100 days of the GOP eating its own

OPINION:

It’s rounding on 100 days of the President Donald Trump administration — and surprise, surprise, it’s not just Democrats who are pointing wild fingers at the White House for this and that, for what have you and what not. criticizing, condemning and generally crying about how things are progressing.

It’s Republicans, and almost as much.

What is it about the GOP that it can’t keep from eating its own?

The headline, from Politico: “Republicans sound alarm on Trump’s troubles ahead of 2018.”

And the summary: “Donors, leaders and potential candidates begin to worry about an election that will be a referendum on the president’s performance.”

And the lead paragraph: “Republicans say President Donald Trump needs to turn things around fast — or the GOP could pay dearly in 2018.”

Geesh. It’s like Republicans just can’t help themselves. All along the campaign trail, we heard from the GOP’s most entrenched: Trump’s a circus act. Trump can’t win. Trump’s down in the polls.

And yet — here we are.

Trump’s got the backing of the American people. The American people have been steadily saying through tea party votes since at least 2010 they’re sick and tired of the status quo — ousting name-brand Republicans like Eric Cantor in favor of no-names like David Brat, just one example of the out-with-the-elitist, in-with-the-new voice that’s clanged ballot boxes in recent years.

But elitists in the party just won’t get the message. It’s like they’ve got some political strain of Tourette’s syndrome — and now they’re busy infecting campaigning Republicans with the same over-and-over mantra: Get Trump.

What part of The Polls Are Always Wrong don’t these quasi-Republicans get?

Here’s a thought: If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thinks the Republican Party is doing something wrong, that probably means it’s doing something right. If McConnell ducks right, go left. If McConnell dodges left, scurry right. It’s like one of those daily repeats in the mirror.

McConnell is not your Republican friend.

In an interview in late December, McConnell had this to say about the elections: “I honestly thought we wouldn’t hold the U.S. Senate, I thought we’d come up short. And I didn’t think … Trump had a chance of winning.”

Wrong on both counts. But McConnell still can’t quit the fear-mongering — still can’t quite get on board the Trump train.

Politico notes: “McConnell has privately expressed concern about Trump’s approval ratings and lack of legislative wins, according to two people. … A student of political history, the Senate leader has warned that the 2018 map shouldn’t give Republicans solace, reminding people that the party in power during a president’s first term offers suffers electorally.”

Well, let’s take a look at that lack of legislative wins and consider this: Trump is executive. Mitch is legislative. So shouldn’t McConnell’s concerns about the “lack of legislative wins” be a congressional thang that has him looking inward?

Let’s render to Congress the things that are of Congress and to the White House, the things that are of the White House.

Trump can exert influence over Congress. He can suggest policy — he can even write up some handy-dandy pieces of legislation to pass along to the legislative branch to introduce. But know what he can’t do?

He can’t vote on bills in the House or Senate. Nope. His powers are confined to signing what’s passed — or not signing — and to issuing orders, memos and policy directives through his federal agencies. So let’s see what he’s done on that score.

He’s ordered a rollback to regulations at federal agencies; a review of Dodd-Frank; a plan to defeat ISIS; a five-year ban on administration officials working as lobbyists; a couple of clampdowns on immigration — which were immediately challenged by the far left; the authorization of funding for the border wall; a review of U.S. military readiness and capability; a ban on federal funds for overseas’ groups that perform abortions; a withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact; a hiring freeze on federal workers; a cut-back in EPA funding; an easing of Obamacare “regulatory burdens;” a review of the Clean Power Plan; and a study on how to fight opioid abuse.

There are more. But you get the idea. Trump’s been busy doing executive things. Where’s McConnell’s list?

But the real accomplishments of Trump in his first months in office — nay, weeks — are these: The world, once again, respects America. No longer is the United States considered the country of “strategic patience,” code for “do nothing,” on foreign affairs. Rather, we’ve bombed Syria — something that was constitutionally unsound, but sent a strong message, nonetheless — and put North Korea’s Kim Jong-un on notice. ISIS is losing money, losing members to U.S. airstrikes. And many of our country’s would-be illegal immigrants from all points south have apparently reconsidered their border crossings and stayed put. Meanwhile, those already in the nation aren’t being so bold about their illegal status — they’re going into hiding, where they belong.

It’s the bold White House message that’s resonating around the world that’s perhaps Trump’s greatest achievement to date. And it comes despite the do-nothing, can’t get along, fight Trump all the way attitudes of many of those in Congress.

And that right there — the failure of the legislative branch to accomplish anything more than pointing fingers at Trump — is what campaigning representatives ought to be worrying about, not the president’s effect.

Rep. Tom Cole has it right.

“The majority is not safe,” he told Politico. “We need to be more constructive legislatively and there are going to be political implications if we don’t.”

Quite right.

It’s a failure of House and Senate leadership to lead on matters like Obamacare repeal or reform — not of the president to press the leadership to act — that’s the real problem with the Republican Party. Blaming Trump and joining the Democrats in criticizing the White House chief may win points with fellow elitists on Capitol Hill. But conservative voters aren’t impressed. Step outside the Beltway and the perspective rapidly changes.

From America to GOP: Quit condemning Trump and get in the bill-passing and legislative game. Crying about the president is not a campaign, and if seats are lost to the left in 2018, it’ll be because of failing House and Senate leadership and lack of membership legislative action, not because of Trump.