Trump Undermines Campaign Promises by Supporting GOP Policies

The Trump presidency operates on two levels. And it's creating problems for itself on both of them.One is its public face, epitomized by President Donald Trump's incessant tweeting and his zest for unprovoked criticism of everyone from political foes to longtime U.S. allies. Even many supporters question his refusal to transition from campaign to governing mode.Second is a growing disconnect on policy, where Trump seems primarily a salesman for policies that, in crucial areas like health care and the budget, are starkly different from positions he advocated in his campaign. The result has accentuated the rightward thrust of a presidency that promised to be more ideologically eclectic and populist than rigidly conservative.A major factor is that the onetime corporate mogul has basically sub-contracted responsibility for crafting and implementing those policies to an array of current and former House Republicans who are pushing a conservative agenda that seems different at times from his own less doctrinaire views.It's a result of his political inexperience and his failure to develop the kind of personal political and policy structure most presidents bring into office from their campaigns.  Continue reading...