In the article, Sen. Charles E. Schumer says, "the Senate has a rich, bipartisan tradition of being a constitutional check on presidents of both parties.” This fact will ring true especially for President-elect Donald J. Trump, whose controversial statements have made him friends and enemies in both the House and Senate. This article discusses Trump's foreseeable difficulty in dealing with the legislature.
How do you think Trump will fare in his first meeting with the 115th Congress?
Will Donald Trump's outlandish proposals, such as "The Wall," become a reality
or will Trump's plans be restricted despite the Republican majority in Congress?
DO YOU ENJOY BITING INTO A JUICY TRUMP STEAK AS MUCH AS I DO?*
I feel like if Trump even figures out where the first meeting with the 115th Congress is, he will not be prepared. He likely won't understand a lot of the terminology, and, despite the Republican majority, might feel that as President, his views (no pun intended) trump everyone else's. I also have a feeling, as I know many others do, that Pence will do a lot of the talking for Trump(directly or indirectly), as he actually has some background. Maybe we don't want Trump as President, but would him becoming a puppet of Pence be better or worse?
ReplyDeleteSince many of the Republicans in Congress have previously disagreed with Trump, whether it was help quiet or made public, I do think that this has the possibility to hinder some of his bigger "plans". I really hope it does.
To me it seems that much of Trump's agenda will have an easy time in the House of Representatives. As the article said, the Senate is more quirky and unlikely to support the more extreme parts of Trump's agenda. The GOP margin in the Senate only puts them 2 over the minimum need to pass a bill (including VP), which means defections from 3 senators would kill a bill. As the article suggests, Trump has running feuds with a number of Republican senators. This is likely to temper his agenda. Still, most of his plans are in line with mainstream GOP politics and are unlikely to face much resistance in the Senate. Some of Trump plans aren’t popular with the public, and are unlikely to pass regardless of which party is in power. I'm calling no complete border wall right now. And no, I don't.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heidi about Trump not being sufficiently prepared for his first meeting, however, I feel like there will be enough coordination between Pence and other Republicans to get things passed, even with Democratic Resistance. While I think some of Trump's larger statements will fail to be passed in their advertised form, he still will be able to get large portions of change done that agrees with the GOP's agenda, and Democrats will be helpless to stop it unless several Republicans disagree enough with their party's own legislation to vote against it (which I doubt will happen enough, only on more extreme measures at most.) So while I don't see Trump's biggest legislation's entirely passing, (I don't think we will see a full border wall, but something will be put out there to satisfy voters), we will see what the GOP wants to put into legislation.
ReplyDeleteOh and Omaha Steaks beats Trump Steaks any day of the week. Probably cheaper too.
I also agree with Heidi. Truthfully, I don't know how he'll handle this. Obviously he can't use his favorite tactic of making vague, broad, bombastic proclamations and waiting for applause because I'd like to think that our congressmen aren't quite as uneducated as his fan base, so he'll have to actually - get this - LEARN about our government. Shocker. I think and surely hope that the article is correct in saying that Trump will be blocked by congress at the most inconvenient times. The wall will not become a reality. Not in this world, not ever. You'd have to be delusional to think otherwise. No one will let him waste time and resources on something as completely useless as that. As for the steaks, I'm vegan so I really can't relate.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think it will take long for people in congress to feel like their time is being wasted by Trump, as he has no background in politic and does not understand key terminology, etc. Many republicans in congress do agree with some of Trump’s big ideas. The major roadblock Trump will face in accomplishing those goals will actually be himself. Congressmen will have a diffucult time working with him, which will lead to a low level of productivity in his administration. Another hurdle Trump will have to overcome in order to do well will be to learn what the deal is about everything going on. Unfortunately for the American population, Trump has made it very clear that being briefed and talked at are not things he likes, nor are they things he wants to do. We’re screwed lol.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump will fare better in certain areas than others. It seems almost certain that the ACA will be repealed or significantly altered, so he will have a win there. Regarding his protectionist policies, I doubt much will get passed because the GOP strongly supports free trade. The wall is highly unlikely given the expense and public outrage, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if border control was given more funds or a small fence was built to symbolize his campaign promise. I think he will get some kind of infrastructure renewal passed, given that his Secretary of Transportation nominee is married to Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, and a significant amount of Democrats would likely support such an effort, as it was one of a main policy points of Hillary Clinton's campaign. Most forms of regulation will likely be cut back because they are supported by Trump and most Republicans. I have no idea what will happen with LGBT issues, because Trump seems mostly supportive of LGBT rights but the majority of GOP legislators are hostile to the movement. Trump will probably be unsuccessful in getting close to Russia as most Republicans are not so keen on being Putin's puppets.
ReplyDeleteI think Donald Trumps first meeting with congress is going to be a lot of learning. He surely doesn't know half of how congress works and operates, and will need to be briefed by someone with experience. Even with a republican majority, I think most of Trumps proposals will face harsh criticism, even if they do get passed. It will be something to keep an eye on.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Samir that the Trump Agenda will have an easy time with the House. I also agree with Heidi that. at his first meeting, he will seem very unprepared, appearing to be lost in the terms and driven by his ego. I think Trump will get blocked on many policy issues, because he has made so many enemies in the Senate already, and there is a very unstable majority as it is, so Trump's more outlandish proposals will be easily blocked due to their controversial aspects. I believe we will see the blocking commence soon with the nominations. Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Marco Rubio, and similar senators will be smart enough to block the poor ideas that Trump will bring to the table. I think Donald Trump will have a very hard time with the 115th Senate.
ReplyDeleteTrump is a political outsider. That's the truth. We, as AP Gov students likely know more about government than him. Even during his campaign he seemed to be woefully unaware about the power and responsibilities for the president. So yes, I agree with Josh - Trump will have a lot to learn in his first meeting with the Senate. The Senate is filled with bizarre, unchanging traditions in the process with which it wins - and most importantly it is filled with old, stubborn men who don't like change, many of whom strongly dislike Trump. These people not only include Democrats but also many Republican Senators who will seek to block Trump's policies. The majority is unstable and they will have a very difficult achieving cloture vote to block filibusters. Perhaps Trump will tone down some of his policies in order to get them through the Senate (a picket fence instead of a wall?) He seems to be already doing this, even before his inauguration.
ReplyDeleteTrump isn't ready. He's not ready to be president and he's not ready to do things that presidents do. I think this meeting with the Senate is one of those things that Trump just didn't consider. I think he viewed the presidency as people do when they are children, a job where you can do whatever you want and have all the power in the world. He wasn't prepared for the work behind the glory and he isn't now. I think Trump will have a very hard time fitting in, and that will ultimately give him a hard time in getting his ideas to be implemented.
ReplyDeleteTrump is ready. He's ready to be president and he's ready to do things that presidents do. Trump has learned by now the jobs of being president by now. While running a country is different than running a business, he will also have many advisors. I can't say that he'll do a good job at being president though. But I don't think bad things will occur accidentally because of his lack of experience in office, I think they will occur because of his policy-making and ideas.
DeleteHis outlandish proposals, I think, will not be completely carried out. On 60 Minutes, he said that fences in some parts would be okay instead of a wall. However, most of his proposals during the campaign will follow through because he wants to be different. He doesn't want to be a politician who is all talk and no action. And I'm ready for that Trump steak. Oh boy.
I really like how Mark says it, "arriving confidently and leaving confused." That basically sums up Trump. His egotistical personality will be an obstacle for him, and I really hope that Trump will seek advice about things he doesn't understand rather than be prideful and act like he has everything under control. Much like his ego, I too think the senate will be an obstacle for him on his more outlandish ideas. I think that the Senate will work moderately smoothly with Trump on more mundane matters that aren't wall building or some other crazy idea, and I really hope I'm right in saying that.
ReplyDeleteI love all of the tension. I absolutely love it. The very thin tightrope that Trump is balancing on, forsees ideas and legislation that aren't as extreme and radical as he wanted them to be. At least that's what I'll keep telling myself. Hopefully some of the legislators in his party still have the wisdom to filter the wants and ideas of the Americans who voted him into office and to weigh them against the desires of the other Americans who now find themselves in a minority, just like James Madison would have wanted.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heidi in that Trump won't be prepared for his first meeting. He has no political experience, and will probably become Pence's puppet over the following years. However, there is hope that Congress will be able to slow the process of passing his outlandish ideas, solely because there is little to the plan besides a catchy campaign slogan. Hopefully, there will be at least one Republican who can recognize this growing tension and will be willing to work across the aisle in order to reach an agreement as to how to tackle some of Trump's more radical ideas.
ReplyDeleteI ABSOLUTELY LOVE FINE DELICACY WHICH IS KNOW ONLY AS THE TRUMP STEAKS, KNOWN FOR THEIR ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID TASTE! THE MEAT IS SUCCULENT, JUICY, AND FULL OF FLAVOR! Trump will be, how do I put this, thoroughly disappointed with the Senate these next couple years. Many of his plans will most likely be put on the back burner due to the filibuster power of the Democrats. I fully expect tweets that describe the Senate as SAD! and DISAPPOINTING! coming from @theRealDonaldTrump .
ReplyDeleteAs the article states, the Senate is where "many previous administrations have perished" and been unable to deliver on their campaign promises. In regards to Donald Trump, we're dealing with one of the demonstrably least-qualified leaders in our country's history. There is little doubt in my mind that Trump will be able to deliver on very few of his promises the way he sold them to his audience. This first meeting will likely establish the role of the minority Democrats under Senator Schumer as a blatant opposition to Trump, but Republicans like Speaker Paul Ryan will likely also prove to be antagonistic towards many of Trump's unrealistic ideas, based on his and others' support during the campaign season.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wonder if Trump knows the difference between the House and Senate, or if he knows which branch of government he's in. "Just learned that I can not, in fact, fire the Senate for disagreeing with me. Sad!"
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, I'm not imagining it to go well. Though Trump can occasionally be called charismatic by some, he's unqualified and can very easily be unprofessional in professional circumstances. Try as he may, he's not able to fire people he disagrees with now. I wonder if he'll be able to work with them for compromise.
I can't help but think that Trump knows about as much about the government as a fourth grader. I can't think he's ready for all the rules and responsibilities that come from being president, and I also know he's not ready to be the figurehead for our nation. Besides that, I like what sean said about previous presidents who have had experience being able to get very little through Congress, and this one has no idea where to even start. Therefore, I think his crazy ideas won't make it very far, as many of those in Congress don't like him, and he doesn't know how to persuade them to act as he wishes.
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