Friends, poor Mike Johnson probably should have gotten a job herding literal cats. It would have been easier and less stressful than serving as Speaker of the House. Nonetheless, efforts are underway to find a spending formula that can stave off a government shutdown. We've been here before, after all, and the sky has never fallen. I'm confident that any shutdown, if it even happens, will be brief and easily survivable. Heck, maybe it would even be a good start, from a DOGE perspective, to shut down everything that isn't "necessary"?
Meanwhile, Trump's cabinet nominees are making the rounds, and surprisingly little focus has so far been on RFK, Jr., who you would think every Democrat would be clamoring to vote against. Not so, but neither is every Republican brimming with enthusiasm for his candidacy. At the end of the day, the betting markets like his chances, and so do I, which is an amazing thing to say given the contempt that the establishment has for the man.
https://polymarket.com/event/which-trump-picks-will-be-confirmed?tid=1734714007018
Finally, Mexico's attitude to illegal immigration has always been ambivalent, at best. Once in a while the country makes sympathetic noises about border control, but realistically Mexico will only crack down when its own interests are at stake and/or it is forced into line by a proactive American administration. Thus, there's no doubt that Mexico will "play ball", to some extent, while Trump is president, but what's to stop there from being another record-setting avalanche of border crossers once a Democrat takes office again? Not much. Thus, there's only one way to secure the border permanently: ensure that no Democrat ever is president again, or force the Democratic Party to change its spots and become a centrist, rather than a leftist, organization. The former feat might be easier to accomplish than the second! All we have to do is make the Dems unviable as an opposition party. They're doing their best to make it happen on their own, needless to say. All they need is a little "push"...
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Yes, we've been through "government shutdowns" before and I think Presidents and Congress are more fearful of them than are most citizens. Makes 'em look bad.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we are probably in for an unprecedented and prolonged period of fiscal confrontation as DJT carries out his intent to suppress the pork state. In doing so he will have to mathematically cut spending but also to convince the cynical "business as usual, spend, spend , spend" culture that its day is done. And that leftist led culture will fight a ferocious rear guard action employing all the very many disruptive and anarchic means it has heretofore viciously directed against any who dare to doubt or thwart it. Prolix legislative manuvering; employment of all manner of public relations humbug; lawfare; "taking to the streets"; personal onslaught on the integrity of the stalwarts of this now nigh historic campaign to install financial and visionary sanity in government (eg. Musk, a private citizen insolently invading the structure and usurping the power of government to tax, waste or act responsibly; they are already giving him "da business"). We may well experience very painful government disruptions, which the far left will of course make haste to represent as incompetence and insensitivity on the part of an administration bound to break their presumptuous addiction to taxpayer largesse and resignation. And of course we may expect reflexive massive barrages of accusations of civil rights violations and of frantic prediction of restoration of long since expunged official discrimination against any who the antiamerican left designate as still unrelentingly "oppressed".
For my own pet peeve: the National Endowment for the Arts, which is blithe to finance works of "artists"who sneer at the tax paying America which they expect to obsequiously support them - for these presumptuous effete snobs - I suggest that if they wish to be paid for their works, then start executing "art" which people can CHOOSE to pay for or discriminate against privately. This institution's portion of taxpayer funds is RELATIVELY small but it is nonetheless an exemplar of the kind of presumptuous thinking which inspires our tax and spend "betters"
Let's fasten our seat belts; this is going to be one hell of a ride! The antiamerican left, suffused with contempt and hatred for any opposition to its" unimpeachable " and "undeniable", justice, wisdom and inevitability, will fight to the finish! Their very incomes depend on it. And we must take heart from the possibility that this is the final battle with these incipient neomarxist dictators. If we win, they may be consigned to the "ash heap of history" to which President Reagan condemned the tyrannical Marxist power of the Soviet Union . Oh how he was excoriated by the "know it alls" for this prediction and how very right he was!
Nick, Dems will be back in 2026 when Mump starts driving the economy into the toilet with tariffs and ill-conceived tax and trade policies. The House will flip and the Senate will get closer, especially if President Musk and VP Trump follow through on their threats to primary those who did not bend the knee on the bill to prevent the government shutdown.
ReplyDeleteTrump can't run in 2028, and Vance is hardly inspiring. None of the GOP contenders from 2024 did well enough to generate confidence. Meanwhile, the Dems have at least two governors with lots of appeal (Moore from MD and Shapiro from PA) and who are more moderate than Harris.
So, Dems are not disappearing anytime soon. Rod
That you Rod C.? Dems need to change the name of their party to Socialist, which is what they really are. Then they could disappear honesty, instead of continuing to impose a charade on The American People.
DeleteHey Rod. That Socialist candidate "back in the day" was Eugene V. Debs.
DeleteDon't forget Gavin Newsom out in California, who will no doubt run for president come 2028. He's a first class power broker, and very smart. He has a presentable appearance, and knows how to talk, and he can get along with all sorts of people, or pretend to, including Republicans of all types. He is, of course, Governor of a well known state, and one that has a top, global class GNP. Most people don't know who Moore or Shapiro are, but Newsom is visible, if only from the interview he did with Sean Hannity. Watch out for him, and beware at the same time!
You are right (no pun intended), about Vance. JD is hardly inspiring, and he has a scruffy look. I'm betting on Newsom in 2028, and I'm sure his VP pick will be more impressive than Vance.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: This simple maxim must from now on govern government expenditures: "Is it NECESSARY!?" If not then leave it to the private sector to consider its worth or lack thereof . It is routine in spendthrift regimes like the Feds or NY to fund items or efforts which may be creditable but are certainly not indispensable. Let that presumptuousness become anathema.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: Perhaps modern technology makes consideration of broadening the generic legislature one worth considering and suggests thereby a means of lessening the ability of radicals to impose badly conceived measures on us all "merely" by capturing executive office or "moral" hectoring or legislative majority caused largely by the electoral power of populous areas like NY and CA which are smugly counterintuitive to common sense. Of course it is largely by channeling taxes to the funding of very controversial concepts such as the "Green New Deal" or "Wokeness" in education, that the far left is able to force upon us laws and consequences which the vast majority of us, had we the power, would reject.
ReplyDeleteIn our very conservative Congressional district here in one of the common sense areas of NY State we had a Congressman a few years ago who thought it ok not only to vote for but to outspokenly advocate for the tax payer supported National Endowment for the Arts, which was the financier of such classic works as (forgive me ) a depiction of a crucifix dipped in urine and a Madonna plastered with elephant dung or a redeeming scene of Santa's elves engaging in sex acts. Had this abomination been subjected to specific judgement by his constituency it would have been buried. Yet, he held that because HE found this agency uplifting , it was worth his vote in knowing misrepresentation of our views in this area. I personally heard him express, in defense of his vote, the principle that a "representative " must sometimes vote his conscience rather than the obvious conviction of his constituency. I agree that there may be times when a democratically empowered legislator is privy to information or persuasion popularly unavailable but his use of this exception should be only rarely and with restraint. And to vote thus for an expenditure (approx. 150 million) which bears no VITAL purpose was presumptuous and a disservice to his constituents. It all adds up and this good man , the richest member of Congress, may well have been oblivious to this pedestrian fact. He also voted for the very unpopular ineffective in reducing crime Clinton "assault" weapons ban when he had promised us he would not do so. Let such leisure be subjected to very specific, immediate public disapprobation at the time of decision, yes, in addition to at elections time .
Now this man was not a radical leftist by any means. He was an exMarine and a public minded citizen of our area. Just imagine though how his wrong mindedness in this regard might be so very blithely and freely exercised by incipiently totalitarian radical decision makers. presently esconsed in government. And THAT, suggests one of the prime causes for government overspending wrought by far left dreamers who use an entirely idealistically envisioned, empirically unsupported future as their justification.
These budding dictators are far beyond dissuasion. They are fanatics!They must be politically disempowered and marginalized (oh they'd always be there on the fringes from which they crept in the '60s, but let them bleat!)! Perhaps one way for this incoming administration to build the foundation for a government permanently closed to radicalism is to initiate consideration of the greatly increased use of "referendum"for confirmation of ideas either legislatively approved or even beyond the authority of "representative" government. Modern on line technology may be able to accomodate such decision making.
Yes. I know it would be hard to establish such a change in one party settings such as NY and CA. but at the Federal level, perhaps it should be ventured, if only to introduce it into our political mainstream.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Rod's suggestions of viable 2028 dem candidates do not include a "born again" AOC who I think will disingenuously seek to establish an image of apologetic moderation over time.
ReplyDeleteWhy would most of the country consider voting for a narcissistic California fop whose putative good looks, together with his reflexive and typical far left self righteousness, are smarmy and repellant?
As more and more of America gets accustomed to the experience of common sense Federal government, in all three branches, I think it will become harder for disdainful far leftists to enact "masques" of necessary mainstream conviction at election time. Because "converts", especially one on the cusp of passage from frantic youth to very early middle age can make impressive shows of newly embraced conviction, AOC might be able to pull off a fast one. Shapiro's popularity in Pennsylvania is telling but we hardly know him yet. What are the Maryland Governor's bonafides?
Common sense won't mean much when inflation skyrockets from tariffs and trade wars, and sectors of the economy (like construction) lag because of all the workers deported. Growth is now 3.1%. In a year, we will be lucky if it is in the positive range.
DeleteAs for Wes Moore, he's a Johns Hopkins grad (member of Phi Beta Kappa), and a Rhodes Scholar. He served in the Army Reserve starting in 1998 (commissioned as an officer) and was activated after 9/11. He was deployed to Afghanistan from 2005 - 2006. Among other accolades, he received the Bronze Star. He left the Army in 2014.
He was a TV producer from 2014-2017, then served as CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation from 2017-2021, which raised funds to provide services to those enduring poverty in New York City. He raised $650 million during that time, before leaving to run for governor of Maryland, an office he won in 2022, He is also the author of five books.
Rod
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Dems are reflexively shocked to their very neomarxist core by the influence wielded by a plutocratic interloper in policy making presumptuousness. But gee, they were gaga when non office holder Hillary took advantage of her "marriage" to make a try at personally taking over health care, 1/7 of the economy. Talk about "plutocracy" had she gotten over on that. But then, she was the "smartest woman in the world", far smarter than a pedestrian businessman like Musk , yes?
ReplyDeleteI suppose its to be expected that they would pitch a bitch about Musk. They don't have anything better to do just now.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: A reprised border invasion: perhaps a possible future dem President would be hesitant to venture as far as that , considering how it has flown in the face of today's dems. But, of course, common sense dictates that we assume they would try it, so yes, the soundest strategy is to strive to the full extent of our power to save America the disgrace of another Dem regime. Enough is enough. We have them down; now lets KEEP them down.
ReplyDeleteDJT's redemption is in itself perhaps a staggering blow for this terribly degraded, once loyal, party. They put so much frantic store in defeating DJT! Some dems now counsel a genuine move toward the center. But how much power do they have? Can they disempower the neomarxists who ran this administration? If not, is a schism coming, with antiamerica going right off the deep end perhaps underground? And what could a halfway common sense rump dem party offer America anyway? Its unthinkable that they would or could align themselves to the right of the GOP. In any case could they be trusted not to be again a stalking horse for a renascent far left? Why take that chance?
Let's just stick to the plan and do our best to constructively fulfill our promises to America. That alone may concentrate enough unbearable emotional stress on the now severely cracked dem party and send it flying apart ala the USSR.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: I am very happy that JD has been elected. He is a young, energetic, articulate man with an air of confident and engaging erudition about him. Have we had a VP with a natty beard like his since the 1880s?
ReplyDeleteFrom what we know of him so far, I like the prospect of him succeeding DJT in redeeming a country he has served well (four always trying enlisted years in the Marines are a good test of one's integrity). I'd like to see him vs. disdainful and aristocratic Newsom in '28.
I could see some possibility of competition between him and Musk for the role of point man for our onslaught on presumptuous government waste of our taxes. We'll see; together they can be the tax , waste and dictate crowd's worst nightmare and impressive Ramaswamy will be well into the mix too. It's going to be an epic battle and a real test of the mettle of those who seek to work reform so very long overdue to our insane overspending and presumptuous misdirection of public wealth. If I were a Dem I'd stockpile Maalox!
Jack, I concur that the establishment will try virtually anything to slow down/forestall the Trump-Musk project of reinventing and slimming down the federal government. To all the obstacles that you noted, however, I would add one more: Trump himself, who, as president, and more recently as a candidate, has never seemed predisposed to cut anything, and in fact has often played the very same game of "I appropriate (taxpayer) funds (on worthy projects), therefore I am (politically relevant and morally exemplary)". Trump has been a free spender himself, in other words, so, to align himself with Musk and Ramaswamy, he will really have to reinvent himself and his brand!
ReplyDeleteYou heard it here first, folks: Rod is already declaring victory in 2026 and 2028! Needless to say, I beg to differ, but Rod is representative of his tribe insofar as he's rediscovering his self-regard and jettisoning his angst and his doubts in record time. The truth is, though, that expectations for Trump are sky high, especially on the right, and it will not be hard for the new administration to fall short. I would point out that Trump didn't wreck the economy last time, but, let's face it, sometimes the economy wrecks itself. If that happens, then Rod's idle boast may come true.
I don't know why anyone would underrate Vance. I think he has vast potential. He's a younger, more articulate, and less volatile version of Trump, and that sounds like a good formula to me.
I reserve judgement on the fornicating elves. They work hard -- let's not begrudge them some R&R...
That's a very interesting idea to give the people more direct input into policy. In other countries, it would be relatively simple to do that. Here, given constitutional restraints, it would be hard, if not impossible, for the federal government to allow us to vote in any binding sense on proposed legislation. Now, the people, via the states, do have a direct role in considering constitutional amendments, but, since both parties have an effective veto against any such proposals, one assumes that no new amendments will be passed until hell freezes over, which, given global warming, seems a more distant prospect than ever!
Rod, Wes Moore sounds like an impressive guy, but, if we're honest, is a black man from a deep blue state really the best face for the Democratic Party, if it wants to regain relevance in purple areas? If you're right about the economy tanking, and staying tanked, then you can nominate anyone you like and you'll win easily. If instead political conditions in 2028 are a little less clear-cut, then you'll want to think very carefully about the direction you're taking your party in...
Whatever happened to Pete Buttigieg? Wasn't he going to save the day?
Quite right, Jack: the best way to defeat the Dems is to deliver on Trump's promises and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, or at least noticeably better than under Biden.
While I adore Vance, I do wonder what precisely his role will be in the new administration. So far he's been completely overshadowed by Musk.
Buttigieg is running for governor of MI when Whitmer finishes her second term. That would position him well for 2036 (or 2032 depending on how things go). Being the governor of a midwestern state would help his credentials, plus it would give him more time with his twins than a 2028 run for president would.
ReplyDeleteRod
Rod from Jack: Thanx for the info on Gov. Moore. He looks like he could be a formidable prospect.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: I think it certain that the incoming administration will disappoint us in some ways. We are riding an exhilarating tide of relief and gratitude for the extent of the electoral victory but when it gets down to cases we will not realize all our fondest hopes, perhaps not even a majority of them.
ReplyDeleteBut the fundamental fact that we derailed antiamerica's cynical, vicious, all-out power grab is glorious and deservedly so. It's a landmark achievement and very much to the credit of perhaps one of the four or five most remarkable figures in US leadership history. I 've always thought that the advent of human space travel and the fall of communism were the two most astonishing events I've witnessed but the rise of Donald Trump from somewhat seedy and inconsequential celebrity to monumental political power is astonishing beyond measure and fortuitous ,I think.
The antiamerican left was "progressing "apace to the almost unthinkable - the terribly presumptuous actual investment of our country by proven hellish Marxism. The irony that would manifest, since the US was world communism's triumphant enemy , would be beyond description. Would we have otherwise dealt that aberration the staggering blows it sustained in 2016 and last Nov.? Who can say? The salient fact IS that he did, with consummate courage, lead us in it. What great good fortune for common sense America and it must be for us a dominant consideration against which to realistically view any of the inevitable hardships and shortcomings we will experience in this still ongoing cold civil war . Its going to be a yet hard road but we have a real chance of permanently redeeming this, on balance (the only realistic measure) just nation. Be of good cheer at this historic time!
Dr. Waddy from Jack : The dem party has witnessed frank criticism from some of its own to the effect that "we cannot continue like this!" From some of these believers in the doubtful future of a party perhaps morally exhausted by its embrace of woke perfectionists and their silly , (ignorant of history and human nature) dreams of forced "equity", is expressed the idea" even when we won we 'ran 'against counterintuitive principles like vindictive recompense for historical wrongs committed by now dead oppressors".
ReplyDeleteSorry dems, you must, much beyond simply disingenuously "running against" ideas by which your haughty enforcement has generated intense resentment, ACTUALLY manifest sincere renunciation of these neomarxist dreams. And you are not capable of that are you? It would be extreme folly for us ever to give you leave to demonstrate it in renewed power.
Your only other alternative is to raise to power a consummate con man like Slick Willy, who saved you from marginalization after three lost Presidential elections with his incomparable dishonesty. Now his motivation was simple - getting high by any means - power, adulation, gleeful deception and of course the corporal rewards. But BTW he casually empowered grimly , purposefully vindictive and hate filled radicals like his "wife". After him far left inclined ("am I a marxist? thats a good question")Obama became far
too enamored of the material perks of office to make any decisive waves which might have denied him Presidential luxury and deference. His "clandestine"stewardship of the present administration did suggest in him, a youngish man, some hope of eventual "Dear Leader" status. Too bad.
Would the dems sincerely renounce the far left presumptions which got them whomped this time? Some might but they would probably be a forlorn rump with no real reason for existence. You are right Dr. Waddy:the radical cuckoos will simply relabel their commie convictions .Can they get away with that? Its not out of the question. Lets stay unalterably cynical about them and always dedicated to their condemnation to the "ash heap of history "which contains the remnants of all other hellish marxist impositions.
How can Buttigieg run for Governor of Michigan when he's from Indiana? That would be impressive misdirection!
ReplyDeleteJack, you are right that many of our Trumpian goals and aspirations will come to naught in the next four years, and yet, if we achieve the substantial defeat and discrediting of neo-Marxism, Trump's second term will be and should be adjudged one of the most successful in history. That's a big "if".
Quite right, Jack: the lefties are far more likely to dissemble than they are to question the eternal verities which (they say) inspire them to undreamed of heights of moral and intellectual perfection. Let's just hope the American people stay wise to their subterfuge.