The Donald the First?
By Dr. Harold A. Black
blackh@knoxfocus.com
haroldblackphd.com
One of my dear friends has bought into the Trump dictator mantra. Methinks she probably watches too much MSNBC because the dictator mantra defies all logic. First, if Trump is a dictator then all of his nominees would sail through the newly constituted Senate because in all dictatorships the legislature just rubberstamps the wishes of the dictator. Yet the odious Matt Gaetz failed to get the Republican support he needed for confirmation, saw the light and withdrew. Does anyone really think that Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski will willy-nilly bend to Trump’s orders?
The tax cuts from the first Trump administration are set to expire. What will the Republicans do? What will be interesting is to see if both the House and Senate tax committees renew the cuts and incorporate the promises Trump made on the campaign trail to exempt taxes on tips, on overtime and on Social Security payments. If enacted, this would mean that the immediate impact will be an increase in the deficit. The budget hawks in both chambers would likely resist the increase. What would Trump do? Again all the cajoling will not likely move the House budget committee chair who has insisted that a change in the tax policy should not add to the deficit.
Next, we have Trump’s tariffs. I have wondered what is the extent of the president’s authority to levy tariffs. I have the feeling that the president’s authority will be tested in the courts. The US Chamber of Commerce and several of its branches on the Mexican and Canadian borders have expressed opposition to the tariffs. Will they sue saying the president has exceeded his authority? If so, the case will likely be decided by the Supreme Court. Even though my socialist friend says that Trump’s appointees on the Supreme Court will not rule against him, I am certain that she is wrong. This Supreme Court has expressed skepticism over the president’s authority and acting without the approval of Congress. My friend had scoffed at the checks and balances in our government and said that the Supreme Court would rubberstamp any Trump action even if unconstitutional. Obviously, she has not paid much attention to Trump’s nominees, all of whom show streaks of independent thinking. Saying that this Supreme Court is a rubberstamp shows intellectual laziness.
What about the so-called Inflation Reduction Act? That boondoggle was passed without a single Republican vote. Trump has pledged to cancel the law which he calls the Green New Scam. Since the Republicans will now control both the House and the Senate one would think that the Republicans would quickly void the act. But as a famous TV personality says “Not so fast my friend.” The act is a gravy train and billions of dollars are flowing into Republican districts and states. Two examples are the $6 billion “loan” granted to Rivian to build a plant in Georgia and the $7 billion for Hyundai to make electric vehicles in the state. I am certain that Brian Kemp welcomes the grant and would oppose not receiving it. Not surprisingly the Republican congressmen whose districts are where the plants are located do not want the loans rescinded. What about other grants, subsidies, tax credits and loans that would go to other republicans? Eighteen Republicans have sent a letter to Mike Johnson asking him not to repeal the act. One Georgia congressman said that the entire act should not be repealed, only parts of it. He probably means the parts that go to Democrat districts and states. Given the makeup of the House, if those 18 would vote against the repeal of the IRA, it would remain law because you can be certain that no Democrat will vote to repeal.
Thus, in the end, the left is just fearmongering. It knows that a presidential dictator is not possible in this country. But the left seems to have only one playbook and this one says to yell dictator at every opportunity. However, expect Trump to be like all the presidents before him and test the limits of his authority by erasing most of the actions of the dictator that preceded him, one Joseph Robinette Biden.
