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Wednesday, April 1, 2026

In Scoring Position

 


Friends, President Trump tonight addressed the nation and attempted to justify and explain his campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran.  He did a passable job of it, I must say, but I do question why he's doing it now instead of at the outset of the conflict.  As I've said on numerous occasions, President Trump underutilizes the primetime address, which is a great way to end-run the mainstream media and talk directly to the American people.  Be that as it may, better a late defense of his administration's approach on Iran than none at all.  I naturally agree with almost everything he said.  The problem is that no one, except his most ardent supporters, will be listening.  Oh well.  The fact remains that, as per Trump's remarks, the attacks on Iran will continue until he feels that our objectives have been met -- and, once the campaign wraps up, America's political dynamics, as well as the stock market and oil prices, will be back to square one in short order.  In the meantime, the threat posed by Iran will have been massively reduced, and we will all benefit, for decades to come, from that achievement.  Thank heavens for that!

 

https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2026/04/01/watch-live-donald-trump-delivers-primetime-address-on-iran/ 

 

In other news, Trump is saying that the reluctance of our NATO allies to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz is causing him to doubt the wisdom of our membership in NATO.  I should hope so!!!  The Western Alliance, if we're to be honest, has been a one-way street since its inception, and our European "partners" are determined to keep it that way.  It's high time, in my humble opinion, that we went our separate ways and challenged the Europeans to provide for their own defense...and to go and secure their own oil, if it comes to that.  Unfortunately, I very much doubt that President Trump will have the courage of his convictions when it comes to NATO, given the establishment's unanimous devotion to it, but I would love to be proven wrong.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79je4vldq5o 

 

In yet other news, NASA's Artemis II mission, which involves the first manned flight to the Moon since 1972, is currently underway after a picture-perfect launch this evening.  Godspeed!  This is yet another powerful demonstration of America's world-beating technology and gumption, and I couldn't be more pleased and proud!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cwydnrmggnno 

 

Finally, in a related development, Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has established its dominance in the space launch industry, is about to go public, which hopefully will mean even more exciting progress in space exploration and exploitation, and will almost certainly spell even greater wealth for Musk himself.  Assuming he contributes a healthy share of it to Republican candidates in 2026 and beyond, I say: well done, Elon!!!  Ad astra per aspera.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2k35lg92dpo 

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

My Wish Has Been Granted!

 


Friends, just when you were sure you were living in "the best of times", they go and get even better!  For one thing, I asked for "more kings", and it turns out that Britain's King Charles III is about to arrive for a state visit.  Marvelous!  Will he shower DJT with titles, awards, and fawning praise?  I can only assume he will.  Might DJT crown himself emperor to mark the occasion and one-up his regal visitor?  Could be!  Let's cling to hope, shall we?

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w3dpgjzj8o 

 

But there's more!!!  Eric Trump has unveiled plans for the Trump Presidential Library in Miami, which looks less like a library and more like an opulent futuristic skyscraper.  I know I would enjoy visiting it someday.  Of course, if the Dems have their way, after he leaves office Trump will be locked away in a Supermax prison, but that's only if they get their grubby mits on the White House again, and I trust my fellow Americans won't let that happen.  Well, I hope they won't!

 

https://x.com/EricTrump/status/2038773279788331022 

Sunday, March 29, 2026

More Kings, Please!

 


Friends, in the wake of the latest "No Kings" protests, only one conclusion is possible: a Trumpian monarchy would be infinitely preferable to any "democracy" that empowered the sort of people who attend No Kings rallies.  I jest (or do I?), but they were a sorry bunch.  Good natured, for the most part, but entirely captive to a series of delusions (of the sort spoon-fed to elderly white liberals on certain "news" networks that need not be named).  Ah well.  That's the American way: we're free to trumpet our ignorance to our hearts' content!  Luckily, these protests will have precisely zero impact on the governance of the country, although the midterms are a different story, and the sheer energy the Left is manifesting could be consequential there.

 

https://nypost.com/2026/03/28/us-news/no-kings-protests-turn-violent-as-unruly-mob-waving-palestinian-flags-hurl-cement-blocks-at-dhs-agents/ 

 

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/03/28/the-no-kings-protests-were-even-more-insane-than-you-wouldve-thought-n2673597 

 

In other news, President Trump is talking openly about limited special operations missions inside Iran, and about seizing control of Kharg Island, which would effectively give the U.S. control over Iran's oil exports.  Of course, arguably U.S. naval dominance already gives us control over, well, everyone's oil exports, to the extent that we choose to exercise said control.  The sooner the Iranians figure this out, the better!  Now, is all this talk of boots on the ground mere gamemanship that is designed to get the Iranians to concede more in negotiations?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Quite possibly even Trump doesn't know the answer, as yet.

 

 https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c8jke9v9xv9t

 

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-middle-east-news-updates?st=4ZFkzJ 

Friday, March 27, 2026

Lèse-Majesté

 


Friends, if the legions of protestors tomorrow are to be believed (a big "if"), then our country has already achieved the pinacle of perfection: we've made the great and glorious Donald J. Trump our King-Emperor, and thus we've left democracy in our regal dust.  Oh, if only it were so!  The powers of President Trump seem all too limited, from what I can tell.  He doesn't even command respect, let alone obedience.  Be that as it may, I wish the lefties a pleasant day of kvetching, which is surely their favorite pastime. 

 

Meanwhile, President Trump is trying to solve problems created by Democrats, as per usual.  He's ordered that TSA agents should be paid, despite the partial government shutdown.  Can he do that?  Probably not, since liberal judges won't let him do anything, but I applaud him for making the effort!

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/03/27/no-kings-protest-trump-iran/89331992007/ 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c33l4j03kr3o 

Gloomy Gus

 


Friends, don't get me wrong: DJT is always a ray of sunshine, but I, on the other hand, sometimes get despondent about our country's future, especially when I consider the political resilience of the Democrats, who ought to have been consigned to the dustbin of history a long, long time ago.  Well, they haven't been.  In fact, they're prospering, thanks to the, uhh, resilence of TDS!  And that's the subject of my latest article.

 

Democrats Think They're Winning – and, Sadly, They're Right!


There's no question that the ongoing U.S./Israeli campaign against Iran has opened some fissures in the conservative/MAGA movement, and that in itself is something to concern those who wish President Trump well, but a more troubling and possibly long-lasting realignment is happening concurrently: leftists and Democrats are reviving, despite the fact that we left them for dead in the wake of the 2024 election. Their squabbles are long forgotten, as the Trump haters find common purpose in – what else? – hating Trump.

Witness, first of all, the steady drumbeat of anti-Trump coverage in the mainstream media and on social media, exemplified in uniquely horrifying fashion by the tendency of the talking heads to root openly for Iran in the present conflict, and to portray the noble efforts of President Trump and the U.S. military to bring down the mullahs as aggression, inhumanity, and pure stupidity. Whether this incessant calumny has any relationship to the facts or not, it is having a cumulative effect: Trump's approval ratings are drifting down, and the Democrats' advantage in generic ballot polls is gradually increasing. A point here and a point there may not seem like much, and the President's base remains broadly enthusiastic, but no one can question that Trump and Republicans are in a steadily weakening political position. The Left's lies, including its damned lies, are having an effect.

Second, it's getting increasingly hard to ignore the trend in special elections, which is almost uniformly favorable to Democrats, and not in a subtle way. Democrats routinely outperform the results they obtained in 2024 in these special elections by 15 or 20 points. That's a lot! Republicans even lost in Trump's “backyard”, as the Dems love to point out, in a race for a Florida House seat in an area that includes Mar-a-Lago. Ouch! Meanwhile, Republican-held state legislative seats in Texas, Iowa, Mississippi, Georgia, New Hampshire, and elsewhere have turned blue, and emphatically so. The Democrats think the momentum is on their side, and there's very little evidence in the results of these special elections to contradict them.

Lastly, money makes the world go 'round, and politics even more so. The Democrats and leftists aren't just taking to the streets in their millions, shaking their fists at “King Trump” – they're also putting their money where their big, obnoxious mouths are. Contributions are pouring into special election campaigns and into the coffers of liberal candidates running in the midterms. The Democrats have become, lest anyone forget, the party of the well-heeled, and they are, as a result, tapping into an almost inexhaustible reservoir of financial support. They have massively outspent us in most recent election cycles, and they may well do so again in 2026, especially when dark money is factored in.

It is worth remembering that President Trump and Republicans face these severe headwinds despite the fact that the U.S. economy is basically sound, inflation low, and the markets buoyant. What would happen if, say, the market tanked, or unemployment rose, or inflation heated up? How hard would it be to revive GOP fortunes then? An economic slowdown, moreover, is looking increasingly possible, according to economists.

The solutions to these challenges are by no means apparent, but one thing is for sure: the Democrats and leftists cannot be written off as perennial losers, and they cannot be depended on to sink their own ship. On the contrary, we should recognize that President Trump's victory in 2024 came despite the inherent and broad-based strength of the Democratic Party and the Left, with all their ingrained advantages and prodigious institutional and popular support. To hold on to the House of Representatives in November (not to mention the Senate, which is looking increasingly shaky), it will take wise decisions from the President and his top lieutenants, as well as a maximum effort from Republicans, conservatives, and the MAGA movement. Even then, we may fall short.

That's just the sad, unvarnished truth.


Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is a history professor at SUNY Alfred and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com. He appears on the Newsmakers show on WLEA/WYSL.

 

And here it is at World Net Daily:

 

https://www.wnd.com/2026/03/democrats-think-theyre-winning-sadly-theyre-right/  

 

***

 

In other news, Senate Republicans are considering the use of another reconciliation bill to get the DHS funded, possibly pass a version of the SAVE Act, and otherwise advance the GOP agenda.  I think this is an excellent idea, as getting the dastardly Dems to support anything common sensical, or even vaguely sensical, is a lost cause.  Reconciliation bills only require a simple majority.  I say: get on with it!

 

https://rollcall.com/2026/03/24/in-the-senate-thune-resurrects-idea-of-reconciliation/ 

 

Finally, in a first for any U.S. president, Donald Trump's signature will soon be appearing on our paper money!  Wow.  Perhaps Trump believes this will cause all Americans to think of him with reverence and gratitude every time they spend money.  Fat chance of that!  Still, I have no problem with Trump's signature, likeness, or shoe size appearing on U.S. dollars, and we might also consider appending a short message mocking the Democrats on every bill too.  Why the heck not???

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz0el909yp3o 

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Sue Their (Digital) Pants Off?

 


Friends, while I've not been among the biggest fans of social media empires like Meta and Google, I find today's ruling by a jury in Los Angeles troubling.  It found Instagram and YouTube liable for a young woman's mental illness, on the theory that the addictive nature of social media platforms is psychologically damaging.  Well, no doubt that's true, but the addictive nature of almost anything, from booze to BMWs to badminton to banana bread, can be damaging, if one indulges too much.  If you ask me, anyone who uses social media excessively has done injury to themselves, and personal responsibility ought to be the operative principle here, not entitlement and self-pity.  I suppose reasonable people might disagree about these matters, but consider this: if this ruling stands, it will be lawyers and judges who decide what the permissible parameters of social media will be, and do we really want THAT???

 

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2026/03/25/jury-finds-meta-and-google-negligent-in-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial/ 

 

In other news, the UN has voted to name the transatlantic slave trade as "the gravest crime against humanity".  A very timely decision, no?  I mean, otherwise, the slave trade could restart any day now!  Of course, the motivation for this ridiculous decision, which I'm happy to say that the United States opposed, was to justify open-ended reparations.  Luckily, resolutions passed by the UN General Assembly have no practical effect.  I must say, the sheer cheek in naming any one atrocity "the gravest" of all time is impressive.  As I understand it, the Afro-Middle Eastern slave trade actually took more lives, but who has even heard of it???  What an unseemly spectacle these efforts to monetize historical grievances are.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg06q36052o 

 

According to President Trump, Iran is about ready to pull a Venezuela and give us everything we want.  Well, I'll believe it when I see it...  The truth may be that, at this stage, no one is in firm control of Iran, and concessions granted by some could easily be undermined by others.  That is to say, our destabilization of the country may make a clean resolution to the present conflict difficult to achieve.  Always be careful what you wish for!

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/03/24/trump_new_leaders_of_iran_are_gonna_make_a_deal_they_gave_us_a_present_--_a_very_significant_prize.html 

 

Finally, those of us who support President Trump's efforts to facilitate regime change in Iran are understandably frustrated by the pro-Iranian propaganda that fills the mainstream media to overflowing.  Be that as it may, you can't deny that the Trump haters have had a certain measure of success in convincing the public that this operation has been a failure and that it endangers American lives, and the global economy, needlessly.  Trump's approval numbers have ticked down, and in fact they've been falling (gracefully) more or less since the outset of his second term.  This trend naturally does not reflect the quality of his leadership or the objective reality of political and economic conditions, so much as the accumulated weight of anti-Trump narratives in the media and social media.  We conservatives have utterly failed to intimidate our enemies, and we have also utterly failed to transform the media and social media landscape, by hook or by crook.  In short, we've left a giant machine in operation that wants nothing more (and nothing less) than to convince as many people as possible to hate, hate, hate Donald Trump all day, every day.  It's working, albeit not as much as the Left would like.  If we're not very careful, therefore, the second Trump Administration will follow much the same arc as the first, and the strains imposed by unpopularity will create something of a doom loop from which Trump and his top lieutenants will find it hard to escape.  I know this is a depressing way to look at it, and I would like nothing more than to be proven wrong, but this is where prevailing trends seem to be taking us, in my estimation.  And this, I hasten to add, is all within the context of an economy that is generally strong.  If the economy goes south, things get even bleaker!

 

https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/donald-trump/approval-rating 

Monday, March 23, 2026

Victory is Nigh?

 


Friends, it's not easy to make sense of all the mixed signals coming out of the White House, but it appears that Trump and Co. are talking to...someone in Iran's government, and it appears we like what we're hearing.  Trump implies that forces in Iran are prepared to do business with us and achieve a sort of regime change by proxy, as we did in Venezuela (?).  That could be an ambiguous result to the present conflict, as indeed our achievement in Venezuela was and is, but it could also be a way out of the current impasse.  We've always known that we need the cooperation of elements of Iran's security forces and bureaucracy to, well, Make Iran Great Again.  What we don't want is to be hoodwinked by mullahs in sheep's clothing...  Stay tuned!

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/03/23/trump_strait_of_hormuz_will_be_jointly_controlled_by_me_and_the_next_ayatollah_whoever_that_is.html 

 

In other news, Americans are growing more and more skeptical of the value of a college education, although the numbers of young people attending college are not exactly plummeting.  If you ask me, the skepticism is justified, but it's very hard to make generalizations about the value of higher ed, since every college is different, every major degree is different, and the shape of the job market is changing moment to moment.  I would say that anyone contemplating a college education should think long and hard about where, and how, and what is a reasonable price point.  Better yet, get rick quick and avoid the rat race!!!  That's the gold standard of career advice...

 

https://tippinsights.com/college-education-flunks-out-by-more-than-2-to-1-voters-say-its-not-worth-it-i-i-tipp-poll/ 

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Winding Sideways?

 


Friends, President Trump is talking about "winding down" our offensive against Iran, at the same time as U.S. forces continue to pour into the region, threats between Trump and Iran are flying freely, and the regime of the mullahs shows no signs of evaporating.  It's hard to know what the future portends, but the economic impacts of the war will only increase with time.  A number of countries have signaled their willingness to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but only under favorable conditions, whatever those might be.  I say: good luck reading all these tea leaves, but listening in to this week's Newsmakers broadcast would certainly boost your global affairs I.Q. by 100% or more!

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-floats-winding-down-iran-war-as-strikes-continue/ar-AA1Z6E7m 

 

https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-3-21-26/ 

 

In other news, Elon Musk has kindly offered to pay the salaries of TSA agents, who are being stiffed by the dastardly Dems, who refuse to fund DHS.  What a nice guy!  I would take him up on it, although I suppose making those despicable Democratic lawmakers wait in long lines at the airport would be a decent interim solution, too.

 

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2035306094281855336?s=46 

 

There's another "No Kings" day of rallies coming next Saturday, so prepare for anti-monarchists to pillage your town or city!  As you all know, I love Republicans, but I have no patience for republicans (scum, every one of them!!!).  Punctuation makes all the difference.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/03/22/video-robert-de-niro-pushes-no-kings-leftists-to-take-to-the-streets-against-mentally-ill-tyrant-trump/ 

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Calculated Risk

 


Friends, let's be clear: Iran is retaliating against Israel and America's attacks mainly by striking back against...the whole world, not its battlefield foes.  What I mean is that Iran is doing its best, not just to pepper the whole region with missile and drone strikes, but also to close the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic, thus dealing a body blow to the global economy.  And yet, somehow, most of the world doesn't mind at all.  In fact, it roots for Iran, just to spite the Zionists and MAGA!  Well, that's pretty dumb, but I would also like to draw your attention to an important fact: the Strait is not completely closed, and, to the extent it is, that is only because most of the world knows that, for weeks if not months, it can dispense with Gulf oil without serious consequence.  If the world was desperate for what the Middle East has to offer, after all, NATO, Japan, China, et al. would be helping us open the Strait.  I mean, it would be suicidal for them to do anything else.  The fact that they aren't tells us that all the handwringing over this "war" is mostly for show, at least at this stage.  I conclude that the Strait is only "closed" because, right now, no one minds greatly that it is.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4geg0eeyjeo 

 

Want more cogent analysis of our hostilities with Iran?  Listen in to the "Fourth Box" podcast, featuring Yours Truly as honored guest!

 

https://rumble.com/v770a3a-history-professor-nick-waddy-on-the-war-in-iran.html 

 

Finally, now that DJT has made us all rich (thanks to strong economic growth and a buoyant stock market), we can throw a bit of our filthy lucre at the upcoming Trump coin...in gold, no less!  Of course, any image of Trump has a value that's beyond price...

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwywxvgynr2o 

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Degrading the Degraded

 


Friends, today our Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, assured us that, while the Iranian theocratic regime remains "intact", it has been "largely degraded" by the furious pace of Israeli and U.S. airstrikes.  Well, I should think so!  We're aiming, of course, not merely to degrade this odious dictatorship, but to overthrow it, and in that regard we have to be disappointed at this stage of the operation.  Regime opponents haven't risen up and seized control of even a small part of the country.  I remain hopeful that they will, but we have to face the possibility, even the probability, that, when we wind down our offensive, the mullahs will still be in power.  That would stink, but we can, and probably should, look on the bright side: Iran's capacity to be a regional nuisance (and worse!) will be substantially reduced, one way or another.  Perhaps this is why Trump supporters, conservatives, and Republicans remain broadly supportive of U.S. operations against Iran.  There is much talk in the mainstream media of MAGA fissures due to Trump's "aggression", but the reality is that Democrats are much more divided over the "war", if indeed we can call it that, than Republicans are.  Many Democrats are big supporters of Israel, and enemies of Islamic fundamentalism, so it's not surprising that they might be skeptical of the doomsaying going on in the media and in elite leftist circles.  Anyway, I expect the political impact of the fighting in the Middle East to be largely transitory.  A month from now, I feel confident that the airstrikes will be over, and either we'll be dealing with a new Iranian leadership, or we'll be dealing with the tottering remains of the old one.  Either way, the world, and America, and Trump, can get back to business as usual.  Of course, what is "normalcy" these days???

 

https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2026/03/18/dni-tulsi-gabbard-iranian-regime-appears-to-be-intact-but-largely-degraded/ 

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/03/17/tremendously-popular-polls-maga-gop-overwhelmingly-back-trumps-iran-op-epic-fury/