You may have missed a very important announcement from the Trump administration on the so-called contraception mandate from the Affordable Care Act.

The administration is now making extremely clear that religious employers and specifically Christian organizations cannot be required to violate conscience in the contraceptive mandate. That mandate from the Obama administration was so draconian that even some Christian ministries were ordered to comply against their own convictions—paying for contraception for all—including forms of contraception that many believe will contribute to, or cause, an abortion.

The government does have so many means at its disposal whereby it could provide this kind of contraception coverage. Requiring it of religious employers was a deliberate slap in the face, a clear violation of religious liberty.

The wheels of justice grind slowly, but the “contraception mandate” is finally gone.

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The Republican party will shortly turn over control of the House to the Democrats, but does that mean there are no more opportunities to cut taxes and spur growth?

 

Not at all.

 

Larry Kudlow—the President’s Chief Economic Advisor—has previously promoted a way a president could cut taxes without going through Congress.

 

It appears that the tax statutes give the president the authority to adjust the calculation of investment taxes so that we get taxed on actual gains, not increases in prices due to inflation.

 

Imagine you bought a share of stock for a hundred dollars and sold it several years later for 110 dollars, but there had also been ten percent inflation. You didn't really make any money, you just broke even, but the IRS would tax you on that alleged gain. It appears that the President has the authority to change that without going through Congress.

 

It’s time for the Kudlow plan.

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Two recent disasters give President Trump a chance to shape bipartisan solutions to Make America Great Again.  First, disputed elections in Florida, Georgia and elsewhere exposed grievous shortcomings in the way we cast and count our votes; in an age of dazzling technology, the current confusion is inexcusable. The President could convene a national commission to address the mess, selecting a prominent Democrat to co-chair that effort. 

One possible candidate: former Senator Joe Lieberman, with a bi-partisan background and personal experience as Vice Presidential nominee during the infamous recount chaos of 2000.

Second, the devastating wild fires in California demand immediate enhancements in forestry management and fire-fighting capacity; any upgrade to infrastructure should begin with new strategies to prevent and contain these nightmarish infernos. By addressing these two issues immediately, the president can challenge the new Democratic House to cooperate, restoring confidence in government’s ability to respond.

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In the midterms, Democrats captured nearly 40 seats previously held by Republicans, but those losses weren’t spread evenly across the country. California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania each flipped four seats to the Dems, and Virginia delivered three. These results reflected the flawed, flailing candidates at the top of the ticket: gubernatorial nominees in California and Pennsylvania both lost by more than 17 percentage points, the U.S. Senate candidate in Virginia lost by sixteen, and even scandal-tarred Democrat Senator Bob Menendez crushed his New Jersey challenger by 11.

Such non-competitive statewide races discourage loyal Republicans from bothering to vote, dooming down-ballot candidates. To take back the House in 2020, the GOP needs not only a strong race by the President, but credible, energetic nominees for Governor and Senate in every state, to give House candidates a shot at success.

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Planned Parented has a new leader—Dr. Leana Wen—and she’s spent her first days on the job, as Alexandra Desanctis of National Review Online tells us, to convince Americans that Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with abortion.

Planned Parenthood is actually the most prolific provider of abortions in the U.S. It is thus the most murderous organization for the unborn in our nation.

But elite media outlets are going along with Planned Parenthood’s public relations effort.

The New York Times Magazine offered fawning coverage of Dr. Wen and quoted the new leader arguing that she is, essentially, of all things, pro-life.

“What I do is promote life” she said “I’m a physician. Everything I’ve ever done is to save lives.”

Now just remember: last year alone Planned Parenthood clinics performed 321,384 abortions. Those abortions tell a very different story.

And We shouldn’t be fooled.

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A year ago, Hillary Clinton joined me on my radio show for a long discussion about her memoir of the 2016 presidential race, "What Happened?" And in September, John Kerry came on the show to discuss his memoir, "Every Day Is Extra."

For both former Democratic presidential nominees and Secretaries of State, it was their first appearance on this program - a program that has run three hours every weekday for more than 18 years.

As we look forward to 2020, would-be Democratic presidential candidates ought to seek out frequent interviews with interlocutors from across the political spectrum in settings - like talk radio - that allow for more than a minute's response.

Our political conversation has entered a zone of toxicity I haven't seen since I began my broadcast career in 1990. Long-form interviews, marked with civility and honest debate, is one part of the renewal in public discourse that we need.

So, hey: Democrats running for president, go in harm’s way. Find someone to talk to at length today.

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The demographic division that counts most in presidential elections has nothing to do with race, gender or income: it involves state boundaries that determine votes in the Electoral College.

By that standard, warning signs from the midterm elections should alarm Republicans looking ahead to 2020. Three states crucial to Trump’s victory in 2016 shifted decisively toward Democrats two years later and Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin combine for 46 electoral votes. Those three states each went GOP by paper-thin margins two years ago, but this time Democratic Senate candidates won easily and Republican gubernatorial nominees also crashed and burned.

Even if Trump holds all the other states he carried last time, he’d fall short without Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. Instead of a focus on rallying loyal followers, Trump needs to win independent, suburban votes in these key swing states whose recent desertions could doom GOP prospects. 

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President Trump will win reelection. Anyone who watched his presser after the midterms knows in his or her bones that it’s gonna happen, because he’s getting better and better at the job.

He’s spent two years learning the job to which he brought a communications skill set unmatched by any other commander in chief, except Ronald Reagan.

Nobody is better at “combative” than Trump, and we live in an age addicted to combativeness. Cable news has adopted sports-like coverage and monetized combativeness. The culture is built on combativeness.

The president is also getting better and better at the policy and performance aspects of the presidency, getting better on the details even as he sharpens his jousting skills.

If Trump repopulates his front bench with a talented supporting cast of people who would amplify rather than muffle his message, he’ll be unstoppable in 2020.

Of course that could change, but right now you just have to say: he is the prohibitive favorite.

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Jim Acosta, the aggressively arrogant reporter for CNN, posed a recent question illustrating the biggest problem with the press.

The day after midterm elections, Acosta grilled the president by saying: “I want to challenge you on one of the statements that you made... that this caravan was an ‘invasion’ … As you know, Mr. President, the caravan was not an invasion.”

Now, if Acosta had quoted Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer and then asked the president’s response, it would have been fair and appropriate, but it’s not a reporter’s job to “challenge” an official in his own name and his own voice.

Why not explore disagreements among politicians, without taking sides yourself? The undisguised anti-Trump contempt by leading journalists supports the idea that the nation’s biggest battle isn’t Democrats vs. Republicans, it’s the media vs. Trump: an impression that hurts the press, the president, and the country.

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The mid-term elections provided a rare occasion for conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats, to look at the same events and feel a shared sense of satisfaction and encouragement.

Republicans feel good about expanding their Senate majority and holding key governorships in Florida, Ohio, and elsewhere. Democrats take pride in capturing the House and flipping governorships in Illinois, Michigan and more. Republicans won big races in deep blue states like Massachusetts and Vermont; Democrats gained ground in GOP strongholds like Kansas and South Carolina.

Americans know how to split tickets: in Maryland, Republican Governor Larry Hogan and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin both won simultaneous landslides.

The election returns show that Americans still care most about local issues plus the character and competence of their candidates.

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