The conventional threat to Trump

Then, there’s the congressional agenda. The early indications are that Republicans will pass a partial repeal of Obamacare out of the gate that could further destabilize the law’s rickety exchanges and lead to people losing their insurance. Congressional Republicans tell themselves that they can blame the misconceived law itself for any negative fallout, but this will be a hard sell. For the first time in the course of the long Obamacare debate, they will be the ones responsible for disruption in the health care market.

Next, congressional Republicans want to move on to large-scale tax reform. The starting point will likely be House Speaker Paul Ryan’s already well-developed plan for across-the-board income tax cuts and a lower corporate tax rate. For all its merit, Ryan’s reform could have been incubated by any conservative think tank before anyone imagined Trump might run for president, let alone win.

What’s the point in having a populist Republican in the White House if congressional Republicans can’t find a way to couple some replacement measures with their Obamacare repeal to give people other options for getting health insurance? Trump actually talked of “taking care of everybody” when he was asked about health care during the campaign. That will be thrown back at him like Barack Obama’s promise that you can keep your plan if you like your plan.