Nixon and Trump: "I have a plan..."

[lpetrich]

The pResident now has another thing in common with one of his predecessors, Richard Nixon.

Nixon's 'Secret Plan' That Never Was - CSMonitor.com

It was at a private session with a half-dozen surprised and skeptical editors in the spring of his campaign that Nixon unveiled his get-out-of-the-war plan. Among these Midwest editors were those who had watched Mr. Nixon closely during the cold-war years. They viewed him as a basically hard-line communist-hater who, as president, could be counted on to take a "you can't trust the communists" line.

They could hardly believe their ears, therefore, when Nixon said that, upon becoming president, he would (1) arrange a summit meeting with the Soviet leaders to gain their help in ending the Vietnam War, and (2) seek to "de-Americanize" the Vietnam conflict. About the latter, an editor told me that Nixon clearly was indicating he had a plan to phase out US troop involvement in the war.

He made similar statements to other liberal-minded newspaper editors during the months of his campaign.

Indeed, in speeches and statements, Nixon continued to give the "hawks" in this country reason to believe he would carry on the war - perhaps even, as they hoped, stepping up our involvement. Not surprisingly, they fully backed him.

...
My memory of this was jogged recently at a Monitor lunch, where Nixon's defense adviser in the '68 campaign, Melvin Laird, said flatly of a Nixon pre-election intention to gradually pull US troops out of the war: "He had no such plan."

Trump Retreats on Health Care After McConnell Warns It Won’t Happen - The New York Times

Reversing himself in the face of Republican consternation, Mr. Trump said his party would not produce a health care plan of its own, as he had promised, until after the elections, meaning he will only try to fulfill his first-term promise to repeal and replace his predecessor’s signature program if he wins a second term.

...
But if that warning was meant to quiet the president, it did not work. Hours later, Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter, “The Republicans are developing a really great HealthCare Plan with far lower premiums (cost) & deductibles than ObamaCare.”

“In other words it will be far less expensive & much more usable than ObamaCare,” he said in a string of three tweets posted Monday night. “Vote will be taken right after the Election when Republicans hold the Senate & win back the House.”

Trump punts on health care until after the 2020 election - CNNPolitics

Trump has been stymied on one of his primary campaign promises -- to repeal the signature law of his predecessor -- despite multiple attempts in Congress. Trump attempted on multiple occasions to repeal Obamacare during 2017, when his party was in control of both chambers of Congress, but failed to do so due to a lack of support within his own party.

...
The President has insisted in recent days that, despite his administration's position that all of the ACA should be struck down, the GOP will be the party of health care. He's also repeatedly promised to protect people with pre-existing conditions, a provision that would be eliminated if the federal district judge's ruling in a Texas case is upheld on appeal.

Trump’s 2020 Platform: A Healthcare Plan That Doesn’t Exist – Rolling Stone

In the nine years since the ACA became law, Republicans have yet to come up with a suitable replacement. The Trump administration tried to push one through in the fall of 2017, but it was so poorly constructed that it couldn’t even pass muster in the Republican-controlled Senate, with John McCain casting the deciding vote against it. Trump has attacked McCain relentlessly ever since, even following the late senator’s death last August. “We had a very, very unfortunate vote by somebody,” Trump said on Tuesday, referring to McCain. “We were close. We were so close. One vote away. One vote away. But it didn’t work. But this is going to be something, I think, that has even more potential. It’s going to be a better plan. I already know what they’re doing with it.”

He went on to say that Republicans will campaign on the nonexistent plan. When he was asked earlier on Tuesday when its will be made available to the public, Trump said it will be revealed “at an appropriate time.”

Given the pResident's track record, I'm sure that he has no plan. Just like Richard Nixon back in 1968.

 

[zorq]

Given the pResident's track record, I'm sure that he has no plan. Just like Richard Nixon back in 1968.

I gather that "at an appropriate time" means "never." He used the exact same expression in 2016 when asked when he will release his tax returns. https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/donald-trump-i-will-release-tax-returns-607836227723

For those who are wondering, here is Trump's response in this interview regarding when his tax returns will be released.

Well, we're working on that now. I have very big returns, as you know, and I have everything approved and very beautiful, and we'll be working that over in the next period of time, Chuck. Absolutely. ...{Trump has a weird rant about how he tries to give as little tax money as possible because the government spends money in ways that Trump doesn't approve of, then he goes on to say} ... We're working on it right now and at the appropriate time, you'll be very satisfied.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

It is worth noting that the GOP couldn't even manage getting 50 votes for the GOP repeal of ACA and they never really had anything to take its place, despite an endless line of bills to repeal the ACA when Obama was President.

Trump obviously doesn't have a plan, because when they tried to repeal ACA, there was no plan of merit to replace it with.

 

[Gun Nut]

I was channel surfing and hit on the documentary Tricky Dick for a few seconds... at that moment, Nixon was speaking about some protest that was going on... he said, "There were 400 Thousand people there... SOME PEOPLE SAY 600 Thousand... 900 Thousand, I think...."

I was like... Where did I recently hear something like that?

 

[ideologyhunter]

I think it's an actual Trump quote from '16 that "we're going to get rid of Obamacare and replace it with something super-terrific." Anyone who would vote for someone who uses that kind of mindless language deserves exactly what he gets.
But I'm still waiting on the long-delayed results of the investigation Trump initiated into Obama's birth -- lo these 7 years ago. Remember when he said he had a team of investigators in Hawaii and "you won't believe what they're finding out"???
Could it be that they're still drafting their report and that we'll soon see what's in it?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Remember when he said he had a team of investigators in Hawaii and "you won't believe what they're finding out"???

You mean when he called a press conference to announce how they were finding big things?

It'll be cheaper and better. All he needs to do is say it is also deficit neutral and we've got the trifecta of Trump bullshit.

 

[James Brown]

I think it's an actual Trump quote from '16 that "we're going to get rid of Obamacare and replace it with something super-terrific." Anyone who would vote for someone who uses that kind of mindless language deserves exactly what he gets.
But I'm still waiting on the long-delayed results of the investigation Trump initiated into Obama's birth -- lo these 7 years ago. Remember when he said he had a team of investigators in Hawaii and "you won't believe what they're finding out"???
Could it be that they're still drafting their report and that we'll soon see what's in it?

That was one time when Donald Trump told the truth. He announced that they didn't find anything, and his base did not believe it.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Trump abandoned Birtherism, true -- in 2016, after six years of disgusting lies. Why? Because the stinking mendacity of it was dominating press coverage of him. He "told the truth"....right. He simply announced that he wasn't going to talk about it anymore, and he had an intermediary announce that he now accepted the fact that Obama was born in Hawaii. No apology, no regrets, because Trump is a truly tasteless, base, morals-free man who doesn't care at all -- ever -- what damage his ugly mouth does to others. Quite the opposite, he delights in ridiculing people as having "low IQs" (what a rodent), "thin necks," (whatever that's supposed to signify), etc. He dismissed the account of the woman who said he groped her on a plane by telling his guffawing crowd that, really, did you see her? Does anyone think I'd grope HER? Absolutely stunning and horrifying that any country, let alone a democracy, could have a man like this speaking for us.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Trump abandoned Birtherism, true -- in 2016, after six years of disgusting lies. Why? Because the stinking mendacity of it was dominating press coverage of him. He "told the truth"....right. He simply announced that he wasn't going to talk about it anymore, and he had an intermediary announce that he now accepted the fact that Obama was born in Hawaii. No apology, no regrets, because Trump is a truly tasteless, base, morals-free man who doesn't care at all -- ever -- what damage his ugly mouth does to others. Quite the opposite, he delights in ridiculing people as having "low IQs" (what a rodent), "thin necks," (whatever that's supposed to signify), etc. He dismissed the account of the woman who said he groped her on a plane by telling his guffawing crowd that, really, did you see her? Does anyone think I'd grope HER? Absolutely stunning and horrifying that any country, let alone a democracy, could have a man like this speaking for us.

That's a noble sentiment but folks need to get over their shock and denial. The guy is an ignorant, dangerous asshole of the highest caliber. I'm glad some politicians are realizing this and that Trumpo's brain is not wired for decency, compassion, intellect, truth or anything like. He's a dog that likes to bite for fuck's sake.

So stop saying nice things about him. The only time he does anything decent is when he's threatened with a board over the head. It works! Do more of it!