With Trump's ratings down, GOP must show leadership

WASHINGTON — That Americans believe Donald Trump’s presidency is going terribly is a surprise to few folks outside the bubble of the avid pro-Trump Twitterverse. But yesterday’s Washington Post/ ABC News poll showing Trump with a 36 percent approval rating after six months — the lowest of any president in 70 years — should be a wake-up call not only to the White House, but also to congressional Republicans, that the ship is listing badly.

After winning control of the White House and both houses of Congress, Republicans had momentum and political capital on their side. They’ve squandered both: Trump through his chaotic, ad hoc, social media-driven approach to leadership, and Congress with its intraparty gridlock and lack of concrete, feasible plans.

Trump, of course, doesn’t see it. He took to Twitter to round his favorability number up to “almost 40%,” declare it to be “not bad at this time,” but then blast the poll as being inaccurate.

But Republican lawmakers are in no position to be so dismissive of this problem, which is partly of their own making.

Inexplicably, they waited until this year to start figuring out how to keep their 7-year-old pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare. So far, they’ve only come up with draft plans that not only contain no real repeal nor replacement, but that are twice as unpopular as the current problemplagued health care law, according to the poll.

The White House has no major legislative achievements to boast of, aside from the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court — and even that required Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s heavy hand.

Neither Congress nor Mexico has appropriated money for Trump’s promised big, beautiful, solarpaneled and transparent border wall. There is no infrastructure bill in the offering, and there’s zero movement on tax reform.

One saving grace for the GOP is the Democratic Party, which seems just as hapless. More than half of Americans polled believe Democrats are offering nothing more than an anti-Trump stance. Unfortunately, that message isn’t any more effective now than it was last Nov. 8.

GOP lawmakers may not have the power to make Trump stop tweeting, making inappropriate comments about women or treating Russia with more respect than our allies. But they can show leadership — starting with working across the aisle on a plan that actually makes Americans’ health care better, not worse. Once the ship sinks, it’ll be too late.