Just “Who” Are We?

June, 1971.  I graduated high school in 1971.  In early summer of that year a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the Who was released to the public.  Many younger people will think that this song was later written as an intro to a television show.  Not.  The television show stole the hook from the song.  Your cell phone, your laptop, or your PC sound system will not do justice to this song.  It must be played LOUD for adequate appreciation.  Townshend’s creative work with the synthesizer ushered in a new and exciting musical influence.  What was lost in all the noise, however, was the fact that the lyrics to the song were a scathing indictment of governmental bureaucracy; a ringing condemnation of “business as usual”.

Listen to the song and revel in the sound; it is good stuff.  If you are young and this is your first in-depth exposure to the Who, dig deeper.  But apart from enjoying the room-rattling bass from John Entwistle, the crashing percussion of Keith Moon, the in-your-face guitar of Pete Townshend, and the screaming voice of Roger Daltrey…pay attention to the lyrics.  Pay particular attention to the last nine words of the lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXrmQBPg2s0

Now having set the stage for this blog, let’s see how things are progressing in America with the new kids in town…..

First let’s address the old business; otherwise known as “impeachment”.    Someone please explain to me why it makes any sense whatsoever to impeach a President who is no longer President.  Why, with all the troubles facing our nation at this time does our Congress need to persist in flogging the dead political carcass of Donald Trump?  With the exception of his most ardent supporters, everyone agrees that the best thing that can happen at this point is for him to simply fade away.  For a proper addressing of his irresponsible behavior, a far better response to Trump’s rhetorical escapade would be Congressional censure: https://jonathanturley.org/2021/01/13/the-case-for-a-trump-censure/

And while I do not fault the Biden Administration for publicly staying above the impeachment fray, their “unity” rhetoric is blatantly out of touch with their “radical” actions.  Biden can control Pelosi no more than Trump could.  But he should be able to control his own messaging.

https://www.city-journal.org/bidens-inaugural-speech-words-of-division

https://nypost.com/2021/01/21/forget-unity-bidens-moralizing-mantra-is-more-likely-to-divide/

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/the-keystone-eco-cops.php

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/21/national-guard-troops-vacate-capitol-461220

https://www.aei.org/op-eds/a-normal-and-exceptional-inaugural/

The mainstream media and liberal elite have their champion in the White House and how do they feel about it?

https://nypost.com/2021/01/22/media-spent-joe-bidens-first-days-slobbering-over-him/

But exactly who is this empty shell of a man that they have placed in charge of our country?

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/the-real-joe-biden.php

It is apparently the fundamental belief of the Democratic Party that minority Americans are inferior creatures who must become wards of the state in order to survive in our society.  What other explanation could explain policy ideas like these?

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/multiracial-whiteness.php

This man had it right.  He lived a life that is a testament to courage and principle.  Along with a remarkable gift of clarity, his words reflected that courage and principle.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/the-prophetic-voice-12.php

Instead of facing our nation’s history straight on, dealing honestly with our sins and our achievements; many so-called advocates these days simply wish to rewrite history.  They irresponsibly and capriciously airbrush away the details that do not synchronize with their agendas and if that is insufficient, they simply lie about what actually happened.  Consider the saga of The 1619 Project as compared to the 1776 Commission Report.  Take note: This issue is all about what they are teaching our kids in schools across America.

Here is the liberal story on the birth of our nation: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html

Another more introspective view of this project: https://capitalresearch.org/article/architects-of-woke-the-1619-project/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhuSDm-2y7gIVBLKGCh2-Sg6vEAMYASAAEgLYgPD_BwE

And in response to the 1619 venture, there was the 1776 Commission:

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/1776-commission-reports.php

https://www.scribd.com/document/491241411/Final-Report#from_embed

Why was the 1776 Commission formed and why was its report necessary?  Here is an explanation from one of its members: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0121/hanson012121.php3

This is important stuff; history matters.  It matters that we get history right.  We must know from whence we came.  Philosopher George Santayana said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.  One more analysis, please: https://amgreatness.com/2021/01/23/transmitting-the-truth-about-americas-founding/

The storyline that our children learn will shape the hearts and minds of future leaders.  For far too long, conservatives have conceded the realm of education, all of education, to the liberal contingent of our society.  This is a large part of the explanation as to why media, literature, intelligentsia, medicine, and high-brow politics are saturated with the milquetoast attitudes of this nation’s elite and privileged.  It is time to draw the line and adhere to the truth.  Read both versions of America’s history carefully and then decide: who got it right?

President Biden's and the Democrat’s obsession with race and gender identities is insatiable.   Carefully consider the unintended consequences of his recently-signed executive order: https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/after-inaugural-rhetoric-unity-biden-signs-divisive-transgender-executive-order

We are rapidly approaching a time where the distinction between truth and parody will be indiscernible.  Consider this from the Babylon Bee: Biden Unveils Skin Color Chart To Determine Who Gets Federal Aid | The Babylon Bee

Don’t miss the next post….Just Google centerlineright

Is it not amazing how one day we are discovering that Donald Trump left the nation in a terrible corornavirus crisis by his actions and his inactions and then the very next day, there are incredible steps being taken that immediately call for the reopening of business and education all across our blue states of America?  And to think….all we had to do to achieve this miraculous improvement was swear Joe Biden in as President.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-false-narrative-im-the-hero-on-vaccines-not-trump-media-uncritically-agrees

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/covid-vaccine-biden-trump/2021/01/22/id/1006867/

Is it just possible that Trump was right about this pandemic in the first place?

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/coronavirus/two-states-two-pandemics-how-florida-beating-california-covid-fewer

Circling back around to citizen, NOT PRESIDENT, Trump being impeached for inciting an insurrection (contrary to Chuck Schumer’s carnal thoughts), the details of exactly what might have transpired that particular day in WDC continue to crystallize.   Please explain once again....How do  you incite something that is pre-planned?

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/pelosis-office-wont-say-if-she-was-briefed-potential-violence-ahead-jan-6

We started with the Who; let us close with the Who.  Here is one of my favorite songs from the band and when compared to the one up above, it really illustrates how creative and diverse the group was.  It is also a soundtrack feature to what I consider to be the best Adam Sandler movie ever made; which also features one of the many times that Don Cheadle exhibited his remarkable talent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDbAtWpoA6k

Do You Feel Like I Do?

Henry David Thoreau wrote “most men lead lives of quiet desperation”.  He could just as easily inserted “people” for “men”, but the point remains prescient.  People all across our planet are living lives full of turmoil, frustration, violence, pressure, and contradiction.  Is this really any different than the way it has always been?  Perhaps not; but it certainly seems like the effects of these circumstances have been ratcheted up considerably.  The world has shrunk, technology has exploded, and the privacy in which we have always held our desperation at bay has become weakened, exploited, and less effective.  Our so-called desperation is much closer to the surface than it has ever been.  Our fuses have become significantly shorter.

Add to this recipe the regrettable state of our political environment and we have a volatile mix of emotion, anger, malice, and bad behavior.  My personal desperation of late has centered on the power shift that has occurred in Washington D.C., moving the Democrats into control of our government and placing the philosophy of the liberal elements into the flavor du jour category of societal and cultural influence.  Elections have consequences and this is what we have chosen.

I do not dislike the Democratic Party because it is made up of Democrats.  The Democrats I know are not that much different than the Republicans I know.  But the Democratic Party is not at all like the Democrats I know.  The Republican Party might be just as foolish as the Democratic Party, but at least their policies stay out of my face.  The Democratic Party not only insists on getting in my face; that want in my head, in my home, in my wallet, in my church, and in my conscience.  I happen to appreciate my freedom and resent their intrusion.

I tell myself that it is time to move on from November and that all things will pass.  I remind myself that our nation has survived many troubling times before and this will be no different.  I acknowledge the fallibility of thinking that one’s personal concepts about how America should exist are not absolute in their correctness.  Excessive certitude is a prescription for misery.  I am trying to come to terms with the very real fact that there are smarter and better ideals out there than those my conservative mind harbors.  I think back to the re-election of Obama and how disillusioned I was with that verdict; only to be amazed and overjoyed at the subsequent rejection of the Democratic Party and the ascension of Donald Trump. 

I am heartsick at the shift in our country’s government.  That term is a very good description because it is an aching in my very soul.  I would like to think that my funk is not a partisan thing, but rather a philosophical thing.  Perhaps I am fooling myself and the reason for my low limb attitude is simply the fact that I hate losing and having my arse handed to me.  Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that in my own life of quiet desperation, the desperation level that lies slightly below the surface is alarmingly insistent.  It infects my view and opinion of nearly everything I come into contact with.  I despise myself for being this way, but the disquiet hovers over my life like an overcast day and is unrelenting.  In spite of my rational voice screaming at me to grow up, get over it, and move on with my life…I truly fear for the effects that this leftward political shift will have on my children and grandchildren.

Inwardly, I counter this uneasiness with a voice of reason that says “they will overreach, go well over the top with their agenda, and people will push back and eventually reject their ideals”.  I believe that his voice is wise and will eventually prove to be correct.  Unfortunately, there is a span of time between now and when that limit on tolerance is reached and that span of time is going to be a long, wearisome, and troublesome process.  The die is cast.  Now let us take a spin around the block and search for a clue about what may lie ahead…

The worst political scandal in my lifetime, and perhaps ever in our nation, will now likely fade into oblivion with the influx of Democrats into the Department of Justice.  Let the whitewash begin…

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/woods-file-gone-missing.php

It is incredible how the atmospherics surrounding Democrats, the mainstream media, Wall Street, Democrat Governors, and the entertainment industry have experienced a 180 degree shift in the last few days.  The essential need for Resistance has been replaced with the critical requirement for Unity.  The performance of a national economy that was being suffocated by dilatory pandemic shutdown practices is now a bundle of pent-up energy just waiting to be magically released by new and progressive promises.  In spite of covid case spikes all across our nation, blue state governments are trumpeting the call for reopening lest their economies be snuffed out.  I have to expect that the next shoe to fall will be the relabeling for mask-refusal changing from an act of treason to an act of adventurism and bravery.  I discussed the Democrat’s hypocrisy at length in my last post; but it is such a shameful force that it must be showcased at least once or twice more…

https://nypost.com/2021/01/13/the-lefts-bare-faced-hypocrisy-devine/

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/gop-rep-louie-gohmert-stirs-controversy-quoting-nancy-pelosis-2018-remarks

Don’t miss the next post….Just Google centerlineright

The recent unruly events in our nation’s Capitol have certainly dominated the headlines for the last few days.  I suppose you can take an event of this type and spin it anyway you like by addressing it from a particular aspect.  But to view this recent activity without comparative mention of the violent and destructive protests that have occurred all across our nation over the last couple of years is beyond irresponsible.  Here is some closer examination of exactly what went down in WDC on that fateful day…

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/three-critical-questions-about-capitol-siege-remain-unanswered

https://thefederalist.com/2021/01/14/i-saw-provocateurs-at-the-capitol-riot-on-jan-6/

Looking ahead to the future of legislative sausage-making…just how difficult will it be for Chuck Schumer to control a 50/50 Senate with Ms. Harris looking over his shoulder?

https://redstate.com/shipwreckedcrew/2021/01/12/chuck-schumer-will-not-allow-craziness-of-house-marxists-to-drive-what-happens-in-the-senate-n306265

Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse…how stupid does Pelosi think we all are when she pulls a stunt like this?  Nancy Pelosi must be the most clueless person in this universe…

https://jonathanturley.org/2021/01/13/pelosi-names-eric-swalwell-as-house-impeachment-manager/#more-167924

Do you think that even after winning control of Congress and the White House, the Democrats might focus on something other than Donald Trump?  Not likely.   What in the world will these folks do with their time and our money when Donald Trump is no longer around?  On second thought, let’s not dwell on that question…

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/byron-yorks-daily-memo-the-crazy-impeachment

https://jonathanturley.org/2021/01/12/dc-attorney-general-looking-into-arresting-trump-and-others/

At the risk of prolonging the pain, here is one more thoughtful reflection on the past election.  History is determined by those who write the history.  How will this history be written?

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/did-the-democrats-steal-the-presidential-election.php

And to wrap up this post, here are a couple of very interesting items about the future of the conservative cause in education and the future in general…

https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/where-conservatives-should-lead-on-federal-education-policy-in-2021/

http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell011221.php3

Bonus: Credit to Peter Frampton for the title; he is in the house….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mSqJpePXlQ

The Show Has Arrived

After several reincarnations and numerous comeback attempts at new days of glory, a renovated classic has risen up before us.  In this instance, we don’t even need to change the name; all we have to do is change the characters.  Not the character of the characters, just the characters themselves.  And in celebration of our wokeness, we will take the bold step of replacing one of the primary male characters with a female.   Welcome, my friends, to the new and progressive version of The Three Stooges, starring Chuck, Nancy, and Joe.

It is not yet certain which new character will assume which previous actor’s role; time will reveal the answer to that question.  It might even prove to be the case that the new actors, being the multi-talented individuals that they are, will be so adept at the capacity and breadth of their predecessors that they will each be capable of illustrating the abilities of all three.  The hilarious possibilities are endless; but sadly, so is the potential for tragedy.  It was always the case in the original versions that even though mayhem and injuries were plentiful; no one ever seemed to incur permanent damage.  This time around, I fear the consequences of the inane actions will be far more serious.

So as we wait in anticipation for the pratfalls, the comedy of misdirection, the famous slaps upon the head, and all the collateral dysfunction that their misadventures will produce; we can only speculate about whether or not this reinvention of an old storyline will be gloriously successful…or fade away into oblivion like most that have preceded it.  You know…it is so difficult to top the original when following legends.  But with this bunch of ambitious and unintended comedians, the sky may truly be the limit.  Enjoy the show.

           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .            .           .                       

The bald-faced hypocrisy of both national political parties in our nation is nothing short of breath-taking; always has been and always will be.  The excesses of the one followed by the same excesses of the other always creates the conundrum of criticizing the very same behavior that you yourself have been guilty of.  Our political class depends on the chronically-short memory of American citizenry and really do not lose much sleep over the thought that their past sins will come back to haunt them.  And when that actually happens?  Well, in that case you simply throw the sacrificial victim under the old Party bus and keep on rolling.

The liberal contingent that has so recently vanquished the conservative corps from WDC thrones of power is pushing this dependence on lost recollections to the very limit.  Their calls for unity, after four plus years of exquisite disunity from their very hands, must be met with reactions of extreme incredulity from any reasonable person.  And their attempts at historical revision and past event airbrushing?  Well, let us consider how well these efforts might withstand the miracle of modern technology…

https://nypost.com/2021/01/07/liberal-amnesia-about-last-summers-riots/

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/enough-with-the-outrage.php

https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/our-history-then-and-now

Of course, we are nothing if we are not capable of laughing at…perhaps not ourselves, but at our fearless and so very hypocritical leaders: https://babylonbee.com/news/to-protest-siege-on-capitol-kamala-harris-helps-blm-burn-down-a-target

How many times have we seen a U.S. Senator of either party appear before the media bright lights as a hero who has gone against the overwhelming pressure of his or her own party to vote with the opposing party…..but only after they knew that their vote would be of no consequence to the eventual outcome?  It is so amusing to watch a Senate roll call vote when they pass over a certain Senator’s vote, pushing it to the very end of the roll call so that this certain Senator will know whether or not they can get by with being a champion of conscience, a voice of reason, a true representative of the people.  The truth is that they are simply too chickenshit scared to buck their party unless they know their vote won’t matter.

It is sad to see how our departing President has employed this same practice during his final days in office.  Here is his national address following Congressional action to certify Joe Biden’s election victory: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/donald-trump-statesman.php

He is saying all the right things and using all the right tones and addressing all the proper concerns.  The problem is that he is doing it all after he knew that his vote would not matter.  This is the message that should have been delivered after it had become apparent to any sane person that his efforts to overturn the election results were doomed to failure.  I do not fault him or his advocates for contesting the election results in the valid avenues provided by the Constitution.  And to go one step further, I certainly believe that sufficient evidence of election shenanigans exists to warrant some type of formal examination to determine exactly what transpired in the 2020 presidential election and how those events should influence future reforms to better insure the integrity of the process. 

But by delaying his statesmanship as he did, waiting until after the post-election turmoil had wrought its damage and it had become obvious he had no realistic recourse, he too took the chickenshit way out.  So once again, we see the consummate politician banking on the average American to hear only the words they speak today…and forget all about what they may have said yesterday.  Donald Trump was dealt a bad hand and he oftentimes played it quite poorly.  And he was certainly playing the game with some sharks that knew the game better than him and jimmied the rules to take the pot.  But when the time came to fold his hand and walk away from the table with some dignity, he instead chose to keep bluffing and raising the stakes until…there was no way to leave the game gracefully.  It is sad to witness.

 

Don’t miss the next post….Just Google centerlineright

          .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .            .           .

There is a wind of uncertainty in the air today.  Over the last several months, conservative advocates have openly speculated about how a liberal takeover of our government might usher in an unbridled wave of censorship; perhaps even a state of socialism-lite.  This loss of liberty, they warned, would begin with Congress passing new administrative rules that would silence the minority voice in our legislative process.  That is happening today.  Simultaneously, this purge would emanate from liberal high tech company chiefs who have been granted legal protection by Congress, which they have chosen to abuse through the use of partisan bias.  That is happening today:  https://www.dailywire.com/news/russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-blasts-twitter-for-censoring-trump  And finally, this not so subtle silencing of moderate and conservative voices that disagree with liberal dogma would be expanded and executed by the liberal elite in our country who control, through their wealth and power, tremendous influence over our lives.  That has been happening for some time now.

Were these warnings cries in the dark that became hysteria in the daylight or is there truth in their prophecies?  The liberal community in America has held practical control of our K-through-12 education establishment for years through their involvement with teachers’ unions.  Education’s administrators come from the ranks of teachers.  Liberals have long dominated the voice and actions of the higher education academia community.  The mainstream media in our country has become an unapologetic voice of the Democratic Party and the liberal element; openly supporting their causes and attacking any opposing opinion.  Given the economic success of President Trump’s economic policies, I am still confused as to the apparent and solid support of liberal philosophies by the Wall Street groups. 

All of these powerful and influential people and entities worked diligently to defeat President Donald Trump.  Having accomplished that goal, you would think they would now turn their ambitions towards the future and work out the plans for implementing their liberal agenda.  Instead, we see them continuing their obsession with the total destruction of Donald Trump and the obvious priority of silencing any voice above a whisper that does not align perfectly with their ideals.  Their behavior begs the question: Are they fighting for ideals and policies or are they fighting for personal empowerment and control?

The American liberal intelligentsia lives and works in a bubble; it exists in a universe of sameness.  They are mainly surrounded by people that are homogenous in thought and opinion.  If you are of a different bent and are beautiful, or rich, or powerful…then you might be allowed inside the bubble if you willing to behave like one of them.  Otherwise, you really do not count.  You are irrelevant.  Your life and your opinions are inconsequential.  Even the mere thought that might be sparked in your pitiful mind telling you that you are worthy of any consideration whatsoever is foolish beyond contemplation.  Any voice of dissension is ostracized.  The certitude of their beliefs is continually confirmed by those they surround themselves with.

This liberal segment of our populace is now emboldened beyond their wildest dreams.  Complete control of Congress and the White House is in their grasp.  They are fully unleashed.  Even though they continue to beat on the near-death political carcass of Donald Trump, they must surely realize they have already sufficiently diminished whatever power and influence he might have carried into the foreseeable future.  This governmental control that they have achieved, along with the institutional influence mentioned earlier, has obviously pushed them to a drunken state of euphoria.  Consider this: https://www.spiked-online.com/2021/01/09/the-woke-purge/ and this https://www.newsmax.com/headline/forbes-targets-trump-staffers/2021/01/10/id/1004991/

To the victor go the spoils and our democracy demands that those victors have the opportunity to put their ideals into practice.  But the victor had best be wary of treading on the fundamental liberties of those he has defeated.  Domination in battle earns a certain tolerance and subjugation by those defeated; it does not require complete surrender of personal beliefs and principles.  Those gifts are guaranteed to each and every American by our Constitution; regardless of your status as victor or vanquished.  The liberal hive that has swarmed across our country needs to be very careful as to how far and how hard it pushes its pursuit of an agenda that many, many Americans simply do not embrace or even agree with.  Given sufficient rope, even a wise man will eventually hang himself.

           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .            .           .          

Our political system is in a terrible state.  The reckless rhetoric and bluster of one side has led to treachery and obstinance from the other.  That treachery and obstinance has then been met with more careless rhetoric and bluster, which in turn has driven the other to new and higher levels of lunacy.  It is depressing to watch the alarming spiraling of this syndrome play out in our nation’s government and spread throughout our very communities.  It is a shameful stain on all of those who participate in it and gain from it.  It is a terrible dishonor to our founding fathers.  We have taken a glorious ideal and perverted it severely.

          .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .           .            .           .          

Bonus: Scott Johnson at the Powerline blog does a marvelous job of finding musical gems to post on a fairly regular basis.  His discoveries are reliably interesting and whether they are your particular genre or not…they are always enjoyable.  If you like music, you will like Scott’s posts.  This week he featured a new Nashville project from Barry Gibb; the sole surviving member of the Bee Gees.  I graduated high school in 1971 and followed the Bee Gees all the way through their careers.  Their music is a large part of my life’s soundtrack.  Johnson refers to the HBO documentary about the band and I urge you to check it out.  It is a great story about human perseverance and the music industry.  This Nashville project has produced some truly beautiful music; my favorite is Barry’s duet with Alison Krauss on Too Much Heaven.  The Run to Me number with Brandi Carlile is a close second.  Do yourself a favor…watch the documentary and listen to these tracks: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/sunday-morning-coming-down-111.php

 

The Final Act

I am writing this post a few days after the United States Congress has confirmed Joe Biden as our next President.  Like many Americans today, I have conflicting emotions coursing through my mind. 

I was a frequent critic of Donald Trump’s behavior during his presidency, both personal and professional.  And like anyone else who may choose to criticize aspects of his term, I readily admit that I am wholly unqualified to judge a man who endured, simultaneously, such honor and abuse, such power and paralysis, such esteem and disdain, such credit and blame, such betrayal and support, and such adoration and hate.  He was an authentically-polarizing individual.  And even though I continue to believe that many, in fact most, of his policies were correct, I was never able to reach a point where I truly respected the man.

One’s possession of my respect is no great prize in this land or world.  Perhaps other than to a small handful of people, it is something that is simply irrelevant and inconsequential.  But the incredible thing about respect is that one does not have to be worthy of it in order to bestow it judiciously.  It is certainly true that to most people, the respect of a respected person is worth more than the respect of a jerk.  However, the hard truth is that respect, regardless of the giver, is an object that must be earned.  Donald Trump was never interested in earning it.

I oftentimes enjoyed his irreverent recognition of social hypocrisy in our culture.  I appreciated his unorthodox approach to many policy questions involving our citizenry.  There were a few times when his rhetoric, particularly about the police and the military, brought me close to viewing him as sincere and empathetic.  Occasionally, he would take a position or make a decision that certainly seemed to require a good deal of bravery and independence.  And there were even moments when his mere presence and stature, cast against the right background, created an impression of the proud leader of a glorious nation.  But in each instance, most times revealed in the moments shortly thereafter, it became clear that all of these episodes were motivated by his personal self-interest and ambition.  He did a fantastic job of continuing the tradition of exceptional narcissism so expertly established by his predecessor, the One.

And even as the 2020 presidential campaign entered into its latter stages and the consequences of its potential outcomes were being thoughtfully discussed, President Trump never once considered that the intrinsic value of his administration’s policies were far more precious than the worth of his reputation as a leader.  Repeatedly ignoring the opportunity to have those policies continue beyond his first term, he refused to subjugate himself to a level of political decorum that might possibly have led his candidacy to a successful conclusion.  To the very and bitter end, Donald Trump was “The Donald” and he went out the very same way he came in; making it all about himself, being loud, and being totally self-unaware.

Don’t miss the next post….Just Google centerlineright

My fears of a Democratic takeover of our government grew as the campaign progressed.  I became more and more apprehensive.  I had a terrible sense of dread when I considered the increasingly likely possibility of a liberal sweep in Congress and the White House.  Recalling my intense funk when Obama was elected to a second term, I was troubled by the catastrophic emotional upheaval that would accompany a Biden and Schumer victory.  But strangely, even with the full and terrible understanding of the damage that complete Democratic leadership in our nation’s capitol might entail, I have not personally realized any sense of loss in Donald Trump’s defeat.

Don’t get me wrong; I truly hated to see Joe Biden win.  The thought of placing a walking cadaver in the presidency, along with Chuck and Nancy running the Congressional circus, is enough to keep me awake at night worrying about the futures of my children and grandchildren.  But cry over Donald Trump losing an election?  Not so much.  I do not celebrate his loss; I just feel the silver lining warmth of his personal absence. 

The Donald Trump presidency was a grand experiment in placing a true political outsider in charge of our government.  It is possible that had roles been reversed and the Donald was a Dem, the Republicans might well have marshaled a similar resistance to his efforts.  That premise will no doubt be debated for some time to come; but there is absolutely no debate about what we have returned to.  As if the false promises and delusional aspirations of Hope and Change were not sufficient to jerk our nation back to reality; brace yourselves for the rude awakenings that lay in store when we begin to live the effects of the Past and Pathetic.  Make no mistake about it; the wages of our political negligence at America’s polls will come due and the process of payment will be painful.

The soul and fiber of our country is going to be sorely tried over the coming months.  When surveying the current landscape, it is difficult to imagine any semblance of statesmanship, civility, or bipartisanship in our government or society.  The wounds that have been gouged and raked during the Obama and Trump years are not going to heal quietly.  They will continue to fester, spreading corruption and fever throughout the civic body of our nation.  We have made a hard bargain with the devil in deciding the past election as we did.  Yes, we did rid ourselves of an arrogant and pretentiously-sophisticated lout that somehow seemed to bring out the worst in both his supporters and opponents.  But in doing so, we have allowed…yea, we have invited… into our homes the insidious, sometimes immoral, oftentimes hateful, and always hypocritical essence of the extreme liberal consciousness. 

So while the joy-filled Democrats, along with their Never-Trumper Republican allies and short-sighted Independent friends, celebrate their hard-earned (or smartly-stolen?) election victories; we should all pause for a few moments and consider battening down our familial hatches, padding our savings accounts, tightening up our purse strings, and reflecting on our own personal principles because ready or not, the true test of American constitutional democracy is about to begin. 

It is a sad and tragic thing that we have done to ourselves.  We’ve taken noble ideals of honor and sacrifice and turned them into spitefulness and hate.  The potential of common dreams has morphed into a ménage of terrible nightmares and self-absorption.  The pure and innocent beauty of ambition and achievement has been buried beneath ashen piles of isolation and dependence.  And the twisted, tortured, and mean culture that we so often encounter in our daily lives has numbed the better parts of our soul and diminished our quality as humans.  If we do not somehow find a way to heal ourselves and bridge the ever-widening gaps between poverty and wealth, pure evil and sincere compassion, unvarnished greed and unselfish goodness, and simple, decent respect for each other….then the true test is not just for our democracy.  It is for us as a nation.  May God be with us.