Based on what I have seen so far, I don’t see how Trump would make it through a full-term. People of his own party disagree with him on a number of issues already. During his campaign he waged war against the establishment, and now the establishment is waging war against him. Some of them are speaking out publicly, whereas others acknowledge their disagreement privately.

White House staff members are at war with each other. Mike Flynn, national security adviser, was Trump’s first casualty. And FBI Director James Comey confirmed the agency’s probe into possible Trump-Russia ties. Trump took office as the most conflicted and ethically problematic president in the nation’s history. Ethics experts have already filed a lawsuit saying Trump’s overseas interests violate the Constitution. His travel ban, a moral failure, has been blocked twice. He has not drained the swamp--he has filled it with banking sharks who once again will have an immense influence on the American economy. He doesn’t recognize that the White House is not a real estate deal, but a government.

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Abruptly pulling the rewrite of the nation’s healthcare system from consideration is a colossal failure for him. This defeat undermines his image as a skilled dealmaker.

Trump is only surviving because his base is still with him. As soon as his base recognizes that they are not going to get what he promised on the campaign trail, they will eventually stop supporting him, and his approval ratings will sink to an unprecedented low. I predict that will be the time when he will resign. He must know that the campaign to impeach him has already begun.

From Masood Akhtar, Middleton, Wis.

Senate can reach deal to maintain filibuster

The problem with the Senate is that it is too easy to filibuster. A compromise to strengthen the filibuster so that it has real consequences for the party that invoked it, making it more difficult to sustain, would limit its abuse.

In the specific case of Neil Gorsuch, the Democrats could keep their promise to filibuster a nominee they can’t block anyway and who won’t tip the court’s balance, the Republicans would eventually get another conservative on the Court and the Senate would retain its essential deliberative character. This is an opportunity for statesmanship that has been in too short supply in Washington lately.

From Frank Z. Riely Jr., Floyds Knobs, Ind.

And they're off again

Let’s see, Congress went into session early January only to have this outfit go MIA for the Martin Luther King holiday. They were off again in February. And now, this crew is slated to flee the Capitol for April 10 to be followed by their Memorial Day sojourn, Fourth of July respite and Labor Day hiatus.

We taxpayers pay these people more than $175,000 annually, including their healthcare and pension benefits, while they waste valuable time by failing to address those critical issues which the United States faces today.

From Earl Beal, Terre Haute, Ind.