I can't say I'm devastated about this.
Even if Gaetz got all the way to confirmation hearings before the Senate, there was virtually no chance of 50 out of 53 Republican Senators voting yes (with VP J.D. Vance breaking the tie). Truth be told, the Gaetz pick itself was a bucket of cold water thrown on the good vibes of President-elect Trump's solid early cabinet/leadership staff picks.
With the GOP having the legislative trifecta in D.C. for at least two years, this nomination just seemed like Trump (intentionally or not) setting the stage for contentiousness with Senators whom he definitely needs in order to implement an impactful agenda. Thankfully we've avoided the prospects of Trump openly calling out Senators of his own party once they inevitably started to signal that Gaetz's confirmation was in peril. And this also shuts down the fantasy talk of Trump installing Gaetz as a recess appointment.
Trump isn't even President yet, but this whole saga had the potential to be one of his classic (and utterly avoidable) dumpster fires. It's nice to have this reprieve, though I suspect it'll be temporary.
--------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment