Giving Trump Rope.

Governing is hard.  Trump's best hope is that the Democrats save him by giving him what he desperately needs.  An excuse.

Trump needs to lose this

Travel Ban for Muslims.  Donald Trump needs some help in the Ninth Circuit when it makes its decision on the Muslim Entry Ban, or as the Administration would put it the ban of people from dangerous countries that just happen to be Muslim.  He needs to lose.  That would be perfect for him because it would give him an opponent to blame and he has already said that is what we should do: blame the judge.

He gets to say that he is trying to protect America but the liberal courts won't let him.  It is win-win for him.   Either we go through a stretch without a terror attack, in which he kept us safe.  Or we have one and it is the fault of someone else.

Advice to Democrats and courts.  Trump is setting you up.  He has the power, he has the burden of accountability.  Don't let him off.

Over-promised

Obamacare.  Same thing with repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.  It was politically glorious to oppose "Obamacare," and less so to oppose the same thing when described as the Affordable Care Act because several of the provisions solve significant problems.  The parts that were not popular were the parts that made it work.  The GOP is clear that the repeal is easy.  Replace is hard.  Their best strategy is the one of delay.  Keep the ACA in place and call it "Obamacare" so they can complain about how it doesn't suit them.  

Democrats in the Senate will obstruct the destruction of the ACA and it will be a talking point in the 2018 midterms.

Advice to Democrats:  Hands off.  Let Republicans make the mess and try to clean it up.  Republicans wanted the job of repealing and replacing Obamacare.  It will likely be a confusing, expensive disaster for the simple reason that there is no simple, inexpensive politically acceptable solution and if there were the Democrats would have implemented it.  

Budget. Every Republican presidential candidate except Lindsey Graham told he same story: We can increase the army, navy, and air force.  We can increase military engagement against ISIS.  We can increase spending for popular entitlements.  We can cut taxes significantly. We can balance the budget and have enough left over to pay down the deficit.  All of it, simultaneously.  

Readers should ask themselves:  in what universe is that plausible?  It is the setup for disappointment.  What can make upcoming mess politically acceptable?  Democrats.  They will sign onto the infrastructure spending bill and the budget and deficit failure will be called "bipartisan."   Every Trump speech and every Fox News broadcast will use the word "bipartisan."  

Mission Impossible

Democrats are in a bind.  They are opposing Trump nominations and they are outvoted. The struggle against Trump, then the loss as with the defeat on the DeVoss nomination, is not a failure for Democrats.  It is a success.

 Democrats fought and lost and it is Trump's cabinet.  His credit, his blame.

Democratic instinct is to be a party of government.  They want to help set the policy course.   Democrats should embrace their temporary powerlessness.  Republicans won.  They have the levers of power so they should have the burden of governance.

Give Trump rope.

Democrats appear to be accepting simple reality, but it is not clear if they understand the gift they were given. The people voted to give Trump that rope.  Republicans and Trump in particular have an agenda and it is completely unrealistic.  Replace Obamacare with something really great; tax less and spend way more.  Impossible.  Defeat ISIS immediately.  Bring back jobs lost to automation.  Win. Win. Win. Win. Win.

Trump over-promised. Trump will disappoint.  A year from now Trump will either look like a blowhard and con man or he will look like a man fighting the good fight but failing because liberals and Democrats stopped him.   Which way this goes is in the hands of Democrats, not Trump.  Trump is doomed to disappoint.  What is in question is whether the disappointment is due to Democrats who messed things up or whether it is Trump who promised us the moon and gave us a big mess.  

Letting Trump win is the best way to stop him. 

This is not prediction, it is description.  Eight years ago Republicans saw a House, Senate, and White House in Democratic hands and decided to oppose everything at every turn and make sure there were no Republican votes in favor of anything.  It confounded Obama, particularly in the Senate where Obama did not have 60 votes required to move most legislation.  The result was gridlock and Obama looked weak.  Worse, the inevitable frustrations and failures of mere reality--as opposed to campaign hope and dreams--rested squarely on the Democrats.

If readers consider this ugly and manipulative and sneaky and calculating let me say I agree.  But consider the circumstances.  Trump won and he has the power..  Either the Trump owns the problems or Democrats let Trump blame them for the problems.  That is the worst possible outcome for Democrats and the country: problems with responsible party shifting blame to the ones on the sidelines.  

Trump is a master at messaging but eventually the reality of the real world weighs down and sends a message even more simple and clear than Trump's tweets.  Trump will try to blame Democrats for dashed hopes and failed dreams.

If they are smart they won't let him.