White House Watch: Trump Goes for Tax Reform

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because something similar happened earlier this month. Trump delivered a speech on tax reform in North Dakota, whose Democratic senator, Heidi Heitkamp, also appeared with the president. Like Heitkamp, Donnelly hails from a state Trump won last November. Both are up for reelection next year, and that, the White House figures, suggests they might be gettable on a big tax package.

What’s in that package, new details of which the White House and Republican congressional leadership are promising to reveal on Wednesday? A simplified code, from seven to three brackets. A bigger standard deduction—double the current one, Axios reports. Net tax cuts for most Americans, alongside reforms of heretofore unspecified breaks and deductions that the Washington Post says will remain unspecified for the time being.

“By refusing to specify on Wednesday which tax breaks could be jettisoned, GOP leaders make a calculated effort to try to postpone any backlash while they try to build a coalition, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the internal negotiations,” the Post reported.

Things get done in Washington by “calculated efforts.” The White House and congressional Republicans have worked better and harder at just that kind of calculating, especially when compared to the party’s failed health care effort(s).

President Trump’s first speech on tax reform in August took place in Missouri—another Trump state with a Democratic senator up for reelection (Claire McCaskill) in 2018. He invited three such senators—Heitkamp, Donnelly, and West Virginia’s Joe Manchin—to the White House along with three Republicans for a dinner to discuss tax reform.

And in case the message wasn’t clear, the White House legislative director made it explicit that the president wanted Democrats on board. “We don’t feel like we can assume that we can get tax reform done strictly on a partisan basis,” said Marc Short at a recent breakfast with reporters.

Without enough details, it’s impossible to know if this part of the plan will work for Trump and the GOP, but at least it’s part of a plan. That’s an improvement for this White House and a little more reminiscent of its only true big success on Capitol Hill thus far: the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch. In many ways, succeeding with tax reform is much more difficult than getting Gorsuch through. But having a plan will make that heavy lift a little bit lighter.

Special Election Watch—Roy Moore has defeated Luther Strange in Alabama’s Republican primary runoff for the U.S. Senate seat once held by Jeff Sessions. Moore, a former state supreme court chief justice, faces Democrat Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney, in the special election on December 12.

Strange, the incumbent who had been appointed to the seat by Governor Robert Bentley in January (shortly before Bentley resigned in disgrace) had the support of President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell, and the Republican establishment. Strange grabbed on tight to Trump and never let go, concluding his campaign to keep the seat with a Friday rally in Huntsville where the president offered his unique brand of support.

But it was Moore who seemed to capture the spirit of Trump in Alabama, where Trump is very popular. Before the runoff, local talk radio hosts and conservative celebrities such as Sarah Palin, Phil Robertson, and Steve Bannon coalesced around Moore, who had edged out Strange in the three-way primary in August.

Feature of the Day—“Where have you gone, Tim Lincecum?”

President Trump on Tuesday followed up his remarks—initially made at that Luther Strange rally on Friday—regarding NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. Asked about whether he was more focused on the NFL than on the devastation in Puerto Rico wrought by Hurricane Maria, Trump said he “wasn’t preoccupied with the NFL.”

“I was ashamed of what was taking place, because to me that was a very important moment,” Trump said during a press conference with the prime minister of Spain at the White House. “I don’t think you can disrespect our country, our flag, our national anthem. To me, the NFL situation is a very important situation. I’ve heard that before about was I preoccupied. Not at all. Not at all. I have plenty of time on my hands. All I do is work.”

Trump Tweet of the Day

The Price is Wrong—More bad news for Tom Price, the HHS secretary who Politico has revealed to have charged lots of chartered flights on private jets to the American taxpayer—when commercial flights appear to have been readily available. Here’s the latest:

2018 Watch—The biggest political news, after Alabama, came from just across the state line. Republican senator Bob Corker of Tennessee announced he would not be seeking reelection to a third term in 2018.

“After much thought, consideration, and family discussion over the past year, Elizabeth and I have decided that I will leave the United States Senate when my term expires at the end of 2018,” said Corker, the onetime mayor of Chattanooga, in a statement.

This does not make things any easier for Mitch McConnell’s efforts to hold the Senate in Republican hands. At the very least, expect a contentious GOP primary for Corker’s seat, something along the lines of the surprisingly competitive primary in 2014. That year, incumbent Lamar Alexander was held under 50 percent by an anti-illegal immigration state senator, Joe Carr. Carr, who may run for Corker’s seat, grabbed 40 percent of the primary vote.

There’s no telling what a rollicking primary could do for the party’s chances in November, but depending on the national mood and the Democratic nominee, Tennessee could be looking at trading in what was a reliably Republican Senate seat.

Song of the Day—“Bats in the Belfry” by Dispatch.