> I find it fascinating that a tax plan proposed by a President reviled throughout the Valley
Not quite. The proposal has been on the table for years. The difference has been how to use the proceeds from repatriation. Republicans wanted lower corporate taxes. Democrats wanted something else. This wasn't new, it wasn't unique, and it wasn't Trump. Believing this was a plan proposed by Trump ignores history and facts. Sure, he signed the bill into law, but the same thing would have effectively happened had Democrats been in charge instead of Republicans.
> but the same thing would have effectively happened had Democrats been in charge instead of Republicans.
Wasn't that the case when Obama was first elected? And yet, it didn't happen. They've kind of painted themselves into a corner with the "the rich and corporations aren't taxed enough" rhetoric, not sure how they'd successfully sell a corporate tax holiday to their base.
The buck stops with the President. If the GOP Congress won't work with the President, it's the President's job to find a way to get enough of them on board. LBJ was a master at getting "impossible" legislation through Congress, so I don't believe it was impossible for Obama. I suspect this is where his inexperience in politics showed.
An example of this was outlined on Frontline a few years back. Obama crafted a bill, and included a number of items the GOP said they wanted. He then presented it to the GOP, and was surprised when the GOP soundly rejected it. This is a failure of Sales 101, in that it was set up so Obama would get the credit. Of course the GOP rejected it. A craftier technique is to invite the GOP to write those sections of the bill themselves, and give the GOP the credit. Same bill, but totally different approach.
He should have read one of the many biographies of LBJ where they go into considerable detail on his career of getting impossible things through Congress.
All he needed was to peel off a couple GOP Congressman - surely he could have found a way to do that given 50 of them. Political parties are never a solid block of commitment, there are always waverers and members who can be manipulated with the right carrots.
As I mentioned in the antecedent, he made serious persuasion mistakes in dealing with the GOP that pretty much guaranteed failure.
Obama's first step would be to accept responsibility for the task, rather than blaming the GOP. Blaming the GOP only served to diminish Obama's political capital.
(Remember Clinton outmaneuvered the GOP with the "Contract with America". Obama could have consulted with Clinton.)
And what about Mitch "We'll oppose any bill put before us, even if it's good for the country (yes, he actually said that), in order not to let Obama have any victories" McConnell?
That wasn't a failing of Sales, that was an opposition who was willing to harm themselves, and the country, to not give any leeway.
I have legitimately spent fifteen minutes trying to find a source, but I haven't managed yet in Internet searches, lists of "ridiculous quotes" from McConnell, nor Wikiquote.
BTW, just as the Dems made a mistake in not getting any Reps on board with Obamacare, the Reps made a mistake in not getting any Dems on board with the tax cut.
Of course, dubbing the bill "Obamacare" was a virtual guarantee of no Republican support. The Dems should have worked hard to name it something more inclusive (and more catchy than "Affordable Care Act"). Marketing matters!
Not quite. The proposal has been on the table for years. The difference has been how to use the proceeds from repatriation. Republicans wanted lower corporate taxes. Democrats wanted something else. This wasn't new, it wasn't unique, and it wasn't Trump. Believing this was a plan proposed by Trump ignores history and facts. Sure, he signed the bill into law, but the same thing would have effectively happened had Democrats been in charge instead of Republicans.