THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

And even as that win has set the foundation for a Republican disaster in 2018 they are all dancing their happy dances to celebrate a massive shift in national wealth from those who create it to those who are wealthy enough to buy a pet Republican. And now everybody wonders what will happen next.

By coupling a substantial corporate tax cut with an assortment of naked appeals to undecided lawmakers, Republican leaders pushed their tax bill through the House on Tuesday and the Senate on Wednesday, touching off a self-congratulatory tidal wave by a party that had struggled mightily through nearly all of 2017.

After an embarrassing inability to repeal the Affordable Care Act — a core promise by congressional Republicans since 2010 — Republicans knew they had no choice but to deliver a tax package or face brutal repudiation by their voters and campaign donors.

“Our attitude from the beginning was failure was not an option,” said Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 3 House Republican and the party’s chief vote counter.

But even as they closed in on what they celebrated as a historic triumph, Republicans found another creative way to stumble. A challenge to the House-passed measure by Senate Democrats discovered three provisions — including the very title of the bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — that violated special Senate rules being used to skirt a filibuster. The flub necessitated the formality of a second House vote on Wednesday after Speaker Paul D. Ryan and his membership had already spiked the ball after initial approval of the bill on Tuesday.

The final legislative outcome was not in doubt, but the ramifications of the legislation were. Republicans said the bill would prompt an economic boom sufficient to offset a projected explosion in the federal deficit, create jobs, raise wages and even contribute to national unity.

“This is a new beginning, if you will, and a time for America to really forge a path of leadership in this new century that provides a better quality of life and a higher standard of living for American families,” said Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 Senate Republican.

Congressional Democrats — who all rejected the measure — predicted a severe political backlash. They are itching to pound Republicans for what Democrats consider to be an ill-timed and ill-conceived giveaway to the rich by a party and a president who promised to intercede for the working class.

Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, labeled the bill “simply theft — monumental, brazen theft from the American middle class and from every person who aspires to reach it.”

Republicans dismissed the denunciation as sour grapes. They didn’t seem overly worried about the political consequences of tying their future to legislation that was polling badly. For many, this was precisely what they had come to Washington to do, and they had finally done it with the help of President Trump — a man who might sometimes make their lives more difficult but was eager to sign their tax bill and claim his share of the credit.

Though many voters may not have known it at election time, many Republicans have shown their true purpose with this bill. At long last they get to destroy the federal government and divert out tax dollars into the accounts of their wealthy owners with enough crumbs falling from the table to keep them happy.