Site icon Black Tortoise Press

State of the Union: A recap of what was promised

Black Tortoise Press
Advertisements

Last year, leading up to the Presidential Election, I did a series of posts comparing the platforms of the Democrats and Republicans.  If you want to see the whole comparison, just plug “platform” into the search bar.  You should find six different posts.

2017 was a year of Tweet-storms as our newest President played to his base.

But [tweetthis]just what got done, and how does that compare to what the Republican Platform promised? And how much of that is controlled by the President?[/tweetthis]

 

Just for the fun of it, [tweetthis]I found this SchoolHouse Rock video that explains the branches of government and what they each do.[/tweetthis] Do you remember SchoolHouse Rock?

 

 

[tweetthis]The President has seven roles*:[/tweetthis]

1. Chief of State

This role requires a president to be an inspiring example for the American people. As the American Chief of State, the president is a living symbol of the nation. It is considered a great honor for any citizen to shake the president’s hand.

I didn’t find any polls that measured ‘respect’ or ‘inspiration.’  I did find several articles and a PEW poll that measured ‘confidence.’  

The Pew Global Attitudes Project measures foreign opinion of the United States. That survey found that only two of the 37 countries have a more favorable opinion of the United States since Trump took office.

2. Chief Executive

The president is the “boss” for millions of government workers in the Executive Branch. He or she decides how the laws of the United States are to be enforced and chooses officials and advisors to help run the Executive Branch.

I used ProPublica as a source.  ProPublica is a well-respected, facts, based not-for-profit organization that does deep research. They published a list of 400 staffers hired that do not require approval.  If you want to see the whole list, click here.

The list we [ProPublica] obtained includes obscure campaign staffers, contributors to Breitbart and others who have embraced conspiracy theories, as well as dozens of Washington insiders who could be reasonably characterized as part of the “swamp” Trump pledged to drain.

The list is striking for how many former lobbyists it contains: We found at least 36, spanning industries from health insurance and pharmaceuticals to construction, energy and finance. Many of them lobbied in the same areas that are regulated by the agencies they have now joined.

3. Chief Diplomat

The president decides what American diplomats and ambassadors shall say to foreign governments. With the help of advisors, the president makes the foreign policy of the United States.

In broad strokes, Trump explains his policy by his campaign slogan, “American First,” which translates to some as American isolationism.

4. Commander-In-Chief

The president is in charge of the U.S. Armed Forces: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. The president decides where troops shall be stationed, where ships shall be sent, and how weapons shall be used. All military generals and admirals take their orders from the president.

In mid-2017, Trump’s administration stopped disclosing the number of troops deployed to some areas of the globe. 

5. Legislative Leader

Only Congress has the actual power to make laws, but the Constitution gives the president power to influence Congress in its lawmaking. Presidents may urge Congress to pass new laws or veto bills that they do not favor.

6. Chief of Party

In this role, the president helps members of his or her political party get elected or appointed to office. The president campaigns for those members who have supported his or her policies. At the end of a term, the president may campaign for reelection.

Trump endorsed Luther Strange and Roy Moore who both lost their bids.

7. Guardian of the Economy

In this role, the president is concerned with such things as unemployment, high prices, taxes, business profits, and the general prosperity of the country. The president does not control the economy, but is expected to help it run smoothly.

I found quite a bit of dispute about how much influence a President can have on the economy.  Most agreed that the impact cannot be measured in the first year because most economic takes time to measure. Trump’s economic plan or MAGAnomics or Trumponomics is described by Wikipedia:

His signature economic policy proposals  include trade protectionism, immigration reduction, individual and corporate tax reform, the dismantling of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and the repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”). Bills to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) did not pass Congress in mid-2017. However, Trump’s tax reform plan was signed into law in December 2017, which included substantial tax cuts for higher income taxpayers and corporations as well as repeal of a key Obamacare element, the individual mandate. The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) reported that the new tax law would increase the debt by $1.4 trillion over a decade ($1.0 trillion after macroeconomic feedback effects), in addition to a nearly $11 trillion debt increase forecast under prior law and the $20 trillion existing national debt. JCT also expected it to slightly increase the size of the economy (level of GDP) by 0.8% total over a decade.The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that lower-income groups would incur net costs, either paying higher taxes or receiving fewer government benefits: those under $20,000 by 2019; those under $40,000 from 2021-2025; and those under $75,000 in 2027 and beyond. Up to 13 million fewer persons would be covered by health insurance relative to prior law, due to repealing the individual mandate to have health insurance. As a result, critics argued the tax bill unfairly benefited higher-income taxpayers and corporations at the expense of lower-income taxpayers, and therefore would significantly increase income inequality.During 2017, economic growth increased over the prior year, with around 3% annualized growth rates in Q2 and Q3. While job creation was marginally slower than 2016 through November,the unemployment rate fell and labor force participation among prime-aged workers (age 25–54) improved. Both the budget deficit and trade deficit were higher than the prior year. The stock market and household net worth continued to climb beyond 2016 record levels. Trump initiated several deregulatory efforts regarding banking, net neutrality, and the environment.

More on the progress of the Republican Platform before January is over.

Now I plan to take a nap.

 

 

 

Exit mobile version