Congress is stuck in the mud, or the swamp (if you prefer). Republicans are in the midst of blowing a golden opportunity to restore some semblance of constitutional government and they're fumbling more than a drunken running back in the middle of a bender. Obamacare repeal isn't happening, a wall is unlikely, and there's a possibility that tax reform will end up being so watered down it could make Old Milwaukee light seem like a German ale.
This track record is sitting about as well with voters as you'd expect, which puts not only the House in play in next year's midterm elections, but the Senate as well. And 2018 was supposed to be the year the GOP had a shot at reaching 60 votes, negating Democrats' filibuster attempts. That, along with all those campaign promises, seems impossible now.
With that said, there are still things a President with an impotent Congress can do that would be much better than how things are. That's why I've been suggesting executive actions President Donald Trump can and should do to steer the country in a better direction, even if just a little.
In the latest opportunity for the President to take an action on his own that can make a difference, we have the director position at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
The CFPB was spawned from a progressive fever dream and the desire to control every damn thing in the country without any restraints. It's an unconstitutional mess and massive power grab liberals never thought would be within the grasp of not only a Republican president, but certainly not Donald Trump.
It now is, and this presents a golden opportunity to reshape the organization until it can be wiped from existence, as it should be.
With former director Richard Cordray resigning, likely to run for governor of Ohio, and attempting what amounted to a coup by trying to bypass the President and appoint his own successor (doesn't that sound like someone you'd like to have as your governor?), the courts sided with the President. Mick Mulvaney was installed as the interim CFPB director while also running the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which has really upset liberals, especially at the New York Times.
But running the OMB is a full-time job, and a very important one. Splitting focus can be done for a while, but the President should move quickly to appoint a new CFPB director, so both can do what needs to be done without distraction.
That said, President Trump should instead nominate Scott Garrett, his existing choice to run the Export-Import bank, to lead the CFPB
Garrett has faced a difficult confirmation process, with unanimous Democrat opposition and even some Republicans skeptical of his past opposition to the bank. That means his confirmation is unlikely to happen.
But Garrett is a solid conservative who would be able to bring some much needed control to the CFPB, while being a less controversial selection than he is at Ex-Im
As an added bonus, it would drive Senator Elizabeth Warren nuts. The Massachusetts Democrat was the first director and helped create this power-mad monstrosity. To have a new director from the opposite mold of her would be a huge victory, especially if Garrett held true to his conservative principles and at least neutered the CFPB.
That would irritate Fauxchantas to no end, making the whole endeavor worthwhile. (As an aside, take a moment to read this brutal dissection of Warren's numerous frauds - it's not just that she lied about be a Native American to get a job at Harvard as a "diversity hire," it's her whole damn career.)
This isn't my idea, it's actually something I saw Hugh Hewitt had tweeted. Made sense to me.
It's looking less likely Garrett will be confirmed for the Ex-Im job, too many forces are aligned against him, but those forces have little interest in the CFPB.
Something needs to be done, the CFPB needs someone to, at a minimum, hold it under control. Garrett has already been through the vetting ringer, so nominating him would seriously speed the process. There's really no reason not to, which would normally make something less likely to happen in Washington. With President Trump...it might be just crazy enough to work.
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