The Republican rank and file has been frustrated with the House committees, which have not produced a drumbeat of legislation to tout as victories. And the party is deeply split on health-care reform, a tax overhaul and infrastructure spending. Passing a budget to set the groundwork for tax reform is still seen as far off. And with 13 days remaining, the congressional schedule doesn’t leave a lot of time to kick things into high gear. -- Politico Playbook
Robert Reich’s reading of Politico Playbook:
According to Politico, Republicans are increasingly worried they’ll lose the House in next year’s midterms in a toxic political environment that appears to be worsening. Specifically:
1. They cite the possibility that they won’t secure any serious legislative wins.
2. They have serious concerns about more revelations about Trump. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller's investigation “remains the wild card.”
3. They worry about what Trump will do if Mueller's investigation gets closer to Trump. On yesterday's ABC’s “This Week,” Jay Sekulow, a member of Trump’s legal team, refused to rule out the possibility that Trump might order Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein to fire Mueller.
4. They worry about what Trump might say. Over the weekend he announced he was “100 percent” ready to testify under oath to special counsel Mueller about his interactions with Comey. If Trump testifies, Republicans would be under dramatically increased pressure to clarify whether they believe him or Comey.
5. They're concerned enough to begin to break ranks. “Certainly, Mr. Comey understood [Trump's words to him about Michael Flynn] as a directive,” said Republican Senator Susan Collins over the weekend. "Whether it’s illegal is a whole other issue, and that’s up to the independent counsel. But it was wrong of the president to even bring up the subject.” Yesterday, Senator John McCain said Obama provided more American global leadership than Trump.
