In a previous report discussing the competing congressional tax reform plans, I noted that the failure to repeal Obamacare severely limited the scope of tax reform. That frustrating reality apparently got to President Trump. Monday, while still on his Asia tour, he tweeted this:

“I am proud of the Rep. House & Senate for working so hard on cutting taxes {& reform.} We’re getting close! Now, how about ending the unfair & highly unpopular Indiv Mandate in OCare & reducing taxes even further?”

Well, here’s some good news: Republicans in Congress are following President Trump’s lead.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, announced that he was including legislation to repeal Obamacare’s individual mandate in the Senate GOP’s tax reform plan. That move frees up nearly $340 billion in additional revenue that can be applied to tax cuts.

As a result, Sen. Hatch is able to further reduce individual tax rates, make the corporate tax cut permanent and he is doubling the per-child tax credit to $2,000, among other things. House conservatives are also calling for a repeal of the Obamacare mandate to be included in their legislation.

Don’t miss the significance of this. While Washington is obsessed with number crunching and legislative maneuvering, this change demonstrates a clear contrast between the priorities of the two parties.

Republicans fundamentally believe that this is your money and you know best how to spend it. Democrats fundamentally believe in big government and telling you through mandates how you must spend your own money.

Trump Returns

President Trump returned to the White House after a successful whirlwind tour of Asia. Here are a few headlines from usually hostile media outlets:

• “Trump Pushes ‘America First’ During Tough Trade Talk In Asia” —Associated Press

• “In Asia, Trump Again Finds Success Overseas Easier Than At Home” —CNN

• “After Nearly 2 Weeks In Asia, Trump Heads Home After ‘Fruitful’ Trip” —NPR

Yes, there are plenty of problems in Asia, many of which are extremely complicated. But on balance, the president’s trip was impressive. There were no apologies and there was no bowing.

One columnist noted that Asia’s leaders took notice:

“President Trump was honored with a particularly extravagant welcoming ceremony in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping himself served as his tour guide on a visit to the Forbidden City. Our president went on to be greeted with the same level of respect wherever he went in Asia. This was a sign of respect for the United States.”

That was quite a contrast to the disrespect Obama was shown on his last visit to China when he was “deliberately snubbed.”

President Trump presented firm, plain-spoken diplomacy, all the while amassing one of the most powerful armada’s in modern history around North Korea. Trump’s message was clear: America stands with our allies, but no one is going to take advantage of us any longer.

Progressives Press Impeachment

Six House Democrats yesterday filed five articles of impeachment against President Trump. The charges against the president include: Obstruction of justice, illegally profiting from his office, threatening the independence of the judiciary and undermining the freedom of the press.

This is nothing more than the bitter Left attempting to criminalize politics. It just can’t accept that Hillary Clinton lost the election. It was so close to having it all — especially control of the Supreme Court.

So now the Left is determined to undo the election and destroy Donald Trump any way it can in order to complete Barack Obama’s “fundamental transformation” of America.

As I have reported before, the Left’s biggest donor — billionaire Tom Steyer — has launched a nationwide campaign calling for President Trump’s impeachment. He just doubled down with another $10 million in ads.

Steyer has also demanded that Democrat members of Congress and candidates pledge to impeach the president if they take control of Congress next year. One House Democrat isn’t waiting until next year. He’s demanding a vote by Christmas.

Speaker Ryan should call their bluff. After tax reform passes, bring up these articles of impeachment for a vote. Let’s find out just how many strings Tom Steyer is really pulling in the Democrat caucus.

The Moore Mess

I addressed the Moore mess earlier this week, and still feel that a lie detector test for Moore and his accusers could clear up a lot of things. This is a terrible predicament for Alabama voters.

But here’s something worth considering.

Before any of these horrible charges emerged, the entire Washington GOP establishment was against Judge Moore. Why? I have to believe it was the one thing that everyone in Washington knew about him.

It’s not that he is pro-life. There are plenty of pro-life senators. It’s not that he believes in religious liberty. Most Republicans in the Senate are concerned about religious liberty issues.

Moore stood out because when he was ordered to remove the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Supreme Court, he refused to do it. He also refused to blindly allow judicial tyrants to invalidate the will of the overwhelming majority of Alabama voters when it came to the meaning of marriage.

That defiance, whatever you think of it, is a strong contrast to the way elected officials on our side have generally caved in to the demands of left-wing courts.

Those elected officials do not treat the courts as a co-equal branch of government but as if they are a superior branch of government. That is not true.

Judge Moore is willing to fight judicial tyranny, while far too many Republicans are not.