Congress

Congressional Black Caucus Rejects Trump’s Invitation to be Exploited at White House Photo-Op

Posted by on June 21, 2017 at 5:01 pm. 2 Comments :

The administration of Donald Trump is still struggling to get a foothold on support from members of Congress. His own Republican Party has been in such a state of disarray that they have failed to pass a single major plank of his platform. ObamaCare hasn’t been repealed. Taxes have not been cut for his wealthy pals. Federal courts keep striking down his Muslim ban. And there is no Mexican-paid wall.

Donald Trump

So perhaps in a move of desperation Trump dispatched his Apprentice flunky, Omarosa Manigault, to invite members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to the White House. The purpose was ostensibly to discuss issues that were raised in a prior get together. The only problem is that since the first meeting last March, things have only gotten worse. The letter sent by the CBC’s chairman, Cedric Richmond, provided explicit reasons for declining the invitation. For instance:

“Through an objective assessment, we have seen no evidence that your Administration acted on our calls for action, and we have in fact witnessed steps that will affirmatively hurt Black communities. While we agreed to explore possible future discussions when we first met, it has become abundantly clear that a conversation with the entire CBC would not be entirely productive given the actions taken by your administration since our first meeting. […] In fact, based on the actions taken by you and your Administration since that meeting, it appears that our concerns, and your stated receptiveness to them, fell on deaf ears.”

The letter enumerated several policy areas where the Trump administration fell short. They included his proposal to cut Pell Grants by four billion dollars; eliminating the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program; and re-escalating the failed war on drugs that “will continue to wreck the Black community and exacerbate our nation’s shameful scourge of mass incarceration.”

Also raised was Trump’s rollback of consent decrees and other methods of protecting the civil rights of all Americans. The administration’s record on education was a major point of contention. And the efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare) were described as a dealing a “painful blow” by “mean-spirited legislation” that would strip millions of people of their health care.

The CBC’s letter went on to list several of their attempts to engage the administration to pursue issues of common interest. But they were all ignored. The letter closed saying:

“Given the lack of response to any of the many concerns we have raised with you and your Administration, we decline your invitation for all 49 members of the Congressional Black Caucus to meet with you. The CBC, and the millions of people we represent, have a lot to lose under your Administration. I fail to see how a social gathering would benefit the policies we advocate for.”

This is a stinging rebuke to Trump and his transparent attempt to manipulate a key congressional constituency. They were not about to be taken advantage of for a photo-op designed to benefit the floundering White House. Whatever made the President think that the Caucus would would be so naive as to fall for this PR stunt is a mystery. And it’s also an insult. Unfortunately, it’s Trump who will consider himself the victim and will learn nothing from the message the CBC sent. SAD!

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

GOP’s Retreat On Ethics Office Doesn’t Erase Their Unscrpulous Intentions

Posted by on January 3, 2017 at 12:45 pm. 1 Comments :

In the past twenty-four hours congressional Republicans have given the nation a taste of the callous disregard they have for ethical conduct. On Monday it was reported that Republicans voted to neuter Congress’ ability to investigate misconduct in their ranks. They adopted a proposal to close the bipartisan Office of Congressional Ethics. Their plan called for replacing it with a panel comprised of members of the GOP-dominated Oversight Committee.

Paul Ryan GOP

Almost immediately this proposal was lambasted by both parties and pundits from across the political spectrum. It was seen as an attempt to protect themselves from scrutiny and punishment for malfeasance in office. Even Donald Trump weighed in via Twitter saying that:

“With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it […] may be, their number one act and priority. Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance! #DTS”

Trump’s vague expression of disapproval perfectly illustrates the problem with the Republican’s lack of principle. Notice that he did not criticize the proposal’s intention, only its timing. In fact, he endorsed the baseless complaint that the current system is “unfair.” And that’s precisely what the GOP has believed ever since the office was created by a Democratic congress in 2008.

On Tuesday morning, the Republican’s anti-ethics proposal was put back on the shelf. It was a head-spinning reversal that made clear how terribly they had screwed up. This was the party that promised to “drain the swamp” in Washington, but instead was feeding the gators. Politico reported that:

“Following a public outcry, and criticism from President-elect Donald Trump, House Republicans reversed course Tuesday on drastic changes to the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) offered a motion to restore the current OCE rules, and that was accepted by the GOP conference.”

What was not reported is that there was ample precedent for what Republicans tried to do Monday. Just two weeks ago Newt Gingrich addressed the ethics issue, complaining that for Trump “traditional rules don’t work.” He described Trump’s ascension to power as a “billionaire presidency,” which he meant as a justification for special treatment. In other words, the rules for the rich are different than those for the rest of us.

Furthermore, it’s possible that the House GOP was reacting to something the federal Office of Government Ethics did in November. A series of tweets were posted that sarcastically praised Trump for divesting himself of his business interests. Which not only has he not done, but he stubbornly refuses to do so. He even canceled a scheduled press conference to explain how he would handle his copious conflicts of interest. By closing up its own ethics shop, House Republicans might just be hoping to prevent other such embarrassing exposes of their affinity for corruption.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

So for the time being, the House Office of Congressional Ethics will continue to operate. However, expect this matter to return when they think they can slip it by without arousing suspicion and criticism. They still believe it is in their interest to suppress ethics inquiries. They just don’t want to get caught doing it at the outset of their party’s domination of government.