Trump Made a Good Call

You probably won't hear this from me very often, but President Trump made the right call in making a deal with Democrats on the Hill to raise the debt ceiling and ensure Hurricane Harvey relief. I won't exactly be gleeful at the disarray this puts the GOP in, but if Trump was thinking of "sending a message" to McConnell and Ryan that he only has so much patience with them--I can entirely understand. Their lack of interest in governance has had me right out of patience for some time. I also don't think it's as strategic as one might expect of a politician, because I don't view Trump as a politician (or really a long-term strategic thinker). 

What I do think is that, in the wake of the devastation from Harvey and the threat of Irma, with his political agenda not nearly cleared to his satisfaction, with whatever is going on with North Korea, it would be appalling to be bogged down in a debt ceiling row right now. Anyone thinking of a government shutdown or political horseplay right now would have to be off their rocker. 

And here's the thing: Ryan and McConnell might have been "blindsided" or "shell-shocked" by Trump's decision, but they set themselves up for this because of previous debt ceiling gamesmanship. I hate, hate, hate the idea of debt ceilings having to be congressionally approved but even more so now that they've become politically-charged, so I entirely appreciate wanting a longer period between government-funding battles. I hate, hate, hate shut-down nonsense, too. But at the same time, remember how they set their agenda to tell Trump what he wanted to hear?  And he got nothing? 

He wants McConnell and Ryan to deliver him something. Here's a few months of funding the government and helping our fellow Americans out of a disaster. Now McConnell and Ryan can figure out how to make the most of the time they have until the next row. 

Hint--it might involve bipartisanship. He made it harder for them, unless they figure out how deals get made. Do I know that's what Trump is thinking? Hell no. But it makes sense that Trump is used to getting his way and will look for a way to get it.