Sam Stein on Trump’s Unpopular Policies: ‘Modern Republicanism’ Is Following What He Wants

EXCERPT:

STEIN: “Well, yeah, they’re wildly unpopular. Part of the way to make them more popular is to show up and talk to your constituents and sell the policies. But they’re not willing to do that. So they’re forfeiting the real vehicle they have to turn public opinion around. You asked the question, why would they do it to begin with? They do it because their constituents — right, because Donald Trump told them to do it. And this is what modern Republicanism is. It’s following what Trump wants. It’s pushing the policies that he asked for. And what’s terribly ironic, I suppose, is that the Republicans, we know that the Republicans know this is bad because on several occasions Republicans were introducing legislation to undo the very things that they passed. Primarily, Josh Hawley, for instance, has introduced legislation to stop the Medicaid cuts from taking place, to help rural hospitals, to give rebates to people who may be hit from, by the tariffs. This is all stuff that was because of what Trump did and what the Republicans in Congress supported. So, they understand the unpopularity of the policies, but they’re kind of hamstrung in how to deal with it.”