Congress, Politics, Society

Drill Now, Drain Later? Gingrich Reports That Trump Wants To Abandon The “Drain The Swamp” Pledge [UPDATED]

220px-cypresses495px-Donald_Trump_by_Gage_SkidmoreThere is a basic rule about “talking points”: you follow them but do not quote them as talking points. That lesson seems to have escaped former House Speaker and Trump confidant Newt Gingrich who has caused a stir by revealing that President-elect Donald Trump is now disclaiming his pledge to “drain the swamp.” Instead, Trump is focusing on working with Congress to get his priorities through in rapid succession from opening up new drilling to rescinding Obamacare. Update: Donald Trump has denied Gingrich’s representation and Gingrich now says that he simply got it wrong.

Gingrich told NPR that “I’m told he now just disclaims that He now says it was cute, but he doesn’t want to use it anymore.” Gingrich said that he was told to back off and that the new Administration wants to drop the pledge after Gingrich tweeted out how “the alligators are complaining.”

Trump was always open that he used the phrase simply because it resonates with crowds on the campaign trail:

“‘Drain the swamp.’ We put it in about two days ago. I said, ‘Drain the swamp.’ I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the expression: ‘Drain the swamp in Washington’ So I said it three days ago; the place went crazy. I said, ‘You know what? I’m starting to like that expression.’ And now it’s a hot — it’s like trending all over the world.”

Newt_GingrichFor Trump voters, the problem may be more than optics. Trump has turned to a fair number of insiders including the wife of Michael McConnell as Secretary of Transportation, the department with the lion’s share of the expected infrastructure bill. In reality however the swamp denizens were never seriously concerned about drainage. Trump would not be the first president to vanish into the semi-aquatic vegetative conditions of Washington. While many in Washington reject evolution, they rely on the theory for populist politicians who tend to evolve quickly with the conditions of the capitol.

48 thoughts on “Drill Now, Drain Later? Gingrich Reports That Trump Wants To Abandon The “Drain The Swamp” Pledge [UPDATED]”

  2. His cabinet is full of swamp things!

    By Grabthar’s hammer, Republicans, do not do what the Democrats did with Obama. They ignored his actions and betrayal of our Constitution, our people for 8 years. In fact, they too often cheered him along.

    Trump said he would drain the swamp. As he will not be keeping that pledge, do not keep your pledge to support him. Few expect politicians to be ethical and do what they say. But it is time for the people to tell our “leaders” they need to keep their promise even if it costs them their grift money! Enough is enough. Protest now, right now and don’t let up. We really don’t need another servant of the oligarchy. They have taken enough from this nation.

    If you are sick of all the lies and broken promises, then speak up.

  3. Anyone who thought Trump anti-Establishment was duped. As a contributor here responded when Prof. Turley wrote of Trump’s independence from the Establishment, [paraphrased] Trump’s “the grease on the Establishment wheels.”

    He’s the con man’s con man. The basis for the Trump University lawsuit should have been a glaring red flag for anyone. I’m surprised one of the Koch brothers isn’t the Interior secretary-elect.

  5. I had a college professor who told us that “politics is the art of compromise.” In voting for Trump, I never expected that he would be able to deliver on all his promises. But if he can build a wall and implement an effective screening policy to keep terrorists out, I will be satisfied. Hillary was planning to immediately admit 50,000 Syrians, with more to come. We don’t need our own Angela Merkel in the White House.

    2. These days, politics is the art of doing your best to stomp your opponents into extinction.

  6. The Steak-Salesman-elect bragged about buying politicians — meaning he’s been in the swamp for decades, seeking his own interests as special interests do — and (less) people still put this swamp thing into office.

    So now SS Trump is going to drain the very swamp from which he came? Might as well elect a rapist to chair a Protect Women committee.

  7. The Middle East, thanks to Obama’s “Lead from behind” and “cross the red line” fecklessness, is about to implode. I want to be as independent as possible from that incendiary region as possible. Keep private research for alternative energy and let it compete. But, in the short term, we need to have enough oil to not have gas lines when that region catches fire. At one time we got nearly all our imported oil from the Middle East. We’re now under 50%. We should have a goal of getting that down to under 20%.

    1. We need the spirit of self-reliance as a nation and as individuals. And contrary to what our progressive friends would like people to believe, that DOES NOT mean we do not care for those that cannot help themselves.

      1. Yes it does. The downtrodden need to be stomped on, the sick to be further infected, the miserable to be burdened even further. That way, they will straighten out and become good Republicans. Or else just die off.

  8. http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/12/22/resisting-the-mind-games-of-donald-trump-and-the-one-percent/“Smooth-talking con artists are familiar figures in American folklore. The well-dressed hustler arrives in an unsuspecting town. He pitches some miracle cure or get-rich-quick scheme, door-to-door or from atop a soapbox. Then before his customers realize they’ve been duped, he steals away in search of his next mark. It’s a risky vocation, one that demands quick feet, a keen understanding of human nature, and a talent for telling stories that both arouse and reassure.

    But when it comes to profiting off people’s hopes and fears, by far the most successful purveyors of lucrative lies and false promises are some of the denizens of this country’s palatial estates, corporate boardrooms, and corridors of political power. And unlike their small-time counterparts, they’re never on the run — despite the misery they leave in their wake. Enter Donald J. Trump, soon to be the 45th President of the United States.”

  9. Stop Clinton from being elected – check.
    Restore the rule of law – ?
    Respect the separation of powers – ?
    Secure our borders – ?
    Get people back to work – ?
    Rebuild our military – ?
    Repeal/replace Obamacare – ?
    Drain the swamp – ? (read: gut the progressive, administrative state)

    The most important item has been accomplished. He will be on a very short leash on the others. If Trump is so stupid as to think he has a mandate to NOT do these things then he completely misread his voters, many of whom did not support him but vehemently opposed Clinton.

  10. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/12/the-trumps-learn-to-love-the-swamp/511442/?utm_source=atltw “Donald Trump was always wary about draining the swamp.

    “I told this story, I hated that expression,” he said in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the eve of the election. “I said, ‘No way I’m going to say that. That’s so hokey.’ I said it and the place went crazy. I said it to another place and it went crazy. Then I said it with more confidence and the place went wild. Now I love the expression, I think it’s genius.”

    Now that he’s president-elect, it seems like Trump is leaning more toward his original feeling. You don’t hear much talk about draining the swamp coming from Trump Tower, and many of the actions pursued by Trump and his confidants suggest they’re perfectly happy with the state of the swamp.
    Related Story

    The Bait-and-Switch Presidency

  11. Let’s give Mr. Trump a chance – just like we gave Pres. Obama a chance.

    If Trump fails to deliver, then there is enough time during his four years to get upset.

    The guy is a month away from taking office and many people are already writing the histories of what he did or didn’t do during his presidency.

    I am more concerned about Congress – they seem to think that they can deliver something (anything) at the end of their two years in power and satisfy voters.

    Wrong – opinions about Congress’s success or failure will be formed very quickly. Congress has a couple of months to deliver a down payment on their obligations to us, if they fail to deliver quickly, they will be deemed failures.

    1. That’s the way I feel about it. It’s a scary proposition, but it seems if you want to get something done in the swamp, you have to identify all the swamp creatures. He has more money than he could ever know what to do with, so if he wants legacy, he’s going to have to produce. Hoping he gets these people in with a mandate, and fires them when they don’t hold onto it. He’s uniquely in a position to do that. One positive, it appears McConnel said he would not bring a vote on the continued Russian BS. And I find that a good sign, especially since the MSM have been parading McNuts and his well-groomed lapdog Graham insisting they are going to get the new President in line. If fails, it will be a double-loser, people will probably go back to a DC insider next time. Heck, they might even scrape the mold off and put Clinton’s rotting carcass back out there.
      Still not sure how long he is going to last. Sure the spooks out there have plans.

      1. Give him a chance, sure, but let’s drop the pretense that he is “draining the swamp”.

      2. Most didn’t vote for Trump, they voted against Hillary. So they know – or should know – perfectly well that absolutely nothing Trump said can be counted on, particularly Trump remembering that he said it. That was the price of admission so while it’s worth some effort to hold his feet to the fire, it’s also absolutely useless in any practical sense.

        Just like Obama, he is going to quickly do and think as his handlers tell him to.

      3. Spot on about Russia, but Trump seems to want to achieve a balance. He makes a remarkably rational decision about Russia and then feels he has to make up for that by screwing up relations with China. They also have nukes.

      4. “He has more money than he could ever know what to do with”
        You think he doesn’t covet more, and more, and even more?

    2. Yeah, that would be true for any normal situation. At no time in American history has someone come into office on such a platform of bigotry, racism, lies, cheating, and just about every disgusting dirty trick in the book. DDT identified with and was supported by the dregs of our society. There were many who voted for him who may have redeeming qualities but if DDT has served any function thus fat it has been to illustrate just how fu*^ed up this country is.

  12. The Big Lie trump will not keep any pleadges that aren’t racially motivated to get whites happy and less fearful of the ‘other’. And those efforts will be only half measures to appease evilgelical minions. Already GOP plans to dismantle Medicare and destroy Social Security regardless of trump promises. He has a lowly 42% approval rating now and that will only crash further as he dismantles the safety net and fills the swamp with more swamp rats. The buyers remorse will be soon and strong at least for those who thought trump was the answer. Party on.

  13. When the biggest lying, cheating, oligarch of them all pledges to get rid of the oligarchs in Washington and you believe him, then therein lies the real problem with America, stupidity.

      1. That’s right. No one knows what he’s going to do because the Steak-Salesman was a sycophant for votes; plus the economy loves uncertainty.

  14. People still talk about Cajun Joe –Bully of the Bijou: He’d fight anything, a beast or man, in Bijou water or on dry land. He won a battle at his victory. He became the Bully of the Bijou. Every body knew he was the Bully of Bijou. Any man’s pride, he could whoop him, with one hand tied. He was a fightin son-of-gun. All the pretty girls thought he could whoop the world. People still talk about big Mom-Moo. Cajun Joe picked on a little one, at his regret. Cajun Joe swung a mighty blow. He aimed for the head, but he swung to low. Then it was time for Fais Do Do. We dance, we laugh, with the pretty girls, and eat anything that goes.

  15. To fulfill his 100 days promise, he has to work with Congress. They are nervous. I don’t know when they can actually start hearings on his picks, so there is all that to go. And he still has a SC pick that should be rushed through.

  16. One thing for sure is that he is filling up his cabinet with billionaire investment bankers and hedge fund guys that caused the last financial crisis.

    1. I think it is a fair prediction that the billionaire investment bankers and the hedge fund guys will somehow come out of Government “service” even richer than before. Anyone willing to contradict that?

  17. When Gringrich’s ancestors got off the boat at Ellis Island they had come in from a small town in the very eastern part of Germany. They were Jewish and yet stated on the papers that they were Catholic. The name of the town was Newt. So when this one was born his parents named him after their old town. There is more on a website called DrainTheSwamp.org

  18. Grrrrrr. I hope Gingrich is wrong, but I am cynical. It would disappoint but not surprise me.

  20. Yes, Trump is no longer interested in “draining the swamp,” and he deliberately misled his voter base on that point. However, this was not unexpected as all politicians break their promises. (And make no mistake, Trump has always been a politician, despite his claims to the contrary.) Trump’s strategy is clear. Instead of putting top, first-rate people who will completely turn around the corruption and waste that pervades the U.S. Government today, he will play ball with the corrupt elements to ensure that he gets two terms and that he will get a few of his programs approved by Congress. Some of those programs will result in improvements, such as fixing the a Unaffordable Care Act and Obama’s long-standing program to import Islam terrorism into the U.S. en masse. He will also likely proceed with his infrastructure programs that will help with employment, which will offset the damage that the Federal Reserve is currently in the process of doing by jacking up interest rates just because Trump won instead of Clinton.

Comments are closed.