by Al Weaver, David M. Drucker | May 17, 2017
Republicans have grown accustomed to Trump's tumult, downplaying it because the president has weathered past challenges. But this is different.
Republicans in Congress fear President Trump could torpedo their majorities if he doesn't save his White House from constant crisis and pivot to the issues voters elected him to deal with.
Trump has been besieged by his handling of the firing of James Comey, reports he had previously pressured the FBI director to drop the investigation of national security adviser Mike Flynn, and the discovery that he shared classified information with Russian officials in an Oval Office meeting.
Republicans have grown accustomed to Trump's tumult, tending to downplay it because the president has weathered past challenges that might have sunk conventional politicians. But this is different, lawmakers and GOP strategists conceded Tuesday, in interviews with the Washington Examiner.
"
You have this White House that is lurching from crisis to crisis, the image is of disarray – they can't get their hands around the basic day-to-day agenda, and define the progress they have made" Republican pollster David Winston said. "One of the things that the president has is the bully pulpit; the bully pulpit lets you drive the agenda and these crises haven't let the White House effectively get there."
"This is concerning and alarming," Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., said flatly. "
We're going to have to confront these issues as a Congress."
Republicans see red flags because foreign policy and national security are at the center of the crises that have engulfed Trump over the past seven days.
Concerns about Trump's fitness to serve as commander-in-chief has been a weak spot with independents and GOP voters outside of his loyal base. These voters form the backbone of the coalition that elected the president and Republican majorities in the House and Senate in November.
But
a belief that he is not competent to conduct foreign policy as fallout especially from his sharing classified intelligence with the Russians, could sunder the party's electoral coalition heading into 2018.
If Republicans on Capitol Hill begin to fear that outcome,
they'll abandon Trump, depriving him, and themselves, of the legislative wins they need to give soft Republicans and independents a reason to show up to vote next year — and vote GOP.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas said that
Republicans are going to have to fight through White House "distractions" and deliver a legislative agenda. The former chairman of the Senate Republican campaign arm, the NRSC, acknowledged the difficulty Trump is creating for his party.
Trump's job approval in the RealClearPolitics average stood at 40.7 percent, dangerous territory for House and Senate Republicans if the president can't bring his chaotic White House under control.
Democrats hold a 46.2 percent to 39.5 percent lead over Republicans in the generic congressional ballot. Combined with Trump's crisis-a-minute leadership, numbers like these will encourage liberal fundraising and Democratic recruiting, and could leave Republicans dispirited.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/gop-fears-trump-will-take-the-republican-party-down-with-him/article/2623311
