Trump Declares War on Freedom Caucus in New Tweet: ‘We Must Fight Them’

[ABX]

The only Bi-partisan thing coming from Trump and the Democrat is that it's all the fault of the Tea Party. If memory serves this has been the establishment position for a long time. Obama, Bush, McConnell, Boehner and Trump now all agree that this evil minority that dares to stand for Freedom and Liberty is the countries real problem.

Trump's done some great stuff and I would love to see his budget implemented; but this does not count as draining the swamp in my book. This is more of the same.   

It is the fight between limited government/liberty based ideas and centralized government authortarian ideas. The latter includes both Ds and Rs, and even a lot of Conservatives who want the hammer of the goverment to force their beliefs. The Ds and Rs in the latter group may differ on specific issues, but in the end, they want the same thing, a bigger government that controls more.  Guess which of the two sides a populist will pander most to?

[Idaho_Cowboy]

All that matters in the end is that we get the most conservative deal that can be passed, passed and signed into law.

Agreed. I think Trump and Co made a yuge tactical error trying to ram Trump/Ryancare through without attempting a straight up repeal or a more conservative plan first. If one of those had gone down in flames it would have helped convince everyone of the importance of a workable compromise.
By opening with such a weak proposal Trump has left himself with very little room to move to the left and alienated those who could have been supporters of a solution.
The freedom caucus firing back at Trump isn't the best move either in my book. Everybody in Washington needs to cut back on the coffee or something.

[Emjay]

All that matters in the end is that we get the most conservative deal that can be passed, passed and signed into law.

That is exactly what I'm talking about, Major.  Let Trump get his vitriol out in tweets if he has to, but I still hope he will wake up in a more positive frame of mind.

He has actually done a few things I've liked in the last couple of days relating to regulations, helping the coal industry and so on.

I'm still hoping he will right this ship and get rid of Obamacare.  Maybe if he finds out that Obama WAS spying on him and sabotaging his campaign, it will give him an incentive.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Ah, but you see ... as usual a stupid tweet has defined the rest of his day.  It's sucked all of the air out of the room.  At the very least, the HFC will now dig in their heels, and the moderates will start looking leftward to make their deals, and Trump will have lost himself another constituency he needs when the impeachment chorus starts to get really loud.

Eh, I'm not sure about that.  I'm not saying the tweet was smart -- it was too aggressive -- but I think there are some underlying factors that make a deal likely.  The HFC will dig in their heels in the short term because of hurt feelings, but the underlying dynamics are against that lasting.

The HFC cannot/will not agree to less than a full appeal as long as there is a chance of attaining that goal.  Not only do they believe that is the best policy choice, but their particular constituents demand it.  So they have to make a stand... for awhile, at least.  They must make clear to everyone that they are doing their utmost to fulfill their end of the "full repeal" promise

But I also don't think the HFC wants to see either 1) no deal at all get passed, so that full-throated ObamaCare remains in place, 2) a bargain that includes some Democrats, and is even worse than the AHCA.  1) also makes much more likely that the Dems regain control of the House in 2018.  I think if the choice comes down something akin to the AHCA, or either of those two options of something worse than the AHCA, enough of the HFC will agree to a modified AHCA for it to pass.  With some changes so the HFC can claim they achieved some good by holding out the first time around.

[Jazzhead]

This is vintage Three AM Trump.  He is still hurt and furious that he couldn't get the bill through and he's decided to blame the Freedom Caucus

And he's right.  And conservatives should listen.  Because if there isn't unity in the GOP caucus, nothing conservative will ever be accomplished. 

The FC is a cancer.  I'm all for primary-ing the selfish bastards.   Of course,  I say that only after the FC has demonstrated its disloyalty,  not only to Trump but to GOP leadership.    So what's to lose at this point?   Fixing the ACA in accordance with conservative principles is impossible.  Tax reform along conservative lines is also shot to hell, because we needed the AHCA to get the budget room for meaningful rate reductions.   

Trump will partner with moderates from here on out.  Taking on the FC is just a way of establishing Trump's bona fides to do so.   Not sure if it will work - the Dems are even more selfish bastards than the FC.   But Trump knows now he can't partner with this band of extremists.  He's going to tack toward the center.  He's been given no choice.   The impact on conservatism?   Does it matter?   The FC cast its lot against Trump and GOP leadership.   They're dead to me.     

[endicom]

I am sure what Trump said has been said before by other Presidents behind closed doors.....BUT for a Repub President to publicly threatened members of his own Party, to primary them is beyond the pale...I guess this is part of The Art of the Deal!

He has to get them off the dime, to do something more than talk. To date, talk is all they've been good for.

[Idiot]

And he's right.  And conservatives should listen.  Because if there isn't unity in the GOP caucus, nothing conservative will ever be accomplished. 

The FC is a cancer.  I'm all for primary-ing the selfish bastards.   Of course,  I say that only after the FC has demonstrated its disloyalty,  not only to Trump but to GOP leadership.    So what's to lose at this point?   Fixing the ACA in accordance with conservative principles is impossible.  Tax reform along conservative lines is also shot to hell, because we needed the AHCA to get the budget room for meaningful rate reductions.   

Trump will partner with moderates from here on out.  Taking on the FC is just a way of establishing Trump's bona fides to do so.   Not sure if it will work - the Dems are even more selfish bastards than the FC.   But Trump knows now he can't partner with this band of extremists.  He's going to tack toward the center.  He's been given no choice.   The impact on conservatism?   Does it matter?   The FC cast its lot against Trump and GOP leadership.   They're dead to me.     

Good grief man!  What is the color of the sky in your world?

[Emjay]

Yeah, I realize that outlandish early am tweeting may very well be Trump's version of Bubba Clinton's proverbial 'finger in the air' to gleen the sentiments of the day.... but let's face it.  This isn't the first and only time he has targeted conservatives.  I'd be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if that were so.

We've always known that Trump is not a conservative in the sense that Ted Cruz or Ronald Reagan are/were conservatives.

I still think Trump can get some good things done .... there are good instincts in there somewhere if he can just stay sane enough to act on them.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Good grief man!  What is the color of the sky in your world?

Red, or possibly pink.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Agreed. I think Trump and Co made a yuge tactical error trying to ram Trump/Ryancare through without attempting a straight up repeal or a more conservative plan first. If one of those had gone down in flames it would have helped convince everyone of the importance of a workable compromise.

I really lean that way myself as well.  If the votes are counted and are not there, I think the HFC will be more willing to move.

But I think there is a real potential downside to that strategy, and is probably the reason it wasn't tried first.  The concern likely is that it will pass the House, but will never even be brought up for a vote in the Senate.  It will languish in limbo, and as long as it is in limbo, the HFC may not be willing to do anything else.  So, no bill at all ever gets passed by Congress.  I think that is the fear of the GOP leadership.

And I can't see a full repeal ever getting that vote in the Senate.  There are 4 (or maybe it is 5 now) GOP Senators who have stated publicly that they won't support a bill that doesn't preserve some of the Medicaid expansion.  And since McConnell would need 50 votes (plus Pence) to suspend the rules and avoid a filibuster, he won't even be able to get those votes.  Which means the Dems would filibuster, and then the HFC would make all these public demands that the Senate Republicans suspend the rules and force a vote, which won't happen because of those 4-5 GOP Senators.  So we'd have this Kabuki theater of the HFC demanding votes, and Senate not bringing it up for a vote because McConnell doesn't bring up votes on issues he knows will lose.

[txradioguy]

Good grief man!  What is the color of the sky in your world?

@mrpotatohead it appears to be Communist Red.

[Jazzhead]

Good grief man!  What is the color of the sky in your world?

The voters didn't vote for more gridlock.   They voted for change.   The FC is standing in the way of that change, and Trump is telling them that their obstructive behavior is unacceptable.   

We control the entire government,  and we're at war with ourselves.  It's unacceptable.   The FC must be isolated, and a new coalition emerge to deliver the results that the people demand.     

[Idaho_Cowboy]

The voters didn't vote for more gridlock.   They voted for change.   The FC is standing in the way of that change, and Trump is telling them that their obstructive behavior is unacceptable.   

We control the entire government,  and we're at war with ourselves.  It's unacceptable.   The FC must be isolated, and a new coalition emerge to deliver the results that the people demand.     

What about the 83% of folks that didn't want this turkey? Are they the problem too? We just all have to shut up and eat the peas given us by the elite.

[Jazzhead]

@mrpotatohead it appears to be Communist Red.

The voters demand results,  and the FC offers the same old obstructive bullshite.

I stand with the President.     

[txradioguy]

The FC is a cancer.

I'm all for primary-ing the selfish bastards.

   

the FC has demonstrated its disloyalty[/quote

Trump will partner with moderates from here on out.

Taking on the FC is just a way of establishing Trump's bona fides to do so.

   

with this band of extremists.

 

The impact on conservatism?   Does it matter?

 

They're dead to me.     

Those are not the quotes of anyone who can truthfully say they are Conservative...or even Republican for that matter.

Those are the quotes of a dyed in the wool Leftist straight outta DU who is simply trolling a Conservative website.

[Jazzhead]

What about the 83% of folks that didn't want this turkey? Are they the problem too? We just all have to shut up and eat the peas given us by the elite.

Tell the arseholes on talk radio to stand with the President and GOP leadership,  explain the conservative bona fides of the ACHA, and the consequences of disunity. 

The conservative movement is entirely dysfunctional.  It will be our undoing.   
   

 

[Emjay]

Eh, I'm not sure about that.  I'm not saying the tweet was smart -- it was too aggressive -- but I think there are some underlying factors that make a deal likely.  The HFC will dig in their heels in the short term because of hurt feelings, but the underlying dynamics are against that lasting.

The HFC cannot/will not agree to less than a full appeal as long as there is a chance of attaining that goal.  Not only do they believe that is the best policy choice, but their particular constituents demand it.  So they have to make a stand... for awhile, at least.  They must make clear to everyone that they are doing their utmost to fulfill their end of the "full repeal" promise

But I also don't think the HFC wants to see either 1) no deal at all get passed, so that full-throated ObamaCare remains in place, 2) a bargain that includes some Democrats, and is even worse than the AHCA.  1) also makes much more likely that the Dems regain control of the House in 2018.  I think if the choice comes down something akin to the AHCA, or either of those two options of something worse than the AHCA, enough of the HFC will agree to a modified AHCA for it to pass.  With some changes so the HFC can claim they achieved some good by holding out the first time around.

Yes, the Trumpcare thing was the worst mistake yet ... really the first real mistake.

I'm just finding it hard to read the unmitigated glee that a lot of posters here express whenever Trump does something stupid.

I guess their hatred of Trump is trumps everything else in the deck.  I'm still remembering the fine speech a gave to the joint session wherein he outlined plans that would be a huge boost to the country if he can manage to stay focused and pull it off.

I wish someone could help him with those mental problems.  I hate that he's swept the daughter and son-in-law into the White House but maybe she can have a calming effect on him.

The thing is we have a 4 year chance to get what we want with the house, Senate and presidency.  I hate to see anyone sabotage it, and I hate to see people rejoice when Trump shoots himself in the foot.

There was a point to that during the primaries.

[Jazzhead]

   
 
  Those are not the quotes of anyone who can truthfully say they are Conservative...or even Republican for that matter.

Those are the quotes of a dyed in the wool Leftist straight outta DU who is simply trolling a Conservative website.

I stand with the President, sir.   




no personal attacks 

[txradioguy]

The voters demand results,  and the FC offers the same old obstructive bullshite.

The voters demanded that Obamacare be repealed...root and branch.  That's why they gave Republcians the majority...it wasn't to settle on some squish moderate version of Obamacare.

I stand with the President.   

One Progressive supporting another Progressive...no surprise there.

[XenaLee]

@mrpotatohead it appears to be Communist Red.

I was thinking the exact same thing.   

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Tell the arseholes on talk radio to stand with the President and GOP leadership,  explain the conservative bona fides of the ACHA, and the consequences of disunity. 

The conservative movement is entirely dysfunctional.  It will be our undoing.   
 

Your respect for the voters has been duly noted. As I said just leave to the folks like you who know best.

I'm sure the unpopularity had nothing to do with the fact it left more people without coverage than a straight up repeal would. Or does Bo Snerdly work for the CBO?

[txradioguy]

I stand with the President, sir.

I notice you didn't deny the Liberal/DU claim.

I'm not a "sir" I work for a living.

And all you stand for is Populist progressive crap.

GFY.

I can't do that...I'm not a Liberal like you.

[txradioguy]

I was thinking the exact same thing.   

LOL! It's becoming more and more obvious isn't it?

[r9etb]

Eh, I'm not sure about that.  I'm not saying the tweet was smart -- it was too aggressive -- but I think there are some underlying factors that make a deal likely.  The HFC will dig in their heels in the short term because of hurt feelings, but the underlying dynamics are against that lasting.

The HFC cannot/will not agree to less than a full appeal as long as there is a chance of attaining that goal.  Not only do they believe that is the best policy choice, but their particular constituents demand it.  So they have to make a stand... for awhile, at least.  They must make clear to everyone that they are doing their utmost to fulfill their end of the "full repeal" promise

But I also don't think the HFC wants to see either 1) no deal at all get passed, so that full-throated ObamaCare remains in place, 2) a bargain that includes some Democrats, and is even worse than the AHCA.  1) also makes much more likely that the Dems regain control of the House in 2018.  I think if the choice comes down something akin to the AHCA, or either of those two options of something worse than the AHCA, enough of the HFC will agree to a modified AHCA for it to pass.  With some changes so the HFC can claim they achieved some good by holding out the first time around.

Eh, I don't know.  I would hope you're right about this, but my sense of the FC is that they much prefer to be courted, as opposed getting their hands dirty in the messy political process.  Hopefully I'm wrong about that.

As for their willingness to work with Trump (which is what I was actually talking about, even if it didn't quite read that way), I think this tweet probably ends up being the deal-breaker for them.  They already tried the face-to-face thing with Trump and lost; then Trump started bad-mouthing them; and now he's declared war on them.  Three strikes.

And the "moderates" will go to wherever the deal is going to be made, which some say will be between Trump and the Democrats.  So ... they'll look leftward.

The AHCA was a mistake, for various reasons, but it's not going to make or break Paul Ryan.  Rather, it's what happens next that makes or breaks him -- or any Republican Speaker, for that matter.  This is the point where Ryan and his majority leadership must find a way to get this fractious group of Republicans to work together.  He'll need to reach out to the FC and they'll need to respond; and he'll need to reach out to the "moderates" and they'll need to respond, and all sides are going to have to get serious about putting together legislation that can move things in the right direction.

[XenaLee]

I stand with the President, sir.   GFY.

Which one?   I'm seeing two different versions being displayed.

Not repealing Obamacare is a deal-breaker to me and to most conservatives.  It was the promise that got them into power.  If Trump and the "moderates" go back on that promise, the deal is off.  Probably for-ever.