Political update: Lewandowski out, Democrats’ policies fizzle

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GOP — Jorden Smith

Drama in Trump’s camp

Trump fired his controversial campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, on Monday. This was a surprising move considering he guided Trump through the primary process and toward winning the nomination, something political observers didn’t think was possible. Not to mention Trump also stood with Lewandowski regarding his alleged assault on former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields. Various sources, however, are claiming that Lewandowski was fired after an ultimatum from Trump’s daughter, Ivanka. No word on whether a new campaign manager will be hired. Lewandowski is now a political commentator for CNN.

Sensational Speaker

House Speaker Paul Ryan unveiled the Republicans’ alternative to Obamacare, which looks to retain some tenets of the president’s insurance policy while forging a more market-friendly path. This would’ve made big headlines, but it was the same day when Democrats staged a sit-in and Ryan had to deal with his party in turmoil. Going to various major news outlets, Ryan showed his political fortitude by calling out those participating in the sit-in and summing it up as a “publicity stunt.” Ryan ended the week by adjourning the House for holiday, much to the disgust of the Democrats, and touting the Supreme Court’s ruling on immigration. Needless to say, Ryan has become the de facto leader of the GOP even if Trump thinks differently.

Looking ahead

Trump needs a new campaign manager. Even if he is sure that he is smart enough politically to win the election, a successor for Lewandowski is vital for the everyday happenings in a campaign. There is still a lot of time left until November, but Donald Trump is doing terribly in the polls. Maybe all of Paul Ryan’s political maneuvering is for a reason come the GOP convention, but probably not.

 

Democrats — Frank Campos

Gun control failure

Clinton’s week was relatively quiet, but her fellow Democrats have been busy. After a long and grueling session in the House on Monday, four gun control proposals failed after not getting the minimum 60 votes. The loss came in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history and is a sign that Republicans are not going to give up easily when the Second Amendment is involved.

Change imminent

The House Democrats, led by civil rights icon John Lewis, began a sit-in to demand a vote on gun control. Although the act has been described as a stunt, it feels like action has been taken and the Democrats, like the Republicans, are refusing to go down without a fight. The sit-in lasted 25 hours and may not have produced a vote, but it showed the country that a different stance on guns is brewing.

Immigration in limbo

When the Supreme Court was deadlocked on President Barack Obama’s executive actions regarding immigration, it dealt a major blow to the population he has focused on helping.

“For more than two decades now our immigration system, everybody acknowledges, has been broken, and the fact that the Supreme Court wasn’t able to issue a decision today doesn’t just set the system back even further. It takes us further from the country that we aspire to be.”

— President Barack Obama

This decision could have helped immigrants to legally seek a path to citizenship without fear. Instead, over four million undocumented immigrants will likely have no chance to become a part of the nation.

Although Obama has a nominee to replace Judge Antonin Scalia after his sudden death, Republicans have opted to place political loyalty over political duty.

The ruling may keep Obama from seeing his immigration plan fulfilled during his presidency, but it also has no merit and will likely be remedied when Hillary, hopefully, wins in November.

Opinion Columnist Jorden Smith is a political science junior and President of the College Republicans and opinion editor Frank Campos is a media production senior and they can be reached at [email protected]