OnPolitics Today: Two big swings and misses for Trump

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President Trump was not pleased that the Republican’s effort to repeal and replace Obamacare collapsed.
USA TODAY

It’s been a rough week for the Trump administration, and we haven’t even finished Tuesday. The Obamacare repeal effort has died twice in the past 24 hours and Iran’s nuclear program is still intact. So what’s next on the agenda? 

Misery loves company

President Trump’s approval ratings are mired in the high 30s to low 40s. But in the latest Bloomberg poll, there’s one person who fares slightly worse: Hillary Clinton. The poll showed Trump’s approval rating at 41%, with 55% disapproval), while the same respondents gave Clinton a 39% approval rating, with 58% disapproval. (You might recall that we deliberately picked both of them to compete in last year’s Presidency Finals.)

Even though their poll numbers are pretty close, there’s an easy way to tell the two rivals apart: One of them doesn’t have the ability to implement any of their campaign promises, and the other one wears pantsuits. 

McConnell on health care: Hey, check out our new Supreme Court justice

Q- how are you going to explain 7 months of work w/no health bill? McConnell: Well we have a new Supreme Court justice.

— julie rovner (@jrovner) July 18, 2017

The Republican White House, Republican Senate and Republican House of Representatives joined forces in January like a conservative Voltron, and made the repeal and/or replacement of Obamacare their central priority. Six months later, there’s no clear way forward. On Monday night, two Republican senators said they wouldn’t back the current bill (or even bring it to a vote). Tuesday morning, enough Republican senators said they wouldn’t even consider a straight-up repeal of Obamacare … which was something they backed as recently as 2015.

The one thing that’s standing in the way of the GOP’s efforts to strike down Obamacare is the fact that Obamacare already exists. It’s as if Republicans argued against getting a dog in 2010 – but damned if we didn’t adopt the dog anyway. And even though it’s a flawed dog in many ways, Americans don’t really hate it. Republicans offered to abolish the dog and promised to get a ferret instead, and nobody wants the ferret. To end this tortured metaphor: The Republicans’ best shot to not adopt a dog was before we got the dog.

What’s next on the GOP’s agenda? In all likelihood, tax reform and infrastructure spending. 

Oh, and Iran gets to keep their nuclear program

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U.S. officials said President Donald Trump agreed to recertify that Iran is sticking to the terms of the 2015 agreement.
Video provided by Newsy
Newslook

Another campaign promise fell apart in the past 24 hours, although this one had a bit more advance notice. The Trump administration begrudgingly admitted Monday that Iran is complying with the nuclear deal that started under the Obama administration, although officials say Iran’s support of terrorism and development of ballistic missiles “severely undermine the intent” of the agreement.

The deal lifted sanctions on Iran and allows the country to pursue peaceful nuclear technology. Trump had vowed to dismantle the agreement on the campaign trail, specifically the expiration of some nuclear restrictions in the coming years.

Elsewhere in politics …

• Senate panel hopes to get meaningful information out of meeting with Donald Trump Jr.
• Political donor may ask for stuff at some point
• ‘It’s the journalists! Run for it!’

Don weakening, but Hilary still not organized 

As Tropical Storm Don loses steam in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Hilary may be forming in the Pacific. Americans remain indifferent.

 

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