Much Ado About….What?

The Democrats had a plan all laid out.  They lined up a disgruntled federal employee, likely a holdover from the Obama Administration.  They met with this person and provided all the support necessary to bring forth a whistleblower complaint regarding a telephone conversation between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky.  After coordinating their strategy with their partners in the mainstream media, the Democrats launched their bombshell.  Per their breathtaking rollout, the President had threatened to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless Zelensky agreed to investigate Hunter Biden’s (Slow Joe’s son) business dealings with the energy company Burisma.  Hold the phone and stop the train; this must be a crystal clear case of Presidential abuse of power and a perfect case of a quid pro quo arrangement rising to the astronomic level of high crimes and misdemeanors.  Everything was in place and things were advancing per the Democratic schedule until President Trump threw a wrench into the gears.  He released the contents of the telephone call.

It seems obvious that the Democrats had calculated that Trump, as he is wont to do, would clamp down on releasing any relevant information regarding the call and would throw up the barricades around the White House phone records.  In the SCIF room, essentially a bunker in the basement of a House office building, the House Democrats are now proceeding with secret and uber-controlled impeachment inquiry hearings under the auspices of Adam Schiff and the House Intelligence Committee; using orchestrated leaks to craft the story line in their media partners’ outlets.  They anticipated they would be able to frame Trump’s refusal to release the telephone call’s contents as essential guilt.  They did not think he would release its contents.

Why is it that the reports of a second whistleblower fell flat on their face with little or no fanfare?  Why has there not been the anticipated, and likely planned, subsequent third and fourth and whatever whistleblower reports?  It is plain and simply because ALL of the whistleblower reports were rendered irrelevant once the contents of the call entered the public domain.  Why take a written complaint based on second or third hand knowledge of a call seriously when you can read for yourself the actual contents of the call?  The only relevance attached to the whistleblower complaint that remains is: what were its origins?  As the political connections of the original whistleblower continue to bleed out, it is becoming increasingly likely that the complaint is little more than the Steele Dossier reincarnated.  The details of the call are out there.  There is no need to talk about the complaint or the process.  If there was a high crime or misdemeanor involved in this conversation; then cite the exact crime or misdemeanor with the exact language in the conversation that constitutes the wrongdoing.

Now what about that quid pro quo business?  The Democratic theory goes that President Trump refused to release 400 million dollars in aid to the Ukraine unless Ukrainian President Zelensky agreed to investigate the Ukrainian company Burisma.  Why Burisma?  Was it because Joe Biden’s son sat on the board and was receiving a huge salary with little or no professional input?  Was it because it was a prime example of crony corruption in a nation that the U.S. was preparing to gift an investment of 400 million dollars to and Trump wanted them to clean up their act before receiving the money?  Who knows…it was likely a bit of both.  But the ultimate point is that the aid was never withheld.  Period.  President Obama withheld military aid from Ukraine for over a year and left the White House without ever sending it over there.  After Congressional approval of said aid, Trump withheld it for about six weeks and then released it; well before the fiscal year cutoff of September 30 that would have effectively eliminated the aid package.  The aid was released on September 11.   There has been no Ukrainian investigation of Burisma.  Where the heck is the quid pro quo?  Once again, we see all the sound and fury focused on the process and the peripheral issues relating to the aid when the simple fact is that the aid was released with no conditions.  Period.

Can any reasonable person doubt that prior Presidents have done the very things that President Trump is being pilloried for?  Has his execution of office behaviors really been so far removed from his predecessors?  Does his lack of judgment in certain instances and his arbitrary use of Presidential authority justify the bizarre resistance that we are seeing manifested?

The reality is that the Democrats began their attacks on the Trump Administration in a fashion quite similar to the initial Republican attacks on the first Obama Administration.  I think that the major difference between the two is the role played by the mainstream media.  At the very least, the media played a role as mediator between Republican attacks on Obama and a fair assessment of his presidential prerogatives.  At the very worst, they were quite simply in the can for Obama.  In the case of Trump, there was never a premise of neutral observer by the media and their partisan bias towards Trump has grown increasingly focused as his tenure has aged.  At the very worst, the media has simply served as an adjunct to the Democratic Party in an effort to compromise the Trump Administration in any way possible.  Here is an article from the Washington Post that makes this point; please note the date of the article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/20/the-campaign-to-impeach-president-trump-has-begun/ .

This differing role of the mainstream media in these two presidencies has resulted in two dramatically different results.  Whereas the Republican attacks on Obama were worrisome and annoying to his administration; Obama nonetheless survived two full terms bent but not bloodied.  Trump on the other hand has been under constant attacks that have limited his ability to perform the simplest of his duties without suffocating criticism and dissembling.  The same instances of Presidential envelope pushing; the same instances of Presidential abuse via executive order; the same instances of Presidential misstatements and hypocrisy have not been covered by the media in comparable fashion. 

The plain truth is that the Fourth Estate has placed its large thumb on the Democratic side of the scales and that is what has brought our nation to the precipice upon which we are now perched.  With the mainstream media taking a pass on objective surveillance, the Resist Trump minions have been emboldened and encouraged to take their disruption and sabotage to stratospheric levels.  If our news reporting and journalistic community does not soon sober up and rediscover a semblance of ethical and professional behavior; I suspect they will find that their current taskmasters, if successful, will eventually prove far more severe towards them than they expect.  They may rue the day when they sold their ethical soul and liberty due to an intense disenchantment with a disagreeable man.  Their current enablers may very well morph into their future controllers.

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Our bitterly partisan environment in WDC has created a situation where the two houses of Congress are largely impotent.  Neither can push legislation through without the promise of success from the other.  There is essentially no constructive discussion between the two parties.  The result is that nothing gets done.  No budget; no USMCA trade agreement; no national infrastructure bill; no immigration reform.  The frustration of both parties at being unable to deliver on policy initiatives has led many Republicans to focus their time and energies on irrational loyalty to an extremely flawed President and Democrats to launch inexplicable partisan attacks on a candidate who humiliated them at the polls.  With nothing of substance to occupy their time, our Senators and Representatives have devolved gloriously into a state of foolishness.

It is quite likely the case that regardless of how the Democratic impeachment effort plays out in the House, the absolute partisan chaos that is now pervasive in this country will only intensify as we approach the fall election of 2020.  The larger and more important question is: what happens after that?  If the Democrats win the White House and at least maintain control of the House, will they actually attempt to follow through with their campaign promises of dramatically shifting our culture and societal norms to the left?  Under this scenario, will the Senate Republicans engage in political guerilla warfare and use their majority to thwart every effort by the Democratic President just as the current House has treated Trump?  If Trump is reelected, having defied all odds and withstanding opposition at levels not yet witnessed in modern American history; will he feel totally unfettered by political restraints and push executive authority to new levels? Will the spite, malice and partisan venom that have become so ingrained in our populace and government abate with a new awareness of its excesses and insidious corrosion or will the poisonous political environment continue to escalate and spiral into a swirl of literal paralysis and open partisan conflict?   What will be the ultimate price that we pay as a nation for this political heresy that we have so joyfully engaged in?

The Republicans and the Democrats will tell us incessantly over the next twelve months that this election season is a battle for the future of our country…for our very way of life.  The question to be answered is far larger than that.  We have survived bad Presidents and foolish Legislators before.  We have been through foreign wars of aggression and internal wars of social change.  But if the degradation of our current political state continues as it appears likely to do, the very fabric of our country will be tested as never before.  In our response to that challenge, is it possibly less important exactly who we choose as our leaders and perhaps more important as to how we choose those leaders?

  

The Trump Dilemma: Present and Future

President Donald Trump’s ardent supporters put forth the premise that his many documented domestic policy accomplishments would not have been achievable without his unconventional, bombastic approach to governing.  Without a doubt, his art of the deal principles have aided him in his quest for keeping campaign promises and goals.  I cannot imagine that any of the dozen or so Republicans who opposed Trump for the Republican Presidential nomination could have achieved what Trump has.  It is becoming quite obvious to anyone paying attention that President Trump will not be changing his political disposition anytime soon and is, in fact, broadening its presence in his domestic policy initiatives and actually expanding its domain into the foreign policy realm.

The results of this combative and novel approach to foreign policy challenges are much more difficult to ascertain.  Material gains in foreign policy initiatives oftentimes take years, if not decades, to gauge and it is yet to be determined if his global adventures (and misadventures) will bear edible fruit or bitter rot.  Further complicating the comparison of this Trumpian style in each policy arena is the fact that Americans represent his culture while foreign nations represent their own unique cultures.  The Germans, the French, the Russians…none of these look at President Trump through the same lens as we Americans do.  Even though Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom may in many ways appear to be quite similar to President Trump, he is a uniquely different man in a uniquely different country populated by a uniquely different people and is facing uniquely different challenges. 

I continue to subscribe to the theory that Trump talks too much.  I honestly believe that even though his constant persecution (no…that is not too strong of a word) at the hands of the Democratic Party is inexcusable; he does himself little favor by gleefully jumping down in the mud with the Dems and joyfully slinging the slime at compensating levels.  In domestic affairs, I will yield to his apparent successes in his application of this strategy.  In foreign affairs, I will admit to significant unease with how this same approach will be viewed by our allies and our adversaries.  Will the same substantive success be realized in foreign policy as we have witnessed in domestic policy?  Time will be the ultimate judge of that question; but waiting for that conclusion is going to be disconcerting at best.

David French, who has been a reliable Trump critic, has written a very interesting article addressing this specific issue.  Here it is for your reading pleasure: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/more-evidence-the-guardrails-are-gone/ .  For myself, here are some of the instances that have given me pause when our President has seemingly gone over the top in his approach to executive leadership.  Nonetheless, I remain convinced that until a better option (Democrat or Republican) becomes available, we as a nation are resigned to the exasperating futility of hoping that President Trump may bend his modus operandi to one that is more civil and a bit more conventional.  

Item: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie.  James “Mad Dog” Mattis had respectfully declined to openly criticize President Trump because he was still serving as President.  Just as he criticized Obama after he had left office, he considered Trump open game…after he leaves office.  Unable to contain himself and under attack for his Syrian/Turkey strategy, Trump recently referred to Mattis as being over-rated.    Widely respected in a bi-partisan fashion, Mattis has now responded to Trump’s barbs in kind.  In his natural and direct manner, which is admirable in any man, Mattis has now skewered Trump and exposed the President’s blatant shallowness and hypocrisy in this incident. Mattis was content to remain silent; Trump was unable to.

Item: Nothing is Perfect.   President Trump’s stubborn description of his Ukrainian call with President Zelensky as perfect continues to be as indefensible as it was the day he first uttered it.  Trump’s mention of an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice investigation into foreign interference in the 2016 elections was a perfectly legitimate topic for discussion in this call; but it was extremely poor judgment for Trump to even deign a mention of Joe Biden, his son Hunter, or Burisma during this call.  Even though it clearly resides in the region of foolish error as opposed to impeachable offense and a solid case can be made that the Ukrainian President first brought up the Biden subject, Trump once again would have been well advised to keep his mouth shut.  His overt affection for the word “perfect” is proving to be a poisonous relationship.

Item: What is NOT Said is Oftentimes as Important as What IS Said.  The current Syrian/Turkey border affair is another instance where Trump’s instinctual policy is on solid ground (though some may legitimately disagree with it, it is nonetheless a reasonable and pragmatic approach that is defensible); but he weakens his case dramatically with his rhetorical bluster.  This is a pattern with Trump that we have seen repeated in the Immigration discussion, the North Korea nuclear discussion, and the China Trade discussion.  If silence is golden, then bluster is lead.  Trump would be well-served by hoarding more gold and dumping his lead.

Item: Overstating the Obvious.  Part of what strengthens the perception of President Trump as an arrogant and irresponsible egomaniac is his insatiable habit of overstating the obvious.  This behavior strikes me, and I am sure many others, as an insult to my intelligence.  Regardless of how perfect he might view himself, he needs to give interested observers (i.e. American voters) the rightful courtesy of making their own judgments on what is right and what is wrong, what is moral and what is immoral, what is ethical and what is unethical, and what makes plain old common sense.  Trump’s privileged life has led him to place excessive faith in his own wisdom, assume a sense of entitlement when it comes to leadership or discussion, and display a condescending manner that most reasonable people find disagreeable.  Donald Trump exhibits a painfully inadequate lack of self-perception.

Item: Incivility in Rhetoric.  No President in my lifetime has had to deal with more ridiculous and unsubstantiated criticism than Trump.  The unholy alliance of the Democratic Party and the Mainstream Media is an unreasonable and damaging arrangement that no President should have to endure.  Any reasonable person can understand the immense amount of frustration that President Trump must feel in having to contend with this barrage every hour of every day since his election.  One might even give him a benefit of a doubt when that frustration boils over and manifests itself in rhetoric that is coarse, uncivil, and full of hyperbole.  But Trump used up that benefit of a doubt long ago and anyone paying attention to current events cannot help but suspect that President Trump actually enjoys this type of back and forth.  That is not a good look for a President. 

The introduction of frequent crude language into political rhetoric began with the Democratic presidential candidates and has been gleefully joined into by Trump.  I am certainly open to criticism that I might be a hypocrite on this subject.  I am old school and harbor an intense dislike for the F-bomb; I consider it an indictment of our all-too-hip modern culture and totally unnecessary.  However, I too frequently drop a damn (never associated with god) or a hell or a shit in my own mutterings.  Although I try not to, I sometimes do this in the presence of my children and grandchildren.  That is inexcusable.  Anyone who knows me realizes I am not a model of social civility; but it should be a small hurdle for all of us to exercise civil language.  I need to do better and I am a simple, common man.  Is it too much to expect our elected, public officials to use civil language?  No…not in the least; and their failure to do so is largely to blame for the lowering of partisan incivility in this nation.  They are fully aware that the prestige of their positions confer upon them role model status.  You might think it is a small thing; but it has wide implications.  One’s failure to exercise personal restraint in such a small area is an indictment of our own lack of self-control. 

Whether he chooses to embrace it or not; President Trump is a role model for our nation.  We all knew of his ethical and moral record when we elected him President.  But that is not a free license for him to continue lowering the rhetorical standards for political discourse in this nation.  He needs to tone it down, clean it up, and think a bit more about what he is saying and how he is saying it.  Fighting fire with fire is an understandable defense and is occasionally effective…in selected circumstances.  But the adoption of this tactic as a full-time practice does nothing but escalate the irrationality of the discussion and it lowers the overall civility of the debate.  In my opinion, it is a sign of disrespect to anyone listening to use this type of speech and it comes very close to validating the Democrat’s hypocritical accusation of Trump espousing hate speech. 

Item: Gain Some Self-Awareness.  It is increasingly clear that President Trump does not realize his immense good fortune at being elected.  He was the beneficiary of being opposed by perhaps the weakest candidate in history and squeaking out an ultimate victory in winning by a razor-thin margin in a handful of states.  He is not President by acclamation nor by mandate.  He is not leading a unified nation with deep and broad bi-partisan support.  His own Party has many respected leaders who either openly oppose him or support him in an extremely passive fashion as a result of cold, political calculation.  He has benefited from extremely good fortune to rise to his office and has the extended good fortune of having idiots for political opponents.  All of these undeniable truths are apparently wasted on Donald Trump.  His arrogance and ego destroy any rationale presence of these concepts in his own mind; where he stands astride the American political world like a colossus.  Although the passage of time argues against it, we can only continue to hope that at some point in time, our President will gain some self-awareness and begin to express a modicum of appreciation for the privilege and honor incumbent in the office of the Presidency.  We can only hope that this obvious character flaw does not lead to his ultimate 2020 failure in the political arena.  The consequences of that outcome would be dire indeed.

Donald Trump has some pretty fervent followers.  Donald Trump is emphatically not a (S)avior.  Jesus was the son of God; Trump is the son of a man.  Jesus was born in a barn; Trump was born in a mansion.  Jesus was a child of poverty; Trump was a child of privilege and entitlement.  Jesus was the epitome of humility and servitude; Trump is an arrogant egotist.  It is questionable that Trump is even a (s)avior.  Rather than being the consummate leader; he is a cold, hard political calculation that just happens to be the most appealing choice on a very limited menu.  The sooner Trump can realize his deficiencies and fallacies, the better chance he will have in continuing to serve this nation as a Chief Executive.

BTW: Just to be even-handed in my political criticism, the Democrats from the House took a short break from their idiotic impeachment investigations to take a stab at foreign policy.  Think about that one for a moment; Speaker Pelosi and her band of fools conducting foreign policy.  Keep this in mind: President Trump was elected by all the voters in our nation; U.S. Representative Pelosi was elected by part of a single county and city in California (District 12, essentially the city of San Francisco).  I am very much amused by Pelosi attempting to sell this little field trip into one of the planet’s most contentious hotspots as bipartisan when the group is composed of eight Democrats and one Republican; a lame duck Rep from Texas.  Either this guy is a Democratic wolf in Republican sheep’s clothing or he is going to be very lonely on his overseas trip.

BTW II:  Sometimes, the stupidity of the Republican Party is simply astounding.  Reports are circulating that there are Republican Senators, supposedly led by Graham and Romney, who might consider convicting President Trump on impeachment charges if they are sent over by the House.  This should be qualified by the source of the media reports; but it is out there.  I have said it before and I will say it again: The U.S. Senate is as close as America comes to creating a royal class.  The entirety of this universe is insufficient to contain the ego masses that exist in the U.S. Senate.  For Republican Senators to even indicate a crack in the wall regarding something as serious as an impeachment conviction on the current accusations is the height of idiocy.  Every…single…U.S. Senator harbors a secret (some, not so secret) desire to be President.  You can rest assured that every Republican Senator that loudly and publicly criticizes President Trump goes to bed every night convinced that would be a better President than Trump.  The bald-faced ambition of these people is breath-taking. 

To ignore the multiple disastrous implications of a Democratically-controlled Senate is beyond the pale of naiveté.  For a sitting U.S. Republican Senator to do so is nothing short of an admission to self-serving hubris.  They should understand these implications better than anyone.  President Trump is fair game for criticism (see above) and certainly makes it difficult for Republicans in office to support him.  But Republican Senators had better step away from their mirrors long enough to appreciate that they are in the midst of a political war for the future of our nation and their leader needs every ounce of support (not blind loyalty) that they can muster.

Autumn Reflections

Fall has Fell here in Kentucky and it is a great time of year.  While an objective analysis of my state will reveal it to be an imperfect province like all other states; I find it to be a real nice place to live and work.  One of the blessings we enjoy here is the annual reliance of receiving four distinct seasons.  Now the length and depth of each one is not always predictable; but we always know there will be a spring, summer, fall, and winter. 

Fall is my favorite and it is simply a glorious time of year for anyone who pays attention to nature.  One of the things I find appealing about the fall is that everything seems to slow down just a bit.  It is a time of reflection for the year past and a time of preparation for the winter to come.  In celebration of the fall, here are just a few current observations about the world we live in. 

Turning the Page.  One week ago, my home region in central Kentucky was suffering from a fairly serious drought.  My pasture fields would literally crunch beneath your feet when you walked across them.  Our ponds across the county were drying up on a daily basis.  The trees were prematurely shedding their leaves because of the dry conditions.  And then, as is always the case, the rain finally arrived this past weekend and it’s like someone flipped a switch.  The oppressive heat and drought is in the rear view mirror; the trees saved enough leaves to paint that glorious fall mosaic across the landscapes; and it is simply a joy to walk out on the farm and celebrate the season.  Without fail, I continue to marvel at the recuperative ability of Mother Nature and how our environment can rebound from severe conditions in a short time. 

Tragically, President Trump and the Democrats continue to exist like oil and water; permanently dissociative.  One has to wonder if a cleansing rain could wash across our nation’s capitol and create a fresh, new start for our political environment.  Oh well…..it doesn’t hurt to dream, does it? 

Three-Card Monte??  The Democratic Party and the Mainstream Media have adapted the old card trick Three-Card Monte into a new political tool.  The card trick is simply a con job that allows the dealer to control whether or not the player wins.  The unholy alliance between the Democrats and the Media is played out like a con job; but the opposition never wins.  First, there is the creation of a scandal.  It might be hyperbole with a kernel of substance at its root; or it might be manufactured out of whole cloth.  Secondly, this scandal is leaked to the media through the Deep State Network that exists between unscrupulous government employees sympathetic to the Democrats and their long-established contacts within the Media.  And finally, the politicians in government, either Congress or the Deep State, will officially announce the scandal using…of all things…media reports as a basis for the expose. 

This little charade has played out twice now in a major way.  First, it was the master plan for the Russia Collusion Hoax.  Now, it is being reprised in the form of the Ukraine Call Hoax.  What kind of bizarre logic supports this type of process?  People are now guilty until proven innocent and the reporters of deceit are the very perpetrators and originators of the deceit.  The Democratic Party and the Mainstream Media have such small regard for the intelligence of the public that they line up checkers in any fashion they find favorable and then claim that the rules permit such manipulation.  And unfortunately, at least so far, that attitude has been accurate.  As it currently exists, we can all simply bemoan the death of journalistic integrity and fervently hope for its revival.  The Fourth Estate is indeed in a sad state.

Foreign Policy Intrigue.  Several months back, I wrote about President Trump’s approach to foreign policy as it relates to military engagements: http://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2019/01/trump-takes-road-less-traveled.html .  This particular subject has now come to a head in the current issue of removing our troops (approximately 50-100 military personnel) from northern Syria.  As I have written before, it is near-heresy for the uninformed to comment on U.S. foreign policy.  That does not imply that the President or other government officials in charge of foreign policy are infallible and always make the right choices; they obviously do not.  It simply means that the world today is so interwoven and complex that it is a tremendous challenge for any one person to be in possession of sufficient facts and data in order to make fair and reasonable decisions in this arena.  It is simply impossible for those of us who have only a small portion of the pertinent facts to make rational decisions in this area. 

I have always said that choosing a doctor or lawyer for yourself has as much to do with trust as it does with vetting; I believe the same goes for our nation’s foreign policy.  The old policy of American politics ending at the water’s edge has obviously gone by the wayside.  This occurrence was not a Democrat thing or a Republican thing; it was simply an evolution of our all-encompassing obsession with all things politic.  It has made it nigh on impossible for our President, be they Democrat or Republican, to administer a credible foreign policy in this dangerous world. 

The Syria situation is so very layered and complicated; it is difficult to make sense out of exactly what is happening and why it is happening.  The overwhelming majority of the people commenting on this situation cannot even identify the players and their agendas.  I hear the logic that supports an American military presence in foreign conflicts and how imperative it is to preserve our allies’ confidence in our commitments.  I also hear the logic of bringing an end to the tragic loss of precious lives in these endless wars that seem to pop up across our planet like thunderstorms.  Like all other Americans, I pray that our leaders…all of our leaders from both Parties…can find the right balance to curtail U.S. involvement in these conflicts while preserving our country’s reputation as a reliable partner in foreign affairs.

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NBA, NCAA, and California…They Deserve Each Other.  I must confess to finding the recent conflict between China and the NBA delicious.  The NBA’s bald appetite for profit and their brazen hypocrisy has been so efficiently exposed by this turn of events.  And then of course, there is the move by California, in a direct challenge to the NCAA, to allow amateur college athletes to profit from their personal brand.  The NBA, California, and the NCAA; what an absolutely perfect Three Ring Circus! 

The NBA and the rest of Corporate America that has mortgaged its moral and ethical soul to China in the name of profit deserve all the harm they might incur from their relationships with a communist nation that has demonstrated utter disdain for the rights, dignity, and freedoms of its citizens.  This is a no-brainer; if the NBA and all of its pieces have an ounce of integrity, they will tell China where they can stuff the basketball.  If the high tech industry and other bottom-line-driven companies have any conscience whatsoever, they will remove themselves from China and thus help to eliminate the blatantly unfair Chinese intellectual property theft devices…not to mention ceasing their passive support for China’s atrocities against its own people. 

FWIW…I previously addressed the issue of college student-athletes in a prior post: http://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2019/04/one-and-done-student-athlete-stipends.html .  If the NCAA remains intransigent and refuses to address this issue post haste, they deserve all the grief that idiots like California can heap upon them. 

Why No Rise of a Third Party?  I am an Independent.  Some people will criticize me for taking the easy way out and not committing to either major political party.  I am comfortable with my approach to officially disclaiming the context of either party and making my political decisions on the basis of the issues and the facts.  I am curious why there is not more enthusiasm for the Independent Party. 

With all of its lunatic fringe activities, the Democratic Party has undoubtedly disillusioned long-time party members whose heritages go back to Blue Dog roots or Union blue collar roots.  The Republican Party, led by President Trump’s big mouth and over-sized ego, has conveniently forgotten anything they ever knew about fiscal responsibility and resigned themselves to a game of defense against the Democrat’s perpetual and petty attacks.  Although Never Trumper is an exaggerative term, there is no doubt many Republicans will vote for Trump because no better option exists. 

Both national parties now exhibit a shameless lust for the acquisition and preservation of raw, political power.  The bottom line is that there is an abundance of disaffected Democrats and Republicans out there who are so disgusted by our political environment that they have literally checked out of politics altogether.  They cannot marshal up sufficient energy to challenge the rampant propaganda and disinformation that is continually hurled at them and thus make informed voting selections.  Instead, they are left largely to whim and whimsy; exposing themselves to the flavor of the month winds that breezily escorts them down the correct road of political reasoning. 

The time would seem ripe for the rise of an Independent third party that might take a non-partisan approach to today’s political issues.  Notwithstanding the immense democratic complications that a vibrant Independent Party would pose for our government, it offers a refuge for those like me who find strong disfavor with the leadership of either major political party.  It might also be an effective mechanism for calling the two major parties back to the reality of reason and civility.  When considering the absolute chaos we are now witnessing in our government, the bureaucratic challenges posed by a Three National Party circumstance don’t really appear quite as insurmountable as they once did. 

The Forgotten Farmers.  As the harvest of this year’s crops approach completion, our nation’s farmers once again face the challenges of weather, markets, and current events in order to survive a tumultuous industry.  I retired from a long career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and I grew up in rural Kentucky.  More so than most, I have had an opportunity to see many of the prisms through which we view agriculture in America. 

The strength of America’s farmers is also the weakness of America’s farmers; they are an independent, stoic group of people who are doing what they do because they love it.  Long, long ago they realized that they will stand or fall on their own individual efforts and decisions and it is futile to look to the government, to the bank, or to the public for sustaining support.    Clearly, there must be accountability for the farmers and the business decisions that they make; but it is undeniable that farming is a unique enterprise.  It is the only business in the United States that I am aware of where all of the inputs are purchased at retail and the entire finished product is marketed at wholesale.  Think about that one for a moment.  The independence and diversity that sustains them as farmers are the very traits that prevent them from banding together as an effective, political entity.  The industries that support them…the insurance companies, the equipment companies, the multi-national grain and livestock companies that buy their outputs; they all have an abundance of political clout.  These segments of our economy stand astride Congress and have as much influence on legislation as anyone or anything. 

Agriculture continues to buttress our wildly fluctuating trade balances with its burgeoning exports.  Agriculture continues to contribute to our nation’s national security by not only providing a reliable and abundant food/fiber supply for ourselves; but by also propping up and addressing the food/fiber needs of the planet.  The ripple effect of a dollar spent in agriculture is unparalleled as it turns itself over time after time, working its way through the supply chain of business entities that support the farming industry.  Our nation was founded by people who not only sought personal freedom and liberty, but also had the intestinal fortitude to sustain themselves in an independent fashion. 

Agriculture is as much the fiber of this nation as any other element and the continued existence of the United States is conditioned on our ability to feed and provide for ourselves.  So as farmers across this great nation combine their corn and soybeans and deliver them to grain elevators for depressed prices; as livestock producers continue to raise their animals with ever-increasing expenses and low market returns; and as fruit and vegetable producers continue to grapple with exploding government regulation and increasingly effective foreign competition…let us not forget the essential contribution made to our culture and society by our farmers.  Agriculture is everybody’s business!

The Diminishment of the Democratic Party

I have a lived for quite some time now and I can remember a day when the Democratic Party was a serious advocate for practical policy in America.  Whether or not one agreed with its ideals; I believe their leaders nonetheless brought forth initiatives that were grounded in sincere efforts to make this nation stronger, more equitable, and safe for future generations.  The Democrats for decades have boasted about their Party having a Big Tent; loudly proclaiming how marvelous their party diversity was.  Based on the behavior of the Democratic Party in the U.S. House of Representatives, culminating in the spectacle I watched the other day labeled as the House Intelligence Committee hearing with DNI Maguire, the Big Tent has been turned into a Circus Tent.

Here is the point that both national parties have lost sight of: You cannot diminish the President without diminishing the Presidency.  The two things are inextricably linked.  There is a reason why the Presidency is the only elected office that is held on a national basis; why every single voter in our nation contributes to the selection of our President.  When the House of Representatives chooses to pursue impeachment of a President, they are essentially initiating the process of invalidating the most democratic exercise in our constitution. 

In the case of President Nixon, impeachment was based on an abuse of power that rose to a truly significant level and had Nixon not resigned, it most certainly would have resulted in the Senate removing him from office.  In the case of President Clinton, our President had clearly broken the law.  However, the severity of the violations he executed was open to discussion when considering removal from office.  In response to his illegal transgressions, it was entirely proper for the House to pursue impeachment.  It was equally proper for the Senate to acquit him for removal from office.  His crimes were publicly aired and the consequences of those actions have followed him since.  But his criminal acts did not disqualify him from accomplishing the duties the nation elected him to perform and he served out his second term as an effective leader. 

It is significant to recognize that both the Nixon and Clinton impeachments demonstrate that impeachment is a political exercise; strictly apart and distinguished from a legal exercise.  At the time of their impeachments, both men had already been re-elected to their second terms.  Nixon’s second election was essentially overturned because he himself recognized the gravity of his executive misdeeds and resigned prior to Senate consideration of his House impeachment.  Clinton’s second election was not overturned because even though his misdeeds were repugnant, they reflected more on his standing as a man and not so much on his qualifications as a President.  You may quarrel with this distinction; but that does not eliminate the reality of the distinction.

We see this same distinction with President Trump.  Few of his critics quarrel with the results of his policies and performance as the nation’s Chief Executive.  The most frequently cited sources of his criticisms are his personal habits and behavior; and, of course, resentment of the fact that he won in spite of the best efforts from both political parties.  But just as the case was with Clinton, the question that must be asked in Trump’s potential impeachment is whether or not his presidential activities in question rise to the level of overturning not only his initial election to office, but also his potential re-election.  It cannot be ignored that he will be standing for that re-election in roughly thirteen months.  If we accept that impeachment is a political and not a legal enterprise, what is the logic in beginning that process now when under the best case scenario it cannot conceivably be completed before a handful of months remain in his first term?  Doesn’t it make much more sense to conduct an honest and open examination of the act(s) upon which the impeachment centers, conduct this inquiry within the existing oversight context of Congress, and put the results of that investigation in the public domain for all to consider.  Once that is accomplished, President Trump will then stand for judgment in the ultimate political theatre; that of re-election to office.  In lieu of a clear-cut and prosecutable crime, this is the way Trump’s fate should be determined.  Have we learned nothing from the eternal, still-festering wounds inflicted on our government by the Clinton impeachment?

Here is the actual Ukraine phone call memo: https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/462959-read-transcript-of-trumps-call-with-ukrainian-president.  Here is the actual whistleblower complaint: https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20190812_-_whistleblower_complaint_unclass.pdf.  Before you allow the talking heads in the media to lead you around by the nose and tell you how to think, read these documents for yourself.  Remember that this concerns a conversation between the premier leader of our nation and the premier leader of a foreign nation.  In what alternate universe would this conversation not be considered private, privileged, and confidential?  What kind of individual would take it upon themselves to divulge the contents of such a conversation based upon hearsay testimony?  Who amongst us is qualified to take this one 30-minute phone call alone and consider ourselves to be in complete understanding of all that is the US/Ukraine dynamic? And most importantly, after you have read the phone call memo yourself, how factual do you find the complaint to be?

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The basis for this Democratic House effort at impeachment is highly questionable, at best.  It is a so-called Whistleblower complaint that looks as much like a political plant as it does a legitimate employee concern.  DNI Maguire clearly set out the reasons why it does not fall within the four corners of the whistleblower regulations.  Based on the actual phone call memo and further research, the basis of the complaint is in the range of 80 percent false and 20 percent accurate.  It is highly suspicious that the whistleblower regulations were actually revised to permit hearsay content as opposed to firsthand observation just before the submission (or re-submission) of the whistleblower complaint. Read here: https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/27/intel-community-secretly-gutted-requirement-of-first-hand-whistleblower-knowledge/).

The timeline of public comments and events surrounding this complaint (media reports and House member comments) certainly appears to indicate that there was some degree of coordination between the complainant and the anti-Trump forces.  The actual complaint appears to be written by a team of lawyers as opposed to a single, federal employee.  Many of the footnotes on the complaint do not refer to actual events that were witnessed firsthand or documentary evidence; but rather to media news items (we all know how reliable they are, don’t we?) that reported on these supposed events (does this pattern sound familiar to anyone?). 

The basis of the cover-up charges against the President centers on the fact that the phone call in question was preserved for the record in an extraordinary fashion.  My goodness…if your previous confidential calls had been leaked to the press, wouldn’t you take extraordinary measures to preserve their integrity? As unnecessary as it should be, it bears repeating that the Trump Administration had a very strong legal case not to release either the phone call memo or the complaint; but it chose instead to release both in a full, transparent, and expeditious manner.  Doesn’t sound like an attempt to hide anything, does it?  And what possible sense does it make for Democratic House leadership to publicly clamor for impeachment proceedings before they even have the phone call memo or actual complaint in hand to read and consider? 

Any objective individual should be capable of reasonably examining the details of this episode and noting the remarkable similarities to the shameless Democratic efforts at foisting the Trump-Russia Collusion Hoax on this nation.  I cannot for the life of me understand how the Trump Administration allows this cancerous Deep State Presence to persevere in this government.  Is this cabal of Democratic interests, rogue career employees, and ex-Obama appointees not sufficiently satisfied with the poisonous partisan environment they have fomented in our country’s citizenry for well over two years?  Can they not simply utilize their false perceptions and accusations in the political process (2020 elections) which is the proper remedy for situations such as this?  Can’t we just say that the Democrats got Nixon, the Republicans got Clinton, and the ledger is balanced?  Is it simply a harsh and tragic reality that no Democrat of sufficient stature will stand up and call out this political charade for what it is?  Is the Democratic Party so blinded by hatred for all things Trump that they are willing to rip and tear at the still open partisan wounds that afflict nearly every aspect of life in America these days?   Can’t we recognize the total impropriety of overturning a national election simply on the basis of President Trump’s boorish and arrogant behavior?  Does the love Democrats hold for their politics actually exceed the love they hold for this country?  Democrats… If you want to beat Trump, put up a better choice next fall!

The quality of the individuals we are now selecting to serve us in Congress is depressing.  I say this in full recognition that none of us are perfect and the challenges placed before our legislators are imposing.  But it is absolutely frightening to consider who the Democrats have placed in Committee Chairmanship positions in our current House (https://www.house.gov/committees).  These are people that we would not even consider to paint our porches, supervise our children’s or grandchildren’s field trips from school, or most importantly… be in charge of our checkbooks.  And yet, they have been placed in positions of authority to run our government.  Don’t take my word for this.  Take some time and research some of the history for these people.  Listen to what they say and how they say it.  Take a moment and think about this list…

Budget Committee, John Yarmuth, Kentucky (I know this one…my home state)

Financial Services Committee, Maxine Waters, California

House Administration Committee, Zoe Lofgren, California

Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler, New York

Intelligence Modernization and Readiness (sub) Committee, Eric Swalwell, California

House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, California

Do you see a pattern here?  Do you want our nation to resemble the states (California, New York) that sent these folks to Congress?  Do you want America to look like these states?  Residents are leaving both states in droves due to the high taxation and regulation that is being administered there by Democratic officials.  The morale of New York City police is below water due to the Liberal group that runs the town and their lack of support for law enforcement.  Read about current New York City government here: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/09/new-york-city-bans-wrongthink.php .  Illegal immigration and homelessness has reached epidemic levels in California with the advent of open border policies and sanctuary cities.  The Far Left that runs California has taken what is most likely the most beautiful state in the union and turned it into a lawless, unprincipled, and bankrupt swamp of socialism light.

Look at the Committees we are talking about here…financial, judiciary, administration, budget, and intelligence.  I totally believe in the importance of a two-party system in our government.  However, for a legitimate two-party system to properly function there must be two parties who have some semblance of common sense and reason.  Today’s Democratic Party has crossed over the Rubicon, gone through the Looking Glass, and sufficiently sold their souls to the Resist Trump Demons so that they no longer meet the specs of having common sense and reason.  Until someone in their Party has the courage to stand up and call out the literal idiots that are presently not only part and parcel of this Democratic Circus but the actual leaders of the Three Rings, the American voters are complete fools to vote for any Democrat in the upcoming elections.  And by the way, which states do you suppose the top Senate Democrat (Chuck Schumer) and the Democratic House Speaker (Nancy Pelosi) represent in Congress?  New York and California; what a coincidence!

The Republicans dang sure ain’t saints or geniuses; but they have not yet sunk to the abysmally stupid depths of the Democratic Party.  Now don’t get me wrong; many of them would today qualify to walk directly into the Democrat’s Circus Tent and could fit right in.  But here is the point: For all the foolish things the Republicans did during the Obama Presidency because they didn’t like him or his policies, they never pulled stuff like this.  They had EIGHT years of opportunity (and if you don’t think the “opportunities” were there, you are only fooling yourself) and the ludicrous-level of their antics didn’t even approach the zip code in which the Democratic Party currently resides.  It is painfully true that the Republican Party is now the lesser of two evils in WDC; but they are a waaaaaaay lesser evil than the Democrats these days. 

History will show that under President Obama, with either his wink or his nod, seeds of corruption sprouted and were permitted to flourish.  Since our nation’s inception, there have been instances of both individuals and small groups of individuals who were corrupt in the performance of their elected or appointed duties to America.  Those despicable bureaucrats commandeered the government of the people for their own personal and private aspirations with no consideration for either the impropriety of their actions or the damage they were doing the institutions they were supposedly serving.    The true genesis of the corruption that we are now witnessing in full-blown form probably dates back to the Nixon Administration when the dreams of utilizing the IRS to further his personal agenda first flitted across his mind.  It is remarkable that what Nixon thought about doing but never did with the IRS was included in his prospective articles of impeachment while the IRS Director who actually did it for Obama retired with a federal pension. 

Since Nixon’s time, both Republican and Democrat presidents alike have occasionally pushed the corruption envelope out just a bit further, always seeming to stop right before their mischief was exposed or reached critical mass.  But when Obama came into office with overwhelming public and political capital and that was combined with the sheer adulation he enjoyed from the media, an opportunity was presented that was simply too hard for some to resist.  Obama’s narcissistic mindset and the absolute acceptance of that mantra by his true believers ushered in an unfettered government that ran amuck.  The dark temptations that arose from supreme political power combined with idealistic overzealousness seduced a President, his Administration, and most notably, several unethical and amoral individuals who were part and parcel of that group.  The type of political corruption that had been flirted with for years by both parties was fully institutionalized by the Obama Administration; in league with the Democratic Party leadership and the mainstream media.  And now our nation grapples with the dilemma of exactly how to put that genie back into the bottle.

I honestly lie awake some nights fearful of the consequences for my children and their offspring should the Democrats gain the White House and Congress in the 2020 elections.  Should that occur, there is always the hope that they are simply talking the talk because it will help them win and they have no intention of walking the walk because they know it is nonsense.  Even though we have pretty much come to expect this type of behavior from both political parties over the last couple of decades, that is a mighty big chance to take with the very future of our nation in the balance.  We must never forget the hard truth…We get the government we deserve.