Thursday, December 15, 2016

How Trump Could Shut Down Mitch McConnell if Necessary - by Gary North

The media have wet their Depends over Trump’s choice for Secretary of State.
We are told that Mitch McConnell — once hated by the Left, but now seen as the Left’s last hope — may mobilize Republicans in the Senate. The Senate will not consent to Trump’s choice. Rex Tillerson will be sent packing.
Oh, yeah?
Here is what I would do if I were Trump. I would tweet this:
Rex Tillerson is my personal Secretary of State. If world leaders want to deal with me, they will deal with him. He does not need Senate confirmation to represent me.
In 137 characters, Trump can tell Mitch McConnell to take a flying leap at a rolling doughnut.
He would then send Tillerson’s name back to the Senate. What could McConnell do? This: reconsider.
Trump can pay Tillerson a salary out of his own pocket. It would be Trump change. But Tillerson would do it for free, I think.
So would Trump’s designated Secretary of the Treasury.
Trump could leave open most of the other cabinet positions. Except for the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, they have no power.
Will McConnell & Co. block Gen. Mattis? I doubt it. If they do, Trump tweets this:
The Senate has decided that this country does not need an outstanding general as Secretary of Defense. It apparently would prefer Martha Stewart. Mattis is my choice.
Then he re-submits Mattis’s name.
He can play this game all day long. He has the Presidency. He has Twitter. If he holds a press conference, the media will show up. McConnell has nothing but the veto. He would not have it for long.
Trump can play hardball if he wants to. If he does, there will be a feeding frenzy by the media. This would be news, and the media cannot resist news.
Trump’s supporters will cheer. “Give ‘em hell, Donald!” McConnell would make Trump a hero.
McConnell would fold. He holds a pair of deuces. Trump holds a royal flush. He does not have to bluff.
My guess is that Trump will get all of his cabinet appointments through the Senate. I think the media are in denial about the Senate Republicans’ willingness to block any of Trump’s appointments. Will the Senate block the appointment of McConnell’s wife as the head of the Department of Transportation? I think not.
Trump has a thick skin. The media can’t lay a glove on him. This is Joe Lewis vs. Max Schmeling — the second fight. This enrages the media.
The media are Bambi.

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/12/gary-north/trump-can-shut-mitch-mcconnell/