Politico:
4 takeaways from the town halls dogging the GOP
Liberal constituents aren't letting up on Republicans even after their Obamacare repeal bill stalled.
POLITICO reporters traveled to nearly a dozen town halls to document the tumultuous homecoming Republicans faced. Here are four takeaways from Congress’ first week on the road, with reporting from Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, New Jersey, New York and Texas.
1) Republican AHCA critics sharpened their skepticism of the bill
As Republican leaders eye an attempt to salvage their plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, they now are likely to have even more difficulty winning over wayward members.
4) Taking on Trump is a winner for Republicans
If Republicans were ever in need of a lifeline, challenging the president worked wonders in just about every town hall.
Medscape:
Should Doctors Enter the Political Fray?
The debates surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are clearly the main politicized healthcare issue of the day. Yet with a governing party that, depending on your outlook, is either refreshingly bold or contemptuously brazen in its legislative ambitions, it seems inevitable that a host of issues—including access to abortion, the legality of marijuana, and regulations surrounding drug development—will soon come up for closer scrutiny.
What is perhaps novel about the current moment is the willingness of healthcare workers, propelled by what they see as serious threats to the practice of medicine, to wade into the debate themselves.
Grassroots Sprout Under Trump
A truism of politics is that although power may reside with the governing party, the energy is to be found in the opposition. The question of how best to harness that energy was answered for many when the Trump administration made it clear that their first legislative priority would be repealing and replacing the ACA.
WaPo:
The Tax March: Protesters around the country call on Trump to release his taxes
From Seattle to the District, protesters gathered in cities throughout the country Saturday calling on Trump to release his personal tax returns as part of a nationwide Tax March. The protest falls on the country’s traditionally recognized deadline to file taxes, April 15.
In all, dozens of protests occurred throughout the country. The main march unfolded in the nation’s capital, where protesters gathered for a rally in front of the Capitol and then marched west along Pennsylvania Avenue. In South Florida, activists marched to Trump’s
Mar-a-Lago resort, where the president is staying this weekend. Thousands more gathered at a large march in New York City, where activists, comedians and a state senator spoke. Many of the protests featured an inflatable chicken, a mascot of sorts for the march.
Presidents are not required to release their tax returns but have done so voluntarily dating to the 1970s. Activists and others say it is the only way to be fully open about any potential conflicts of interest.
WaPo:
GOP leaders urge patience — not panic — amid Trump’s early stumbles
For a Republican Party already starting to strategize ahead of next year’s midterm elections, the turbulent, inchoate environment as the Trump presidency nears its 100th-day mark could be a cause for concern or even alarm.
Yet party leaders and strategists are preaching patience, not panic.
These Republicans — who acknowledge that their political brand will be shaped by the 45th president as long as he holds office — say their political fortunes will be told over the next year and a half in the answers to two overriding questions: Does Trump project strength? And does he achieve progress that amounts to more jobs and higher wages?
“What matters is a record of accomplishment,” said Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster who has been conducting focus groups of Trump supporters. “People can disagree over the details or the significance of the change, but if you have a record of accomplishment, that fixes everything. . . . If you don’t, no rhetoric will fix it.”
Fixating on Trump supporters (who are different than Trump voters) is a big mistake. Keep making it, please.
The tweet below is from the “Trump release your taxes” march.
NY Times:
Suburban G.O.P. Voters Sour on Party, Raising Republican Fears for 2018
Early missteps by President Trump and congressional leaders have weighed heavily on voters from the party’s more affluent wing, anchored in right-of-center suburbs around major cities in the South and Midwest. Never beloved in these precincts, Mr. Trump appears to be struggling to maintain support from certain voters who backed him last year mainly as a way of defeating Hillary Clinton.
USA Today:
Trump's taxes must be released before tax reform: Painter and Eisen
Many of us will fork over up to a third of our income to pay federal taxes this year and as much as half of our income in federal, state and local taxes combined.
We only ask a few things in return.
First, a government that spends our money wisely and does not succumb to government contractors and others who use campaign contributions and lobbyists to get a portion of our money that they should not have. Second, a government that is responsive to the interests of the American people rather than to the special interests, including companies in which public officials have investments or other relationships. Third, a government that is transparent and open so we know what the government is doing and what financial and other conflicts of interests government officials might have.
The Trump administration and Congress are falling short in all three areas.
FP:
What’s Next After the Syria Strike — Preventing a Wider Conflagration
The Trump administration’s cruise missile strikes against Syria were targeted to impose a cost for the Assad regime’s chemical weapons attack against its own citizens and aimed at shaping the Syrian government’s future actions. But the attack opens the door to more risks — and the White House needs a sharp focus on preventing a wider escalation while continuing the progress in the fight against the Islamic State along with efforts to deter Iran destabilizing actions in the region.
One vital next step for the United States is to leverage cooperation with partners in the region to protect U.S. troops and prevent a wider escalation that could destabilize and undercut the anti-Islamic State campaign.