Four Quick Hits on What’s Happening.

Folks, there is a bunch of stuff going on and there is an even bigger bunch of stuff around the corner that is going to rock the political world.  Let’s all hope that the rocking occurs in a positive way.  Here are some brief comments on four of those upcoming features.

New and Improved SCOTUS.  Rumors are becoming rampant that Justice Kennedy’s retirement is imminent.  Kennedy is the swing vote on the current court and his replacement will have an absolutely seismic impact on the SCOTUS and its decisions that drive our American society and culture.  We now have four reliably liberal votes on the Court with Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Ginsburg.  We also have four reliably conservative votes in the persons of Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, and Roberts.  The prospect of naming this pivotal fifth justice for a solid conservative majority on the Court (likely for decades to come) is what motivated many, many people to vote for Donald Trump.  Not because his conservative bona fides were so glowing; but because Hillary Clinton’s liberal bona fides were so radiant.  A very strong and compelling argument can be made that this one single concern put Trump into the Presidency. 

5…five…5…five…5…five…5…five…5…five……FIVE VOTES.  Not to be overly dramatic, but it is kind of a big deal.

Health Care Reform…Do or Die.  Against all odds and predictions, the House passed their health care reform bill and then passed the baton to the Senate.  Three weeks ago, no sane person thought the Senate would carry the baton across the finish line.  Now, all indications are that at some point in the next few days, the Senate will approach the finish line with that baton in hand.  I’m not sure that any one person fully comprehends the complex, colossal, and gargantuan ball of wax that is this nation’s health care industry.  At some point in time, about seven years ago, there was a pre-Obamacare situation and a post-Obamacare situation; each was a choice.  It was actually a fairly clear choice between a free-market oriented health care system or a government driven health care system.  Once that choice became Obamacare, the genie was out of the bottle and it is likely impossible to extricate the fingers of the government from the entrails of health care.  Therefore, the real issue on health care reform isn't whether or not we should repeal Obamacare.  Reality has taken shape in the form of inadequate Republican majorities in the House and Senate to pass routine legislation on party-line votes, the passage of time that has allowed Obamacare to become entrenched in our health care system, and the belief held by many that personal health care is a right and not a privilege.  This reality demands that government will be heavily involved in health care and the pre-Obamacare dreams of many are simply false hopes.  The questions currently before us are how much government involvement will there be and exactly how will that involvement be implemented.   The two best sources I know for those seeking answers to these questions are Yuval Levin and Avik Roy; both render fair, thoughtful, and easily understood summaries of the House and Senate health care reform efforts and how they should be considered.  If you want the skinny on the health care debate (and you should, because you will be paying), check out this article and its embedded links @ http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/448946/assessing-senate-health-care-proposal-yuval-levin. 

Will the Sheet be Pulled Back on the Trump-Russia Farce?  It is still in play and a bit premature to render any lasting verdict on this particular kabuki dance, but there have been a couple of extremely interesting disclosures in this area that have recently come to light.  The first one is the apparent effort of the Obama Administration people who are handling their archive records attempting to shield some of Susan Rice’s work from Congressional investigative committees.  The Obama folks have sealed up and are transferring the records pertaining to Rice’s unmasking activities to the Obama Presidential Library folks.  Now why on earth do you suppose they would do that?  Additionally, get familiar with the term Fusion GPS.  It appears that this entity may be the outfit that started the whole Trump-Russia story and it is very revealing when you consider the composition of the entity and its genesis.  As I said, the jury is still out, but this particular article may be giving us a glimpse of what might lead to a gigantic collapse and some very embarrassed people…@ http://nypost.com/2017/06/24/inside-the-shadowy-intelligence-firm-behind-the-trump-dossier/.  Imagine for a moment what the impact will be on Special Counsel Mueller’s dream team if this story line proves to be true…All dressed up with no party to attend.

Who’s the Man?  Mitch is the Man!  Once again, it is a fool’s errand to predict the political future for WDC; but consider for a moment a few “what ifs”.  What if Justice Kennedy does, in fact, announce his retirement in the next few days?  What if the Senate does, in fact, manage somehow to pass a health care reform bill in the next few days?  What if, in fact, the House manages to pass a tax reform bill and sends it over to the Senate?  If all of these occurrences do transpire, then it is likely that the most powerful man in WDC will not be sitting in the Oval Office.  He will be occupying the Majority Leader’s office in the U.S. Senate and his name will be Mitch McConnell.  And whether you like him or not in a personal sense…if you are a conservative, these issues could not be in better hands.

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