Why Can’t Republicans Win on Capitol Hill?

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”

— Proverbs 29:2

Over 2,000 wealthy investors and concerned citizens are meeting here at the Paris Resort in Las Vegas for FreedomFest. A major issue here is why Republicans have failed to pass the legislation they were elected to do — repeal and replace ObamaCare, reform an overloaded bureaucracy and cut taxes.

They have control of the White House and Capitol Hill, so what’s stopping them? Investors have been expecting health care and tax reform since the Nov. 8 election.

Back in 2009-2010, the Democrats faced a similar situation. The Democrats controlled both houses and Obama was president. They had razor-thin majorities, yet they were able to push through two expensive pieces of legislation: The Affordable Care Act (which was anything but affordable) and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (which simply raised prices and reduced choice — not a single community bank has been created since 2010).

To do so, the Democrats had to involve the “nuclear option,” to get around the Republicans’ filibustering. And they did it.

So what’s wrong with the Republicans’ efforts to do the same, only this time reduce the size and influence of government? They were able to join together to appoint Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. So why not replace ObamaCare?

Apparently, the Republicans are simply not as well organized. There are too many RINOs — Republicans in Name Only — in the party.

We have plenty of Republicans in power at FreedomFest, including Senator Mike Lee and Representatives Justin Amash, Thomas Massie and Andy Biggs, and we are going to ask the tough questions.

Mark Skousen

Mark Skousen, Ph. D., is a professional economist, investment expert, university professor, and author of more than 25 books. He earned his Ph. D. in monetary economics at George Washington University in 1977. He has taught economics and finance at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Grantham University, Barnard College, Mercy College, Rollins College, and is a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He also has been a consultant to IBM, Hutchinson Technology, and other Fortune 500 companies. Since 1980, Skousen has been editor in chief of Forecasts & Strategies, a popular award-winning investment newsletter. He also is editor of four trading services, Skousen TNT Trader, Skousen Five Star Trader, Skousen Home Run Trader, and Skousen Fast Money Alert. He is a former analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, a columnist to Forbes magazine (1997-2001), and past president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in New York. He has written articles for The Wall Street Journal, Liberty, Reason, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Christian Science Monitor, and The Journal of Economic Perspectives. He has appeared on ABC News, CNBC Power Lunch, CNN, Fox News, and C-SPAN Book TV. In 2008-09, he was a regular contributor to Larry Kudlow & Co. on CNBC. His economic bestsellers include “Economics on Trial” (Irwin, 1991), “Puzzles and Paradoxes on Economics” (Edward Elgar, 1997), “The Making of Modern Economics” (M. E. Sharpe, 2001, 2009), “The Big Three in Economics” (M. E. Sharpe, 2007), “EconoPower” (Wiley, 2008), and “Economic Logic” (2000, 2010). In 2009, “The Making of Modern Economics” won the Choice Book Award for Outstanding Academic Title. His financial bestsellers include “The Complete Guide to Financial Privacy” (Simon & Schuster, 1983), “High Finance on a Low Budget” (Bantam, 1981), co-authored with his wife Jo Ann, “Scrooge Investing” (Little Brown, 1995; McGraw Hill, 1999), and “Investing in One Lesson” (Regnery, 2007). In honor of his work in economics, finance, and management, Grantham University renamed its business school “The Mark Skousen School of Business.” Dr. Skousen has lived in eight nations, and has traveled and lectured throughout the United States and 70 countries. He grew up in Portland, Ore. He and his wife, Jo Ann, and five children have lived in Washington, D.C.; Nassau, the Bahamas; London, England; Orlando, Fla.; and New York. For more information about Mark’s services, go to http://www.markskousen.com/