Well, that was the shortest, most easily resolved national emergency in U.S. history. Twelve hours ago, the president was preparing to set aside the regular process of law. By 9 p.m. eastern time? Not so much.
Perhaps somebody pointed out that 15-year civil-engineering projects do not look very convincingly like emergency measures. "My house is burning! Time to begin the process of calling for design proposals for a new fire station."
President Donald Trump is about to discover the reverse side of Richard Neustadt's famous observation that the most important presidential power is the power to persuade. Trump's conduct as candidate and president long ago deprived him of any power to persuade anyone not already predisposed to support him. To date, Trump has governed by leveraging his high approval rating within the Republican Party. From the point of view of former Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Trump's 90 percent approval rating among Republicans mattered a lot more than his 39 percent approval rating among Americans in general.
Read Full Article »