Trump’s Big Mouth, Goggle Going GaGa, and Red Flag Warnings

President Trump continues his inexplicable and exasperating habit of conducting artillery practice on his lower extremities.  There should be a lifetime curse first upon the Republican Party for allowing this blowhard to gain the nomination(s).  Secondly, there should be another lifetime curse upon the Democratic Party for giving us no rational alternative to this man in the upcoming Presidential election.

Oblivious to how critical his policies are to the future of this nation, Trump continues to bluster about as if the White House is his pre-ordained abode for an eight-year period.  Having come into his office by the thinnest of margins, he behaves as if the upcoming election is nothing less than a coronation for his second term.  Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t this the very attitude that contributed greatly to Hillary Clinton’s defeat?

There have been three recent episodes that illustrate perfectly what I am talking about.  First up is Trump tweeting and re-tweeting about some conspiracy theory that involves the Clintons in the Epstein death.  Does anyone need to be reminded about Bill Clinton’s dalliances with the opposite sex and the trail of dark secrets that have followed both Clintons throughout their careers?  And even more importantly for the President….Does the old saying about glass houses and stones have any meaning for you?

Next up is Trump’s off-the-cuff remarks about U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib’s proposed visit to Israel to visit her grandmother.  Fully capable of matching Trump in outrageous rhetoric, Tlaib needs no help from the President in making a complete fool of herself.  Trump is never satisfied with his enemies having sufficient rope to harm themselves; it seems he must seize it from them only to allow its return at a later date.  The problem with this strategy is that part of the time, he is holding the rope.

Finally, following his campaign rally in New Hampshire, Trump remarked that his crowds were far greater and more adoring than Ronald Reagan’s.  Why in the world does he want to go there?  It seems never sufficient for President Trump to be compared favorably to any individual: he must be compared superior to every individual.  

In the same New Hampshire speech, Trump boasted that even though a lot of voters may not like him personally, they will have to vote for him because they have no other choice.  According to Trump, his imperviousness to voter sentiment is due to his excellent record on policy and the weak cast of potential Democratic opponents.  I am one of those people that Trump was talking about.  I really like most of his policies but dislike greatly the man heading them up.  As much as I see this upcoming general election as a watershed moment for our nation and acknowledge the fact that the policy advantage is heavily on the Republican side of the ledger; remarks like this one can give me second thoughts about putting this type of egomaniac back into the White House. President Trump is at a crossroads in his political career.  He can either choose to gain a modicum of humility, civility, and leadership in an effort to lead this government in an honorable and effective fashion…or…he can continue to serve in his role as a useful idiot to all of us opposed to the maelstrom that is the bizarre Left.

Google is the Disneyland of high tech corporations.  It is apparently a clownship manned by juveniles that has the good fortune of being the only ship in the sea (kinda like Gump’s shrimp boat being spared by the hurricane).  Their refusal to work with the U.S. military on artificial intelligence (AI) and instead choosing to share all of its AI resource data with China and its military is a mind-numbing act of stupidity.  Read about Project Maven here:  https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/News/Article/Article/1254719/project-maven-to-deploy-computer-algorithms-to-war-zone-by-years-end/.   I can understand, and share, the sentiment when someone distrusts our government regarding the grant of special powers, knowledge, or authority.  But to consciously choose to share groundbreaking AI applications with China while choosing to shield it from America is insane.  What is this globalist attitude that is permeating so many American corporations?  Have they forgotten history or are they simply too lazy to research it?  Do they not realize there is no delineation between the Chinese government and all other things China?  Do they not know that China currently has re-education camps for Muslims?  Does the Tiananmen Square episode hold any meaning for these clueless people?  Can they not see from current events in Hong Kong how difficult it is to escape from the shackles of Chinese oppression and autocracy?  Do they not appreciate exactly what their forefathers sacrificed so many years ago to throw off similar shackles in order to establish the freedoms that we now enjoy?  How naïve can they possibly be to not realize the treacherous path they are traveling?  This article by Jonathan Turley is a perfect example of what I am talking about: https://jonathanturley.org/2019/08/20/we-didnt-see-a-single-homeless-person-chicago-teachers-union-members-fly-to-venezuela-in-show-of-support/#more-147476 .  I applaud the effort of any citizen to make this a better country and our planet a better world; but please…take the first step by becoming self-aware, educated on reality, and departing from your meandering hypocritical ways.  This ongoing epidemic of flavor du jour social advocacy by radical Liberal Americans is becoming very tiresome.

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There is a movement afoot to establish some Red Flag Warning protocols in the effort to deal with gun violence.  It is an indisputable fact that there are some people amongst us who should not possess a firearm.  Heck, there are some people amongst us who should not possess a fork.  The problem is not recognition of this fact.  The problem is exactly who or what will determine who these people are.  As if the Obama Administration and the whole Russian Collusion Farce is not sufficient proof, let me state for the record one more time…power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Our FISA protocols are perfect illustrations that the process is only as fair as the people who administer the process.  The Second Amendment is in place for a reason.  Anyone who doubts that reason simply needs to take a few moments and reflect on the state of American culture and society.  As strong, vital, and resilient as our nation is; we are at any one moment just a few short steps from anarchy.  If push comes to shove and the ruthless rule the day; one’s capacity to defend themselves and their loved ones will prove to be of supreme importance.  There are many firewalls between us and that terrible situation; chief among them is the Constitution and Bill or Rights.

Before serious gun control measure discussions can be commenced, there must also be a return to reality in regards to the term assault weapon.  This term means very different things to different people.  It has been tossed about in a careless and disingenuous fashion and is largely a cosmetic term.  I submit to you that the overwhelming majority of people apply the descriptor assault weapon based on the appearance of a firearm.  If it looks like something the Terminator or Rambo was using, then it is an assault weapon.  This method of defining a variety of gun that may come under government control is wholly inadequate and irresponsible.  We need to dispense with this term post haste and get down to defining a weapon by specific metrics.  The focus needs to be on the automation of the weapon, the type of ammunition it utilizes, and the nature of the clip action.  The same rifle that may be used in an assault might very well be used to hunt and put dinner on the table.  It is possible that there are certain characteristics of rifles that make them inappropriate for civilian possession and quite applicable for military and law enforcement applications.  We don’t need to be banning certain guns based on the way they look; we need to examine what they are capable of doing.

There are two fundamental points that each side in the gun control debate must unequivocally accept before good faith negotiations can proceed on gun rights.  First is the fact that each of us has a fundamental, primary, and legitimate right to own a firearm.  Any law or regulation that assumes to eliminate that right is a non-starter.  Secondly, the right to bear arms is not wholly sacrosanct and may be regulated.  The greatest freedom that Americans enjoy is their liberty.  Yet every day in this nation, people appear in courtrooms accused of crimes; some of them are incarcerated with no finding of guilt.  They are remanded to custody with no official designation of having committed a crime.  It is true that due process of a fair trial will follow; but the point is that there are times when even our dearest freedoms might be addressed in order to maintain order and civility.

It is unfortunate that we are now inextricably located on the slippery slope of gun control.  It is doubly unfortunate that the imperfect government that will determine the extents of that gun control will do so in a hyper-partisan atmosphere of political foolishness.  But it is beyond denial that we have reached a moment in our country’s evolution where the violence that we perpetrate upon each other with firearms has reached a level where deliberate, transparent, and extremely thoughtful restrictions might be placed on the possession of guns.  There is room for compromise on limiting the size of clips, looking closer at the issues surrounding automation of weapons, and reconsidering the efficacy of background checks. 

We had better be extremely careful to maintain the balance between fundamental rights and the need for civil authority.  And more important than that, we should very cautiously approach the threshold of that door that will permit a governmental entity to decide who can possess guns, what type of guns they may possess, and how those guns might be used in America.  The freedoms that our predecessors and current first defenders shed blood to earn and maintain must not be ceded without intelligent and common sense consideration.

Intelligence Based Policing (IBP) is something that needs to be implemented in a very responsible and transparent fashion.  Without going full Minority Report, our law enforcement agencies must have some ability to prevent certain crimes before they are actually committed.  Once again, it would be a huge mistake to completely sell out to the ideal of IBP; but carefully regulated IBP with clearly adequate safeguards to protect civil liberties is an area whose time has come.

Waiting for the Donkey to Pivot

No, this is not a dissertation on equestrian skills.  It is not intended to be constructive on how to guard livestock from four-legged predators.  Don’t read this piece expecting instructions on how to pack up your gear to go up or down that big hill.  Rather, this is an alert to an event that is likely to happen in the near future and will significantly impact the Presidential election in 2020.  I am talking about the biggest shakedown event in the 2020 Democratic Presidential primary; the strategic move to the middle.

Although we are light years from determining exactly which Democrat will oppose President Trump in his quest for a second term; the picture is beginning to come into focus.  At this point, it appears that four candidates have a reasonable expectation of winning the Democratic nomination.   Those four candidates are Biden, Warren, Sanders, and Harris.  Can one of the other Democratic candidates win the nomination?  Yes…of course they could.  But barring some type of seismic event in the Democratic primary race; these are the four candidates with the best chances of gaining their party’s top slot. 

Another clarifying development in the Democratic primary race is the fact that even though Biden has performed at nothing more than a moderate level in his campaigning and debating; he still enjoys a comfortable lead over his nearest competitors.  Several news items have been written about this fact, with most of them having titles like Average is Good Enough.  This is likely a reflection of the fact that it is a fairly unimpressive group of candidates vying for the nomination.  Even though his propensity for inserting his foot into his mouth is overwhelming; as long as Biden can continue to breathe and not commit some act of political hara-kiri, his resume might well carry him to the Democratic nomination for president.

But there may be an event just short of hara-kiri forthcoming that could place Biden’s strategy for victory in peril.  Bernie Sanders is an avowed socialist and he is proud of it.  He will live or he will die with his principles, such as they are.  He can’t change his stripes and shows no apparent interest in doing so.  Warren and Harris, however, are a bit more prone to lean with the wind and do not carry a life-long dedication to socialist dogma.  If either of these ladies, Warren in particular, was to close the polling gap significantly between herself and Biden and if the field is effectively narrowed down to a handful of candidates; then the ex-Vice President should be wary of the pivot.  And now you ask…What pivot?

Each Party has settled comfortably into a pattern where its presidential primary candidates mainly cater to the extreme factions of their voters.  The ruling axiom seems to be that you can do nothing if you do not first acquire the nomination; so it’s acceptable to sell out and pander to the max in order to win the primary. This has pushed past Republican candidates (Mitt Romney, Donald Trump) to be far more conservative in the primaries than comfort allows and it has forced most all of the 2020 Democratic candidates to espouse the looney tunes philosophy of the liberal left agenda being parroted by the Squad.  Following their capture of the party nomination, the winning Democratic candidate will likely gravitate strategically towards the center in an effort to expand their potential voter base.  When considering this development, it seems that Joe Biden’s primary weakness is in fact Joe Biden’s general election strength.  With a political lifetime of moderate Democratic positions to defend, it is impractical for Biden to suddenly embrace the radical policies of the far left.  The apparent hypocrisy that would be clearly evident in such a maneuver might deal a death knell to his candidacy.  Instead, he has run as a Democratic moderate and as things turn out, he is the only viable Democratic moderate in the entire primary field.  I submit to you that this is the fundamental reason that Biden has retained his polling lead for the nomination; in spite of his fumbles and mumbles.  It’s not that Joe’s performance has been that impressive (it has not); it’s just that most Democratic voters understand that the only chance they have of defeating Trump is to nominate a moderate. 

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But what happens if the race tightens and Warren closes to within a handful of points in the polls?  What happens if developments go even further and it becomes clear that the race for the nomination is down to just two candidates, Biden and Warren?  Do you think that Warren will continue to preach the exclusive gospel of the Green New Deal and Open Borders?  Will she continue to propose National Gun Confiscation or Free College for All?  Will she even broach the subject of Reparations?  I don’t think so.  Rather, she will attempt to subtlety and carefully bend towards the center on her policy proposals.  While not totally abandoning the progressive escort that brought her to the dance; she will make several flirtatious overtures to the more moderate voters in the Democratic Party.  She will attempt to expand her potential voter base while preserving her most ardent core constituency. 

If this turns out to be the case; then the million dollar question will be: Who can pivot best?  Can Joe Biden reach leftward from the center and pull in voters from the Warren or Sanders camps?  Will that be such a transparent sellout that it will cost him as much as he gains?  It might very well be the case that Elizabeth Warren can more effectively pivot to the center from the left and couple some form of Blue Dog Pragmatism with her progressive instincts.  It would be a deft and delicate balance to maintain for Warren; but she has demonstrated both the potential (thus far) to meet this organizational challenge and the political instincts to accomplish such a plan.  I will say this with no reservation: If I close my eyes and try to visualize Warren and Biden alone on the debate stage; Warren wins every time. 

When it gets down to two, maybe three, candidates standing for the 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination and the party of Barack Obama has to decide who has the best chance of taking down Trump…will average be good enough to carry the day?  I can’t speak for you, but I would find a Trump/Warren contest far more entertaining than a Trump/Biden race.  A debate between The Donald and Fauxahontas would be nothing short of delicious.  And don’t you think that a Trump/Warren choice would be more representative of the political fracturing that is now dividing our nation?  Bernie or Kamala may upset the apple cart, close in a rush, and swipe the Democratic nomination out of nowhere.  And of course, Joe Biden has a lot of traditional support behind him and is currently sitting on a comfortable lead; but does he really inspire the kind of confidence and loyalty that will take Democrats to a necessary level of real enthusiasm?  If you have to lay down a bet today…you might want to think about Elizabeth Warren, Democrat for President.

Lessons in Leadership and Restraint

I have been at the front of the line criticizing some of our President’s most outrageous and inappropriate rhetorical misadventures; it is a path that he travels far too often.  But I write today to praise his recent efforts on two fronts and for all of you, the readers, to draw your own contrasts on what is actually spoken…as opposed to what is actually reported.

The multiple homicides in El Paso and Dayton have created opportunities for many public figures to exhibit some of their less attractive instincts.  The extremists in the anti-gun lobby are doing their typical “the sky is falling” shtick while ignoring the fact that there exists much common ground between many public leaders about some measured and deliberate steps that might be taken to avoid incidents of this kind.  The extreme pro-gun folks still, even after these public bloodbaths, cannot bring themselves to trust government restraint if they sit down for compromises on gun restrictions.  When events of this nature occur, it is common for public figures to shape the event in such a fashion as to benefit their personal agendas.  Unfortunately, these two events occurred during a Presidential primary campaign and the majority of candidates seeking the Democratic nomination have pretty much made complete rear ends out of themselves.  I will not dignify the quotes from the candidates by repeating them; but I do encourage you to do so…after you have read the balance of this piece.  If nothing else, it will clearly demonstrate to any objective person how truly shallow these people are.

Barack Obama did more to set back racial relations in America in eight years than anyone I can think of.  He was presented with a unique opportunity to help our nation transcend many of the chronic biases and negative racial attitudes that are ingrained in our culture and society.  He could have managed a presidential honeymoon with Congress of indeterminate length.  Instead, he chose a path of narcissistic pride and arrogance, deepened the chasms between citizens of different races and ethnic backgrounds, and used identity politics to strengthen his political hand in a self-serving and shameless fashion.  He was a small man.  He becomes smaller as his time recedes into history.  It is striking to see how Obama, for all of his executive failures, continues to be glorified by many of his supporters while President Trump, for all of  his flaws, cannot get one kind word from any of the Democrats or liberal media.  Let us for one moment simply remove the filter through which most of get our news.  Let us simply read the actual words spoken by these two men about the same events.  Then let us each decide who unites and who divides.  Keep in mind that while he was President for two full terms, the Democrats held clear majorities in both Houses of Congress for several years.  They could have passed any…damn…gun...law…they…wanted.

Barack Obama:

https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1158453079035002881

President Trump:

Good morning.  My fellow Americans, this morning, our nation is overcome with shock, horror, and sorrow.  This weekend, more than 80 people were killed or wounded in two evil attacks.

On Saturday morning, in El Paso, Texas, a wicked man went to a Walmart store, where families were shopping with their loved ones.  He shot and murdered 20 people, and injured 26 others, including precious little children.

Then, in the early hours of Sunday morning in Dayton, Ohio, another twisted monster opened fire on a crowded downtown street.  He murdered 9 people, including his own sister, and injured 27 others.

The First Lady and I join all Americans in praying and grieving for the victims, their families, and the survivors.  We will stand by their side forever.  We will never forget.

These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation, and a crime against all of humanity.  We are outraged and sickened by this monstrous evil, the cruelty, the hatred, the malice, the bloodshed, and the terror.  Our hearts are shattered for every family whose parents, children, husbands, and wives were ripped from their arms and their lives.  America weeps for the fallen.

We are a loving nation, and our children are entitled to grow up in a just, peaceful, and loving society.  Together, we lock arms to shoulder the grief, we ask God in Heaven to ease the anguish of those who suffer, and we vow to act with urgent resolve.

I want to thank the many law enforcement personnel who responded to these atrocities with the extraordinary grace and courage of American heroes.

I have spoken with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, as well as Mayor Dee Margo of El Paso, Texas, and Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, to express our profound sadness and unfailing support.

Today, we also send the condolences of our nation to President Obrador of Mexico, and all the people of Mexico, for the loss of their citizens in the El Paso shooting.  Terrible, terrible thing.

I have also been in close contact with Attorney General Barr and FBI Director Wray.  Federal authorities are on the ground, and I have directed them to provide any and all assistance required — whatever is needed.

The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online consumed by racist hate.  In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy.  These sinister ideologies must be defeated.  Hate has no place in America.  Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart, and devours the soul.  We have asked the FBI to identify all further resources they need to investigate and disrupt hate crimes and domestic terrorism — whatever they need.

We must recognize that the Internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalize disturbed minds and perform demented acts.  We must shine light on the dark recesses of the Internet, and stop mass murders before they start.  The Internet, likewise, is used for human trafficking, illegal drug distribution, and so many other heinous crimes.  The perils of the Internet and social media cannot be ignored, and they will not be ignored.

In the two decades since Columbine, our nation has watched with rising horror and dread as one mass shooting has followed another — over and over again, decade after decade.

We cannot allow ourselves to feel powerless.  We can and will stop this evil contagion.  In that task, we must honor the sacred memory of those we have lost by acting as one people.  Open wounds cannot heal if we are divided.  We must seek real, bipartisan solutions.  We have to do that in a bipartisan manner.  That will truly make America safer and better for all.

First, we must do a better job of identifying and acting on early warning signs.  I am directing the Department of Justice to work in partisan — partnership with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as social media companies, to develop tools that can detect mass shooters before they strike.

As an example, the monster in the Parkland high school in Florida had many red flags against him, and yet nobody took decisive action.  Nobody did anything.  Why not?

Second, we must stop the glorification of violence in our society.  This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.  It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence.  We must stop or substantially reduce this, and it has to begin immediately.  Cultural change is hard, but each of us can choose to build a culture that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of every human life.  That’s what we have to do.

Third, we must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people not only get treatment, but, when necessary, involuntary confinement.  Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun.

Fourth, we must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms, and that, if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process.  That is why I have called for red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders.

Today, I am also directing the Department of Justice to propose legislation ensuring that those who commit hate crimes and mass murders face the death penalty, and that this capital punishment be delivered quickly, decisively, and without years of needless delay.

These are just a few of the areas of cooperation that we can pursue.  I am open and ready to listen and discuss all ideas that will actually work and make a very big difference.

Republicans and Democrats have proven that we can join together in a bipartisan fashion to address this plague.  Last year, we enacted the STOP School Violence and Fix NICS Acts into law, providing grants to improve school safety and strengthening critical background checks for firearm purchases.  At my direction, the Department of Justice banned bump stocks.  Last year, we prosecuted a record number of firearms offenses.  But there is so much more that we have to do.

Now is the time to set destructive partisanship aside — so destructive — and find the courage to answer hatred with unity, devotion, and love.  Our future is in our control.  America will rise to the challenge.  We will always have and we always will win.  The choice is ours and ours alone.  It is not up to mentally ill monsters; it is up to us.

If we are able to pass great legislation after all of these years, we will ensure that those who were attacked will not have died in vain.

May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo.  May God protect them.  May God protect all of those from Texas to Ohio.  May God bless the victims and their families.  May God bless America.

Thank you very much.  Thank you.

My second point on today’s blog is another compliment directed towards our President.  I wrote some time ago about Trump’s new non-interventionist approach to foreign policy: http://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2019/01/trump-takes-road-less-traveled.html .  It appears that Trump is following through on his promises to change our nation’s foreign policy approach to armed conflicts.  One such example is his recent actions regarding the Afghanistan conflict: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/456042-trump-told-advisers-he-wants-to-pull-us-troops-from-afghanistan-by-2020 .  If he follows through on his plans, this would be a refreshing departure from past policies of both national parties.  I hope he has the courage to walk the walk.

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As reflected in this news release: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/07/20/irans-seizure-british-oil-tanker-escalates-tensions-what-we-know/1781918001/ , Iran is apparently doing everything within its power to tweak the President sufficiently to incur some type of US military response.  While perhaps a majority of both leaders and citizens on each side of the political aisle were expecting some type of US military response in reaction to these Iranian episodes, President Trump demonstrated remarkable restraint.  By taking the publicly-risky action of canceling the US missile retaliatory strike on Iran, Trump demonstrated both by his words and his actions that he will adhere to a new set of principles when it comes to foreign intervention.  He was right; the missile response would not have been commensurate. 

Although I find his buddy/buddy rhetoric hard to swallow sometimes, I also applaud President Trump’s approach to North Korea.  In my opinion, I see that his approach reflects a fundamental understanding that most of what we see perpetrated by North Korea is in fact choreographed by China.  Trump’s coupling of his tactics in fighting the China Trade War while simultaneously dealing with North Korea’s nuclear threat belies a sophistication that is grounded in reality and transparency.  I can only hope that the American public has the patience to support this approach as the Trade War inflicts some economic pain and the belligerence of North Korea continues to capture media headlines.  This country has spent far too many years appeasing the rogue trade practices of China and now is the time to draw the line.

And finally, I applaud President Trump’s strategy in Venezuela.  Dealt a bad hand in this instance, he has demonstrated remarkable restraint on the degree of US intervention into Venezuela’s conflict: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/03/united-states-weights-limited-options-venezuela/585541/ .  I can only hope that once again, his foreign policy advisors, our US allies, and the American public at large will have the patience to allow this tragic upheaval to unfold without American blood being spilt. 

Health Care is the Republican’s Aching Hip

One of the harsh realities associated with growing older is the stark realization that our bodily joints actually wear out.  Our youth so often gives us the sense of invincibility and immortality.  We take for granted the simple acts of bending, twisting, and reaching.  Duh…we are humans; that is what we do.  Unfortunately, the body is a mechanical device in many ways and is prone to the same wear and tear that visits bearings and universal joints.   After years of use and abuse, our connective tissues begin to fray and weaken.  The lubricative substances in our joints begin to wear thin and dissipate.  Our nerves seem to somehow become more sensitive to the friction and discomfort that accompanies advanced age.  In short…our bodies begin to wear out.  Most of this process is the natural evolution of aging in our species.  We were never designed to last forever.  On the other hand, most people do a very poor job of maintaining their bodily machinery until their physical problems demand action.  And then, when we turn around one day and our arms are not long enough to extend the book so it can be read or our feet have somehow grown farther from our hands and it is hard to tie shoelaces in a strain; then we come to terms with the grim reaper who has come to collect his fees for the years we spent taking our bodies for granted.

I am no physician, but more than one physician has told me that the hip joint is a major intersection in the body.  It is nothing short of incredible how numerous aches and pains in various body parts can be traced back to the hip joint.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the number of hip replacements for those aged 45 and over more than doubled between 2000 and 2010, from 138,700 to 310,800.  Spread that over our fifty states and it is extremely likely that you or someone close to you has been impacted by this relatively modern procedure.  And if you talk with people who have had the operation performed, their assessments will vary.  Most will express new-found relief from the chronic aches they had been experiencing.  But some will not find much relief and there is always the prospect of having the machinery replaced at some point in the future. 

In many ways, health care is the aching hip joint of the Republican Party.  Health care, along with immigration, consistently comes up as one of American voters’ top concerns (We only seem to be concerned about the economy when it is bad).  Democrats continue to poll better than Republicans on health care.  Part of the explanation for this advantage undoubtedly lies in the fact that Democrats continually promise better care at little or no cost to the consumer; a strategy otherwise known as unicorns and rainbows.  But a more pragmatic reason for this perception discrepancy between the two national parties is that when it comes to health care; the Republicans have talked the talked but refused to walk the walk.  Just like the old aching hip, they knew the issue was there.  Try as they might to ignore it; it reliably barked and nipped at their heels.  They talked about all the things that could be done short of hip replacement.  Much like cortisone shots and physical therapy, the Republicans wanted to trim at the edges and let the private sector deal with minor adjustments in our national health care industry.  This policy approach, juxtapositioned against the Democrat’s wholesale change proposals, led to a stalemate in the political world because people just really did not want to get down to the ugly details of major surgery.  They weren’t really happy with high prescription costs and medical bills; but they reluctantly trusted the devil they knew more than the devil they didn’t. 

That changed with Obamacare.  The Democrats had been long been lusting for a single payer health care system.  Fearing that there was insufficient political support for that broad leap, they grouped their health care policy wonks together and came up with Obamacare.  Whatever else Obamacare may or may not have been; it was not a true and pure picture of what the Democrats actually wanted to pass.  It was instead what the Democrats were able to pass.  Had it not been so complex and convoluted; had it not been so contentious politically; had they simply passed what they wanted to pass; perhaps we would now have a clearer idea of exactly how a single payer health care system might work in this country.  But that was not to be. The manner in which Obamacare came into this world, kicking and screaming and being the centerpiece of President Obama’s legislative legacy, doomed it from its inception.  The legislation received not one…single…Republican…vote.  Now I am not an expert; but I can assure you that in this political nation of ours, any piece of legislation that fails to receive at least a handful of bipartisan votes is pretty much going to suffer an ignominious fate.  Obamacare did just that.

Notwithstanding any good aspects of the Obamacare legislation; Republicans were bound and determined to kill it.  It represented far more to Republicans than an effort to revamp our nation’s health care industry; it represented Obama’s liberal philosophy and all that it entailed.  It was Obama.  With Obama; it was Obamacare.  With Trump; it is the Wall.  When Trump came into office along with Republican control of Congress, the Grand Old Party was delirious about the prospect of repealing Obamacare.  But after whining and complaining about that old aching hip for years on end; when it came time to consider the prospect of actual surgery, the Republicans balked.  And why do you think that happened?  It happened because they had no plan to replace it.

Just like the dog that chases the car and doesn’t know what to do when it’s caught; the Republicans were flummoxed when they finally had the opportunity to eliminate Obamacare from the annals of Congress.  Just like that dog who, when the vehicle they were pursuing slows down or stops, runs around it yapping, snapping and making a show; they made a lot of noise but were sorely confused about exactly what to do with the shiny object in their hand that had been so fervently pursued.  Whether you agree with what Obamacare was and what Obamacare is today; it was a real, tangible effort to address a troubled health care system in this country.  The American voter tends to reward a national party when it actually does something.  The downside is that they are mighty quick to punish that party if the legislation does not pan out; but they do appreciate the effort. 

I believe Obamacare was a fatally-flawed concept that was rammed down the throats of Americans in an unethical and extra-ordinary legislative fashion.  I think it is absolute lunacy to think that our government can do a better job of administering an industry like national health care in a more effective and efficient fashion than the private sector.  I chafe at the notion that the government can demand to me as a private citizen what insurance I should buy, what that insurance should cover, and how I should manage my health care risks.  In spite of all that, I credit Obama and the Democrats for attempting to do something.  I just wish they had compromised somewhat and settled for 85 percent of what they wanted instead of demanding all of it; that would have eliminated a lot of spite and malice.  I submit that the slight polling preference that we see today with Democrats holding an edge over Republicans in health care concerns flows from the fact that at least the Democrats tried to do something.  Given their opportunity; the Republicans did not.

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The Democrats running for their party’s 2020 presidential nomination are taking a page out of the Republican’s playbook.  They talk a good game; but they come up waaaay short on the details.  A sweeping implementation of Medicare for All would send our nation’s health care industry into a tsunami-esque bureaucracy of inefficiency, high costs, mediocre medical care, and government waste taken to new and stratospheric heights.  The dishonesty and disingenuousness of these candidates is breathtaking.  And just like the Republicans, who when faced with their health care moment of truth, standing in complete control of Congress with a Republican President, failed to repeal and replace Obamacre; these wannabe presidential candidates would ultimately face the cold, harsh realities of attempting to give every American every health care need available at little or no cost to them or their government.

What has made America’s health care system a model of envy in the global community is the degree of competition and innovation that has existed in industry to date.  Freeing up the entrepreneurial instincts of creative minds and coupling that with a sincere approach to compassion and moderate regulation is the pathway to a better health care system.  This is not a case where we need to throw out the baby with the bathwater.  This is not a case where, like Obamacare, we need to ram a totally new concept down the throats of American consumers in an area as pervasive, complex, and personal as health care.  This is not a case where we need to hurtle headlong into a dark unknown passage with unicorns and rainbows as our only defense against poor judgment, unanticipated consequences, and bad ideas.  Democratic Party: forget about Medicare for All.  Republican Party: get over Obamacare.  It has been cut, diminished, and revised to a point where it is only a shell of its original self anyway.  Get together in a civil fashion, listen to the common sense and experience of people who are actually involved in the health care industry, and begin the serious process of making significant, incremental improvements to our nation’s health care industry.  Embrace the fact that we have a system that is largely successful.  Stop using health care as a political talking point to further partisan agendas.  Keep the components that are working (yes, even those meritorious aspects that remain from Obamacare) and make strategic, well-reasoned changes where improvements are needed.  Take care of those Americans that are truly in need and retain accountability for the choices that others make regarding their own health care decisions.  That old aching hip may someday require surgery and replacement.  But for now, let’s use the remedies that are available to us and put off the scalpel until a later date.