its goods in order to make that profit.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Pete King (R-NY) laid out the details on the legislative agenda for the House for the next 100 days when they appeared on AM 790 in New York:
"We're going to be going full steam to move forward with the Trump agenda to make America great again," Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) said on John Catsimatidis' "Cats Roundtable" radio program on AM 970 in New York. "Basically Donald Trump has said it's not only a change in president or change of party, it's really a whole change of philosophy. And it's a whole new movement basically to give power back to the people," he said. "And it's going to be more assertive as far as America is concerned. It's no doubt he is determined, and he didn't back down at all … It's definitely a new era in American history."

In recent years, Republicans won a majority of governor elections, growing to 31 states. Even blue states like Massachusetts which don't often vote Republican for president, will sometimes hand the role of governor to the GOP. As far as 2016 goes, Republicans don't have much to worry about. The Washington Post reports:
Republicans still have a shot at a record number of governors’ mansions, but Democrats aren’t going without a fight Republicans have a chance to build on their majorities and win a record number of governors' seats in 2016. Democrats are doing everything they can to stop them.

For months now, "smart" people on the left and the right have claimed that Donald Trump would destroy the Republican Party's chances of holding onto the Senate. It's now looking as though those predictions were premature. Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post:
Democratic hopes of winning Senate fade as Trump proves less toxic for Republicans Democrats are now facing a tougher road to capturing the Senate majority as the presidential race tightens and Donald Trump is not proving to be the dramatic drag on down-ballot candidates that Republicans once feared.

As we reported recently, the College Republicans at Cornell University were stripped of their credentials by the New York Federation of College Republicans for endorsing Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. The group is now fighting to be reinstated. The Cornell Daily Sun reports:
Cornell Republicans Fight Expulsion, Enlist Attorney in Appeal to National Committee The Cornell College Republicans filed an administrative appeal with the College Republican National Committee today demanding to be immediately reinstated to the New York Federation of College Republicans.

The College Republicans at Cornell University have endorsed the Libertarian Party candidate, Gary Johnson. They announced their support for Johnson in a post on Facebook:
Dear Members and Alumni, The Cornell Republicans, as the official representatives of the Republican Party at Cornell, are dedicated to promoting limited government and individual freedom. But our organization does not solely represent the Republican Party. Our first responsibility is to our members: libertarians, moderates, neoconservatives, and everyone in between. We value our ideological diversity and welcome differing perspectives.

Carly Fiorina is no longer running for president, but it looks like she already has another job in mind. Many people are speculating that she will throw her hat into the ring to replace Reince Priebus as chair of the RNC. Time reports:
Carly Fiorina Plotting Bid to Chair Republican National Committee Former HP CEO and 2016 presidential contender Carly Fiorina is actively laying the groundwork for a bid to be the next chair of the Republican National Committee, according to state GOP officials who have followed her plans.