So it goes

I think it’s been long enough since the election results were finalized that the shock has subsided and the immediate future is a bit clearer.  Regular visitors to this space noticed, I’m sure, that I last posted about something totally unrelated to the state of our country, and that was intentional.

So here we are.  The President-Elect is still fighting to prevent being sentenced for his 34 convictions in New York State court.  He is thoroughly dominating the news cycle every day, as he did the last time he was elected to the Presidency.  He is doing so mostly by toying with the mass media and those on the left who would oppose him, naming one unqualified person after another to head government agencies.  He is all over the place, appearing at conferences, UFC matches, space launches and more.

Honestly, I don’t think we’ll forget about him between now and January 20, when he officially becomes President.  Again.

The Democrats have lost the Senate AND the House.  But the vast majority of them will not sit idly by and watch the systematic dismantling of so many programs and agencies and departments.  First and foremost is the President-Elect’s demand that he be allowed to make “recess appointments” to his cabinet, which would bypass the traditional advise and consent role that the Senate plays in vetting and confirming key members of the new government, such as Secretaries of State, Defense, Treasury and many other departments.  It’s starting to sound like it isn’t only Democrats who are unwilling to accept this process, a number of Republican Senators are pushing back as well.

The latest summarization of his intentions indicates he still plans his roundup and deportation of anyone with a non-English surname, regardless of the complexity or cost.  Plus the rollback or outright elimination of nearly all safety net programs, such as Medicaid, food stamps, school lunch programs, so that he can continue his historically expensive tax cuts from 2017.  You remember, that was the bill that eliminated the majority of tax deductions for the middle class, meaning that those who make less paid more tax so that those who have and make more won’t have to pay as much, if anything.

Again, there are Republicans who fear that this kind of strategy, regardless of the reason, will backfire and cost the GOP seats in the 2026 midterm elections.  But the incoming President appears undaunted, claiming a sweeping mandate (with a popular vote victory of a very small percentage) and emboldened by what even he may not have expected as an electoral outcome.

So will we see Matt Gaetz as Attorney General?  Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense?  Who knows?  

It’s once again one big reality show, so I suppose we’ll have to tune in for the next episode.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An unexpected return trip to see the Colonel

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Hope you had a good weekend, and enjoyed Halloween, whenever your area conducted Trick or Treat! I write that knowing that here in central Kentucky most cities and towns postponed from Halloween night to the following Saturday afternoon, due to an extreme drop in temperature on Thursday followed by high winds.  Locally I'd say they made the right decision. I had to travel south for a business function on Saturday, so headed through Tennessee Friday afternoon after conducting some business closer to home.  When I realized what time it was and that I didn't have to be anywhere by a certain time Friday evening, I did what any right-thinking admirer would do--I paid another visit to Lynnville, Tennessee to visit the retail location of Colonel Littleton, Ltd.! If you'll recall, I did the same on my way back from Birmingham a couple of months ago, and successfully restrained myself, buying only a coffee mug. Not this time.  Not only did I t...
Read more

They were right

Happy Monday, friends!  Here in Kentucky, the locals are celebrating that it's Derby Week, which is code for non-Louisville residents to steer clear of that city.  Lots going on this week, and if you're unfamiliar with what happens where, well, you could find yourself in a lot of unexpected traffic! I come to you with a bit of an update to my last post about music appreciation while working.  If you remember, I mentioned that I have a Sonos One SL wi-fi speaker on my desk.  And that I was contemplating getting a pair of the new Era 100 speakers that are the One's replacement. As a Sonos user of several years, I find some utility in receiving their e-mails now and then, although a great many of their products are aimed at the home theater market, where I don't really have a stake (but we'll address that another time). A message from Sonos proclaimed a great savings event on refurbished Sonos equipment.  And one such item that they were offering at a substantial d...
Read more

Polling

Good Tuesday morning to everyone. Today is primary election day here in Kentucky, unless you're a Republican, in which case you've already gotten to do this once.  Yes, the Commonwealth of Kentucky's Republican Party opted to separate the Republican presidential primary from the "rest" of the primary ballot.  Reason?  So that current Republican Senator Rand Paul could simultaneously run for President and for reelection to his Senate seat in the same year.  Good thing, too, since we all know what happened to his bid for the Presidency. This is always a strange time, when Kentucky is mentioned in the national news for having politicians conduct rallies here and not for a natural disaster or for the Kentucky Derby.  We've had Trump, all of the Clintons, Sanders and a few other surrogates and such visit in the last few weeks. My wife and I are planning to vote, and we have a grand total of three things to vote on:  President, Senate and House of Represent...
Read more