It's interesting to see you guys debating something with no tangible evidence supporting either side. You won't be able to prove a motive unless a trustworthy whistleblower lays it all out for us. All we can debate is the attempt itself and potential political outcome.
That being said, I can still provide my own speculation. I highly doubt this was a move to make Trump look like the rebel again. The moderate Republicans will always be questioning him no matter what and his base has already shown they are fine with him walking straight into their trailers, grabbing their pussies, and murdering their pets. As long as he tweets #MAGA every once in a while, they'll probably vote for him in 2020 as well. No, I think congressional Republicans simply misread the room and felt they had a mandate from the electorate to do whatever the hell they want. Just look at all the backpedaling they have been doing to explain their motives. Several have stated in interviews that it "must have not been the right time", implying they will be trying again. One thing I think they have not considered is that while their base may have gotten Trump elected, presidential elections are really the only thing they come out for. Is your average Joe Shmoe coal miner going to care enough about the Republican agenda to get out there and support it? No...he's got to feed his family and mine coal. He just wants to make sure his guns and unborn fetuses are safe and that there's not a black man or a woman in the oval office. Their job is done - now the electorate will be composed of the people who actually have a stake in the nitty gritty details of politics, and those people are not as big a fan of Trump. I'm happy to see there will at least be some resistance to Trump's efforts.
If anyone wanted Trump to seem like a rebel again for a pre-presidency popularity boost, it was Trump himself. He's an opportunist - he saw an opportunity and he took it. This is why he scares the **** out of any logically minded Republican. No one...on either side...knows what he is going to do.
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Confusion will be my epitaph...
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