The Democrats’ Tea Party Moment has Arrived

Beginning with the 2010 mid-term elections and stretching into 2015 when they managed to unseat House Speaker John Boehner, the Tea Party faction of the Republican Party left an indelible mark.  The fever seems to have passed, but the point was made that a vibrant and enthusiastic wing of a national party can use its limited leverage to accomplish significant things.  Even today, there are Tea Party remnants remaining in the Republican Party agenda and policy catalog…especially in fiscal areas.

 

The Democrat Party is now experiencing a similar uprising within its ranks with the nationwide surge of candidates largely promoted by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).  Rather than have me tell you what the DSA is, I will let them speak for themselves; here is their website: https://www.dsausa.org/ .

 

You will note that among their website comments, the DSA states that it is not a political party, but rather an activist organization.  But make no mistake about it…as the fever and excitement about their recent successes continues to grow, their clear intent is to control the direction of the Democrat Party.  Just as the Republicans had to tamp down the radical elements of the Tea Party and strategically leave some of the more reasonable ideas on the table, so too will the Democrat Party leadership have to contend with its current problem child.  Reluctance and hesitation is the enemy of the Democrats; the longer they wait for their Come to Jesus moment, the more divisive and difficult it will be.  It took the Republicans four to five years…how long will it take the Democrats?

 

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We tend to forget how very special our nation is, how wisely our Constitution’s blueprint was written, and that even with all of its many imperfections…it remains the greatest nation on this planet and a global beacon for liberty, freedom, and human dignity.  We in America have the marvelous privilege of federalism to view for ourselves how certain policies work by observing their real life applications in various states…virtual microcosms of our national government.  Look at the red states and look at the blue states…which type of government do you want for your children?

 

https://freebeacon.com/columns/europe-discovers-the-land-of-plenty/

 

However, for the DSA and those who cling to its ideals, America in its current constitutional form will never be acceptable.

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-reds-return/

 

How the Democrat Party deals with this internal debate will no doubt define the future of the Party.

 

https://nypost.com/2026/06/26/opinion/dems-big-tent-excuse-will-lead-to-their-doom-and-maybe-the-countrys-too/

 

https://nypost.com/2026/06/27/us-news/fetterman-calls-out-orgy-of-socialism-in-democratic-party/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/06/27/democratic-members-call-for-packing-the-supreme-court-to-reverse-immigration-decisions/#more-246250

 

https://nypost.com/2026/06/26/us-news/mamdani-bucks-scotus-ruling-on-deportation-protection-for-haitians-syrians/

 

https://reason.com/2026/06/26/mamdani-got-his-rent-freeze-wish-dont-expect-new-york-city-housing-to-become-more-affordable/

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/newsom-proposes-federal-billionaire-tax-and-ai-public-equity-fund/

 

Disproportionately increasing taxes on the rich is not the answer to our governmental fiscal problems.

 

https://reason.com/2026/06/22/rich-americans-pay-a-higher-share-of-taxes-than-the-wealthy-in-most-countries/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/why-taxing-the-rich-is-the-wrong-answer-for-social-security/

 

https://reason.com/2026/06/27/l-a-delays-its-30-hotel-olympic-wage-until-after-the-olympics/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-weekend-jolt/whats-the-matter-with-seattle/

 

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/will-the-socialist-sweep-come-to-colorado-far-left-candidate-who-called-9-11-inevitable-threatens-30-year-incumbent-dem-in-denver/

 

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/pritzker-adds-800-million-a-year-in-new-taxes-to-already-high-tax-illinois/

 

https://reason.com/2026/06/26/michigan-spent-1-8-billion-and-only-created-602-jobs/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/03/talarico-the-texas-trickster/

 

https://reason.com/2026/06/12/graham-platner-signals-a-problem-for-democrats-and-the-rest-of-us/

 

Education…Education…Education

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/06/anti-americanism-in-the-public-schools.php#google_vignette

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/23/randi-whinegarten/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/06/25/chicago-teachers-seeks-billions-in-special-session-for-what-we-are-owed/#more-246160

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/critical-thinking-is-not-enough/

 

Our justice system is in trouble.  It is bereft of any central, commanding authority. The Department of Justice was set back decades by the corruption of the Obama/Biden Administrations and Trump has failed to find an individual who has the character, competence, and fortitude to cleanse it.  Until that happens, the federal system from WDC on down will continue to wander in the wilderness.  The SCOTUS is trying to restore some constitutional integrity back into our justice system, but it is going to take time.  The wheels of justice turn very slowly…agonizingly slow sometimes.

 

https://thefederalist.com/2026/06/18/rogue-judges-are-crippling-the-constitution-one-egregious-ruling-at-a-time/

 

https://reason.com/2026/06/18/the-founders-revered-the-right-to-trial-by-jury-will-scotus-now-follow-their-example/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/06/20/wisconsin-supreme-court-strikes-down-race-based-scholarships-as-unconstitutional/

 

There is perhaps no other single aspect of our government that screams louder for critical reform than national immigration policy.

 

https://thefederalist.com/2026/06/18/bidens-border-crisis-will-return-if-we-dont-close-these-loopholes-now/

 

https://nypost.com/2026/06/20/opinion/blue-states-are-obsessed-with-protecting-illegal-migrant-criminals-and-only-voters-can-make-it-stop/

 

I cannot repeat it too often: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  If we as citizens put our unconditional faith and trust in elected and appointed officials, we are giving away our liberty and freedom that was earned by the blood of past patriots. Government officials, both elected and appointed, need no more or no less than the amount of authority necessary to fulfill their assigned duties.  Our bloated government is profligate, autocratic, egocentric, and quite simply out of control.  It needs to be downsized, humbled, and reformed…within the parameters as provided in our Constitution.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/27/save-american-lives-and-prosperity-by-cutting-the-fda-bureaucracy/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2026/06/26/never-forget-what-the-covid-experts-did-to-us/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2026/06/19/new-docs-fauci-colluded-with-intel-agencies-on-covid-cover-up-and-then-lied-to-congress-about-it/

 

https://reason.com/2026/06/17/over-100000-kids-have-died-due-to-greenpeace-blocking-genetically-enhanced-rice-new-calculation-shows/

 

I continue to say NO to FISA, but here is a differing opinion: https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/06/dont-hold-section-702-renewal-hostage-to-the-save-america-act/

 

War…huh…good God you all…what is it good for? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztZI2aLQ9Sw

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/26/why-putin-needs-a-deal-with-trump-now/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/18/iran-war-misconceptions/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/23/dont-forget-the-broader-context-of-the-iranian-memorandum/

 

How can we close the chasm between the right and the left?  How can we restore some semblance of statesmanship and honor to our Executive and Legislative branches of government?  How can we remove this poisonous political sickness that is so prevalent in our culture and society?

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/the-angry-whining-left-meets-the-angry-whining-right/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/17/principles-for-a-centrist-realignment-the-grand-alliance/

 

In 1967, Jesse Colin Young and his band Youngbloods released the song Get Together.  Those beautiful lyrics are as true today as they were back then.  Perhaps there is a path forward if we only try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBJYxPN8qIA

 

 

A Country Boy’s Advice for the Chief E…FWIW (probably not much)

 

1.    Understand why you are President.  It is not because you are special (not), or brilliant (not), or wise beyond all (smart...but not the smartest), or because you have good fundamental policy instincts (which you clearly do).  You have been elected to both of your terms because you ran against idiots.  Stop thinking you are King of the World.  You were mainly selected because you were the least of two evils and that least is beginning to wear thin.

2.     You talk too much.  Tone down the amount, tone, volume, and arrogance in your rhetoric.  You have cried “Wolf” too many times and people have ceased to pay attention. 

3.    Treat our international allies like friends and our international foes like enemies.  Do not tie the settlement of their conflicts with the settlements of our conflicts. 

4.    You have two years and change left to establish your legacy…focus on results, not circus.  You are a talented, smart, and accomplished man…but you are vain and conceited; look at yourself in the mirror and embrace your faults.  When your speech writers or Administration members give you words to read or sage advice…take it.  Don’t riff…stick to the script.

5.    Your VP is in over his head as a Middle East negotiator.  He is quite simply not your best and most qualified Administration member to do this deal.  Send Marco Rubio over to settle this thing and grant him the authority necessary to get it done.

6.    Make a plain and simple statement that you and your Administration speak for America and her interests.  You do not speak for Israel…or any other nation for that matter.  The Israel/Lebanon/Hezbollah/Iran conflict is separate and apart from our America/Iran conflict.  Of course, we are close allies with Israel.  Of course, their conflict(s) are interwoven in the Middle Eastern dynamic.  But their battle is not our battle.  To put it in Trump terms…they are not the 51^st state.

7.    This Iran conflict…get it done; one way or another.  We are not the world’s policeman.  The only reason most Americans support this military effort in Iran is because they (Iran) directly threaten our nation and our way of life.  We are not responsible for peace in their Middle Eastern neighborhood, or how they treat their citizens, or their particular differences with any of their neighbors…specifically Israel.  End this conflict with dispatch, with clarity, and with conviction.  Figure out who your best advisers are and listen to them.  No apology, no defending, no reservation.  Move on to more important matters…like our economy and the mid-terms.

8.    Stop selecting your Administration members based on their pure loyalty to you and their determination to settle old scores you hold with various parties.  Many of your selections have been exemplary…like Secretary of State, Energy, Interior, Transportation, SCOTUS Justices, and our new Federal Reserve Chairman.  There are many highly-qualified candidates out there willing and able to serve this nation in your Administration.   Help the country and yourself…pick them…empower them.

9.    International affairs are complex beyond belief, but one thing is for certain: Canada and Mexico share looooonnnnng borders with us. We are joined at the hip with them in trade and commerce and effective border security cannot be accomplished without their cooperation.  Understand this, embrace this, and treat them accordingly.

10.                       Give your wife a voice.  She is a beautiful and remarkable woman.  Allow her to spread her wings and represent your Administration in a substantive, visible, and effective fashion.  On occasions, you have treated this woman with great disrespect.  Treat her right.

11.                       Even though you are clearly the leader of the Republican Party, you do not own it.  Furthermore, you are not the future of the Republican Party.  Understand these realities…stay out of primaries, and do not demand to choose your potential successor. Fealty to the ring is not an appealing aspect to most voters.  The Republican Party wins on policy and agenda.  Do all you can within your significant power as Party leader to help select good, solid candidates for upcoming elections.  Give those candidates space…without intimidation and meddling…to demonstrate their ability to think for themselves and state their independence.

12.                       For heaven’s sake…enough of the gold and kingdom building and placing your name on everything.  Most people don’t have your money and don’t really appreciate lavish spending of tax dollars for pure extravagance.  Placing a president’s (appropriately, ex-president’s) name on a building is something other people do for you…not something you do for yourself.  Read the room.

13.                       Enough with the Executive Orders!  You unwound Obama’s and Biden’s.  Do you not realize that the next Democrat President (oh yes…there will someday be one) will simply unwind yours?  Use your competent and rational leaders in Congress to accomplish your policy agenda priorities in a legislative…and durably lasting manner. 

14.                       Stop ignoring the critically essential importance of appointing federal judicial individuals.  Get with the Senate leadership, fill these vacancies, and get good people confirmed.  The judges you appoint and the legislation you accomplish with Congress will have far greater future impact on this nation than anything else you might do.

15.                       Stay the hell out of the Supreme Court of the United States affairs.  Your irresponsible SCOTUS rhetoric is at times as bad and reprehensible as the court packing lunacy being advocated by liberal progressive Democrats.  SCOTUS is your equal; it is not your subordinate.

16.                       Smell the roses.  If you can settle this Middle East deal quickly, your Party can keep the Senate and maybe hold the House.  Your final two years in office can be a time to pull back a bit from the spotlight and allow your Administration members to shine and execute.  Some very good things might be accomplished for this country.  You could bask in the glow of your many positive achievements and do what you enjoy the most…interact with America’s people in a meaningful, positive, and modest fashion.  Get out of WDC and see the country you lead…meet the people you serve. 

17.                       Lose some weight.  Get a haircut.  Trim up, shape up, and enjoy the rest of your life with your beautiful wife.  You just turned 80 years old and you are the most powerful man in the world.  For heaven’s sake, man…you can have and do anything you want!  Live, mend fences, do good things with your power and influence, show this nation and the world that you can be more than just a clueless narcissist who can’t see past his own ego.  Spend the rest of your term putting some class and credibility back into the presidency of this nation and do all within your power to bring our country together.  You have been greatly blessed in your life…do something positive with what’s left of it.

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And while we're on the subject, here is some bonus advice for ex-president Obama: Just...go...away.

As the World Inexorably Turns

There is so much going on in the world today…where to start?  We’ve got gladiators on the White House lawn, crowds burning school buses in New York City because they WON a championship, visitors from all over the world FIFA-traipsing across American and going gaga at what they find, a big wait-and-see moment in the Middle East with apparently no one happy with it, the markets continuing their yo-yo reactions to every day’s news tease, mid-term election drama rumbling in the background of every political thing (and that includes just about EVERYthing), historically-significant SCOTUS decisions ready to drop at any moment, a US economy just itching to break out of its doldrums, and of course…education, education, education.

 

Due to the wealth of good links below, I will limit my brief commentary on this piece to the Middle East.  Like so many of you, I am conflicted about how to view the pending settlement of this conflict.  It must be terribly frustrating to deal with the leadership of Iran, which has no credibility whatsoever.  Making it even more difficult is the fact that the leadership is broken up into various factions who do not agree on Iran’s future path, and you can never be sure exactly which faction you are dealing with.  On top of all that is the overriding limitation that the American public will simply not accept the insertion of US ground troops into Iran.

 

Ratcheting up the pressure on this dynamic is the impact it might have on the approaching mid-term elections, the impact on the US economy, the relationships between America and its NATO allies, the adversarial matrix of Iran tied in with China/Russia/North Korea, and the ever-suffocating influence of a media that demands minute-by-minute coverage regarding every piece of information available.  And then, in lieu of that…they have no hesitation to irresponsibly opine on what might happen or is likely to happen.

 

To me, the bottom line is this: At the end of the day, America will be leaving the Middle East with a much reduced military presence remaining.  We will not be occupying Iran.  Iran’s future will ultimately be in the hands of the existing government…such as it is…and its citizenry.  The neighbors of Iran must live with it as a regional partner.

 

 Israel has every right to defend itself against any threat that might come its way and that privilege can never be denied.  While the nexus between Iran/Lebanon/Israel is clearly a central element in all things Middle East, America has no right to tell Israel how it must defend itself against wanton aggression.  America does not negotiate for Israel; they do that for themselves. 

 

If we cannot occupy and control Iran, then we must arrive at an end game alternative to that scenario.  That end game has apparently now been determined and we shall see how it turns out.  If American and Iranian leaders do not know the answer to that question, then certainly the armies of political pundits do not know either. 

 

President Trump has taken bold military action to destroy the ability of Iran to threaten America and the world.  Could we have hit them harder and hit them again…and again?  Of course we could…but where do you draw the line?  Do we want to destroy the ability of Iran to ever rebuild and have a reasonable standard of living for its people?  I think not.  They have been weakened to what must be considered near maximum extent, given the exclusion of ground troops.  When it comes to fighting, a large portion of the success determinant is in knowing when to walk away.  Most of us allow our emotions to rule during times like this and we either fail to step up or fail to step back at the right time. As our President…Trump stepped up at the right time.  Is this the right time to step away?

 

At some point, the reality is that we…the USA…must leave, go back home, accept that we have done all we could within the existing limitations, and put the future of Iran into others’ hands. The time of that departure has apparently arrived.  The terms…and consequences…of that departure are yet to be determined.  The only way to predict the future of Iran with any degree of certainty is to OWN Iran.  America will never own Iran.

 

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https://reason.com/2026/06/15/the-iran-war-is-over-for-now/

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/06/memo-to-file.php#google_vignette

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22597/no-good-deal-with-iran

 

https://jewishworldreview.com/0626/york061026.php

 

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/trump-pallets-cash-iran

 

https://freebeacon.com/israel/the-case-for-israel/

 

https://claritywithmichaeloren.substack.com/p/israel-has-no-choice-left-but-to

 

https://freebeacon.com/israel/exclusive-hamas-turns-gaza-hospitals-and-schools-into-torture-chambers-as-it-reestablishes-police-state-gazans-describe-horrific-interrogations-beatings/

 

Once this Middle East conflict is tamped down and somewhat settled, much attention will return to the US economy.  In the days before the COVID epidemic hit America, the US economy was simply roaring.  The cost of living was acceptable, there were plenty of jobs for those willing to work, and for those workers with ambition…there was plentiful upward mobility.  COVID and the Joe Biden Administration put an end to all of that. 

 

I personally believe that if the Iran conflict can be reasonably and responsibly ended, our economy will once again return to that pre-COVID state of high performance and opportunity.  But a huge part of that potential depends on our government…specifically the Executive and Legislative branches…gaining some semblance of fiscal sanity.  Our government must refrain from their arrogant approach of micro-managing all things economic and simply put the pieces in place to allow the awesome gears and machinery of capitalism and the free market to work.

 

A precursor to this discussion from five years ago shows how little things have actually changed: https://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2021/08/fiscal-reality-check.html

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/can-the-normal-democratic-process-lead-to-deficit-reduction/

 

https://americanmind.org/memo/tariffs-built-to-last/

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cpi-report-today-may-2026-inflation-iran-war-trump/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/06/social-security-insolvency-creeps-further-up/

 

https://reason.com/2026/06/11/social-security-is-going-bankrupt-because-its-benefits-are-too-generous/

 

I have long railed against the autocratic tendencies of our government, its unquenchable desire for power and authority, the far too many rascals that inhabit it, and the shameful way that we as citizens empower it to steal our constitutional rights and privileges.  I cannot repeat it too many times: Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fisa-section-702-expiring-congress-what-that-means/

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-vote-extension-fisa-702-spy-power-bill-pulte-uproar-trump/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/10/the-potemkin-ballot/

 

https://www.wsj.com/video/series/opinion-docs/wsj-opinion-the-lockdown-dissidents/179C024E-10D0-4428-AF47-2941CDB5CC83?st=k3HNnQ

 

Government overreach is not simply an American concern: https://jonathanturley.org/2026/06/10/merkel-receives-the-first-european-order-of-merit-and-repeats-call-for-crackdown-on-free-speech/

 

Our Constitution is the blueprint that should rule our three branches of government.  The last firewall between domestic anti-Americanism and the terms of that document is the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).  There are those among us who would tear apart our Constitution and rebuild it, rather than work within its confines to help it evolve properly.  Our nation and its people must hold dear the Constitution and SCOTUS, for if we lose either or both…our country will cease to exist as we know it.  By their very design, the Executive and Legislative branches of our government will continue to be political circuses.  We cannot afford, as a nation, to permit our Constitution and SCOTUS to be dragged into that arena.

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/our-revolutionary-constitution/

 

https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/supreme-court-nears-end-term-several-high-profile-cases-still-pending

https://thefederalist.com/2026/06/16/supreme-court-to-hear-major-case-on-trump-admins-detention-of-illegal-aliens/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/06/14/drinking-the-court-packing-kool-aid-buttigieg-joins-the-calls-to-take-over-the-supreme-court/

 

Just as the Democrat Party is wrestling with its factional demons, so is the Republican Party doing likewise.  As I have previously noted, the big difference between the two is the power and influence of the radical elements within each.  The Republican far right (neo-cons) is simply one of the many groups in the party that hold some…but not massive …influence.  In the Democrat Party, the far left (liberal progressives) is actually controlling the party’s leadership and dictating its agenda. 

 

This nation needs a strong and vital two-party system that features coexistence with statesmanlike disagreements on policy.  They need to be civil in discussion; reasonable in debate; and they need to share a common love and respect for this country.  That is not the current environment.  I fervently hope for the Democrat Party to pare down its radical elements and return to its Blue Dog roots.  This would be good for their Party and a good thing for our nation.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/06/12/a-conservative-audit-of-the-lefts-ruling-assumptions/

 

Here is one of the liberal progressive’s poster children: https://freebeacon.com/media/lesley-stahl-says-journalists-getting-fired-is-worse-than-child-trafficking-nazi-torture-dungeons/

 

https://americanmind.org/memo/dei-by-default/

 

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/socialist-operatives-behind-scandal-plagued-platner-and-squad-member-summer-lee-recruited-independent-dan-osborn-to-run-in-deep-red-nebraska/

 

https://reason.com/2026/06/12/graham-platner-signals-a-problem-for-democrats-and-the-rest-of-us/

 

President Donald John Trump is…if nothing else…an unconventional president.  His character and moral behavior has been, at times, undeniably reprehensible.  While living a life of privilege, he has been without a doubt quite accomplished in a material sense.  Unfortunately…his arrogant personality and his undisciplined rhetoric at times diminish the obvious wisdom and practicality of his many policy initiatives. 

 

As he approaches the midway point of his second term, one can reasonably question whether or not his policy assets will continue to outweigh his personal affronts.  While he was clearly essential to ending the idiotic and incompetent policies of the Obama/Biden Administrations, his continuing inability to subjugate his personality to presidential leadership concerns brings his chief executive performance into doubt.  One thing is for certain: He ain’t gonna change.  Love him or hate him…Trump is gonna be Trump.

 

His unconventional approach is at times refreshing and exciting: https://reason.com/2026/06/14/the-white-house-ufc-fight-is-the-perfect-event-for-the-present-not-the-past/

 

But the reality of father time is quite sobering: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/80-year-olds-should-not-be-president/