Hold Him Accountable

There is a dangerous disconnect between our president and the political party to which he belongs. Much of this disconnect seems to stem from Trump’s apparent ignorance of political procedures and lack of long term thinking. Not only does a disconnect seem to exist, but blatant opposition, more conflict than I’ve seen in my life, from republicans to their own party president.

When discussing the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and production of a new health bill, Republicans who opposed Trump not only found fault in the proposed bill but also the process by which the bill was turned down. Trump attempted to weaken the power of the filibuster and require only 51 votes to pass the health care bill. Unbeknownst to him, the Senate was already operating under alternate rules that made the bill filibuster-proof. [MB1] Favoring a 51-vote majority for every vote would potentially eliminate a key component of what makes the Senate such a powerful branch of the government, that component being the guaranteed presentation of the minority view regardless of votes. GOP senators who knew this immediately dismissed Trump’s request.

This small action, in the scope of what is reported on by the media, clearly presents the major issue that seems to be both obviously yet subtlely plaguing our government. Trump is unaware of the procedures taking place, making requests for rule changes that would result in the same ends of rule changes that have already occurred. He also makes these requests without considering the implications of his actions. Silencing the minority voice in the Senate would be a huge blow to the operation of our government and Trump does not seem to recognize let alone consider this outcome. Republican senators oppose Trump because they know that he is not looking to the long term and his actions would put the party’s power in peril in the future.

But why do many Republicans defend president Trump even though many are “mystified why Trump hasn’t taken a more ‘professional’ approach,” to his presidency. One huge factor is the approval of the people. Many Americans find value in Trump’s words, so when their representatives begin opposing his views and actions they begin to be put under great public pressure in the form of lowered approval ratings. In the case of Sen. Jeff Flake the combination of strong opposition to Trumps actions and a dramatic dip in his approval rating caused Flake to drop out of the Arizona senatorial race and end his career in the senate at the end of his current term. What is incredible about Flakes opting out of reelection is that Republicans saw his declared departure as a good thing; they believed that his strong words against trump indicated to the public that Republicans were disjointed as a party. This is a huge deal because Flake had justifiably been criticizing the president. He urged the public, especially Republicans, to check the president when he made rash decisions or made egregious, ignorant comments. He condemned the party’s allowing Trump to get away with caustic rhetoric because he was “telling it like it is.” Ultimately, Flake stated what many of us think: Trump’s actions, rhetoric, and policies are ahistoric of the American way and are a danger to the future of our nation. If senators can’t criticize our president (when criticism so clearly needs to occur) then he will run rampant, as he has, and cause chaos in our political system. Flake is right to criticize the president, especially when he does it in a passionate, organized, and civil manner. At least he isn’t calling the president a “fucking moron,” as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did in response to Trump’s absurd comments demanding an increase in nuclear weapons.

America needs to check its president. Republicans need to see this man for who he is and stop convincing themselves that he is some sort of revolutionary politician out to correct a bashed system. This isn’t to say that Trump is unfit to be in the white house, he is but that’s not the point; this is to point out that if Republicans hold the president accountable then maybe he’ll realize that he needs to put more work into his job, research the policies he is opposing or proposing, and potentially turn his chaotic, mismanaged presidency into an even slightly productive term.