History Repeats Itself....Idiocy Persists

The plain and simple lunacy of the ongoing government shutdown is rife with angles and blame and causes and effects and politics and media blare and….unfortunately, costly and tragic consequences.

 

Both of our national political parties should be ashamed to show their faces to a camera, an interviewer, or a voter.  Their pathetic record of failure to timely pass appropriation bills, spendthrift spending that resembles the fiscal habits of drunken sailors, and their juvenile sandbox debates about exactly who is to blame….all of this is just sad.

 

Digging through the archives, I was reminded of a time not too long ago.  There is an old saying that goes…If we do not learn from our mistakes; we are condemned to repeat them.  Another one that springs to mind regarding this issue is…History repeats itself.  Our government…especially our Congress…has become an ongoing circus where the only changes are the clowns inside the tent; the tent remains the same.  Consider this….

 

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history occurred from December 2018 to January 2019, lasting 35 days. It was a partial shutdown, caused by a dispute over funding for a border wall, and ended on January 25, 2019. 

·         Duration: 35 days, from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019.

·         Cause: A disagreement between President Trump and Congress over funding for the proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

·         Resolution: President Trump signed a temporary spending bill that reopened the government without providing full funding for the wall.

·         Impact: The shutdown caused significant disruptions, including the suspension of routine inspections by the FDA, the closure of some national parks, and a delay in thousands of immigration court hearings. The Congressional Budget Office estimated it cost the U.S. economy about $11 billion. 

 

And to close this tribute to the comedy show that is WDC, and the season that we are rapidly approaching, consider this blast from the past…

 

https://centerlineright.blogspot.com/search?q=christmas+card+2019

 

It Don’t Impressa Me Much

Democrats winning votes in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia, and California is pretty weak justification for crying SWEEP, BLUE TIDE, or BUYER’S REMORSE.  Realistically, they were never going to be competitive races.  At best, it is holding your home court; at worst, it is making a nest that will be difficult to sleep in.  Mamdani, Sherrill, Spanberger, and Jay Jones are not the type of future stars that most rank and file Democrats will quiver over. Nor will they likely perform in a fashion that will impress Independents or the few remaining moderate Democrats.  Here is an interesting note: when I spell-checked my Word document prior to posting this piece, the app noted the word “Mamdani” as misspelled and suggested that I use the word “Madman”…hmmm.

 

Give the Democrats credit; they won races they were supposed to win.  There are a multitude of college football coaches who are recently unemployed because they failed to do this simple thing.  But blowing a home field advantage into a broader accomplishment runs the very real risk of raising expectations to levels that are unachievable.  On Wednesday morning, Democrats might think they can fly…but I wouldn’t be jumping off any cliffs if I were them.  Looking at the upcoming mid-terms post-November/2025, I still submit that the Republicans look very secure in the Senate and that control of the House is up in the air.  The plain and simple facts are that not only does the House turn over completely every two years with 435 races being conducted, but House races are typically local in nature and represent districts as small as a portion of a county up to a handful of counties.  House races are the definition of local politics.  That type of formula is unpredictable at best and absolutely maddening at worst.  It does not entirely reflect the national political mood.

 

If the Republicans, in conjunction with the Trump Administration, are going to maintain control of Congress and government, they need to take some immediate steps towards that goal.  First off, they need to understand when to declare victory and move on to the next battle.  The border is closed; keep it that way and move on.  ICE deportations are broadly acceptable and running on schedule; keep it that way and move on.  Executive actions on tariffs are legally questionable and create a large degree of uncertainty in the markets and in the electorate; make the trade deals that the President is authorized to do and move on.  Foreign policy is the President’s solo opportunity; continue to be strong, consistent, and vocal…but never forget that foreign policy carries less weight with most voters than domestic policy.  For heaven’s sake, President Trump…stop getting drawn into a food fight with every idiot Democrat, Republican, pundit, journalist, or celebrity that happens to criticize you.  You are the President; rise above the fray.  Do not be distracted by every shiny object that is thrown your way and keep your limited time and resources focused on getting important things done for America over the next three years.  Walk the walk and you don’t have to talk the talk.

 

And the MOST important thing that needs to be done is improve the economy for all Americans. In my opinion, President Trump deserves high marks for the actions he has taken, both domestic and international, to improve our economy.  He inherited a colossal mess from his predecessor.  He is securing good trade deals, he is making and soliciting good investments in American industry, and he is supercharging our energy sector in a way that not only spurs America’s economy…but also elevates our national security.  But the U.S. economy does not rise and fall at the flip of a switch.  It is a result of myriad influences and trends that takes months and years to coalesce into positive results.  The Trump Administration has taken the initial steps to put this progress in motion, but it is going to take time for the good results to reach all the way down the pockets of our citizenry.  The critical point is that tangible, positive results must be evident before the mid-term elections of 2026.    

 

Republicans in Congress need to do their job.  They need to pass appropriation bills on time and in responsible form.  They need to confirm appointments.  They need to pass new health care, national immigration reform, and crime control legislation.  They need to produce results…not rhetoric.  President Trump needs to continue his impressively busy schedule of promoting our country and the sound, common sense policies that he typically advocates.  But he too needs to rely on results and not carnival barking.  Stop talking about the problems you have solved or are well on the way to solving; start talking about the ones that have not yet been fully addressed.  Talk about the economy every day in every way.  Never let voters forget that you CARE about the cost of living, good paying jobs, and financial opportunities for working Americans.  Highlight the wins and address the problems with real solutions and ideals.

 

Talk about the horrors of crime; but also talk about solutions to crime prevention and improvements in our justice system.  Talk about the inequity and abuse in our national immigration system; but also demonstrate that you recognize the reality of millions of illegal aliens that have become embedded in our communities in a positive way over the last few decades.  Talk about the waste, fraud, and abuse in our government health and welfare programs; but show compassion for those among us who suffer from limited resources, oppressive social environments, and the unpredictably cruel consequences that life in general can throw at us.  Be a man of the people, a strong leader…a visionary that puts America first; but never forget to recognize that there are many among us who do not fully share in the benefits of peace and prosperity. 

 

The Democrats had a good day on November 4, but not nearly as good as it is being presented.  The board is set and the pieces are in place for the Republicans to not only maintain control of our government through December of 2028, but for a significant span of time beyond that.  But for the Republicans to do that, they must remain focused on doing their jobs, continuing to deliver common sense and responsible results for the American people, shrinking the size of government and improving its efficiency, and selecting superior candidates to compete for elected office.  Republicans…focus on good policy, good people, good results, and avoid the shiny objects that will litter your path forward.  Do the work and you will get the credit.

 

 

Stupidity Illustrated: TDS, Government Shutdown, and Obamacare

It has become cringingly obvious to anyone paying attention that there is one common theme driving the opposition to any Trump Administration or Congressional Republican efforts towards governing this nation; that theme being “Trump Derangement Syndrome”.  The Democrat, Liberal, and Progressive pretense of trying to hide this affliction amid a myriad web of legislative sabotage, lawfare, mass marketing of bias/disinformation, and quasi-legitimate policy disputes has been cast aside.  This group of malcontents now openly and boldly proclaim to anyone who poses the question that there is only one reason to oppose any form of Republican, conservative initiatives towards governmental policy or administration.  That reason is TRUMP.

 

Whether it be the endless and ridiculous hawking by Congressional Democrats on the floors of the Senate and House, the stories blared loudly through print, airwaves, and internet sites by the mainstream media; the chicken-little hysterics of academia, intelligentsia, and the elite class of progressive experts; or simply the interview response of individual citizens taking part in riots, protests, and public displays of opposition.  When they are asked “exactly what is it you are protesting?”… the answer is always…and reliably…one word: Trump.  Let us consider the source of this strange, troubling, and inexplicable condition… (note the publication date)…

 

https://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2017/12/what-is-really-troubling-democrats.html

 

We have reached an uncomfortable and tragic point in Congressional history where it simply makes sense to eliminate the filibuster.  I say this with regret and disappointment, knowing that it is a Pandora’s Box that will undoubtedly prove to be a two-edged sword…both cutting and healing.

 

But for the Republican Party…who just happens to be the bastion of conservative ideas in our government…the moment has arrived to face reality.  Not that many months ago, Chuck Schumer and his Democrat majority in the U.S. Senate were openly and joyously pursuing the elimination of the Senate filibuster.  Having acquired practical control of our government through majority status in the House, Senate, and also control of the White House, they brazenly announced their raw ambitions to reinvent America in their progressive vision and threw open the Senate to the prospect of simple majority rule.  Two rebel Senators…Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona and Joe Manchin from West Virginia …prevented this from happening.  Is there a sentient being anywhere in America’s political vortex who doubts that if…and when…the Democrat Party regains majority status in the Senate, they will once again boldly and shamelessly pursue the elimination of the filibuster?  I think not.

 

Sinema (through her NO vote), Manchin (through his NO vote), and Kamala Harris (through her ineptitude) are the three people who prevented a total apocalyptic end to constitutional government under the Biden presidency and Democrat Party.  The circumstances that brought us to that brink will once again occur at some point in our future.  I fundamentally support the Senate filibuster and its protection of minority party representation; overall, it has served our nation well.  But political reality has evolved to the point where bipartisan government is non-existent and partisan government reigns supreme.  

 

In the absence of the filibuster, the one remaining assurance of two-party rule would continue in the form of simple majority rule.  This is neither the ideal way…nor the preferred way…to govern.  But the simple fact is…and has always been…that it is the law of the land in the House of Representatives.  It accurately reflects the majority choice of the electorate and it sadly appears to be the only avenue available towards achieving some semblance of order, productivity, and efficiency in our U.S. Senate…and by extension, our overall government. 

 

The Republican Party is assured of majority Congressional rule through December of 2026.  Although their chances of maintaining House control are up in the air regarding the upcoming mid-term elections, their odds for maintaining Senate control are more comforting.  Therefore, under a worst case scenario, they have until December/2026 to continue their pursuit of restoring this government to constitutional order.  Under a best case scenario, they have until December/2028 to pursue that effort via victory in the mid-terms and continued control of the Executive Branch.  The clock is ticking, time is precious, and the need for action is ratcheting upward. 

 

To my deep regret, I submit that it is time for Republicans in the Senate to implement the nuclear option of simple-majority legislative rule.  I say this with the full realization that at some point, the Democrats will use this same process to their benefit.  I understand that it is an open invitation to an eternal winding and unwinding of existing government policy, administration, and law.  But unfortunately, it appears to be the only way to eliminate the political carnival that our Congress has become.  Republicans…light the fuse… (note the publication dates)…

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/resurfaced-obama-video-blasting-shutdown-blackmail-now-haunts-democrats-amid-new-standoff/ar-AA1PD15F?ocid=BingHp01&cvid=97c9bfbdaa094e5ab1dcdffc08c1e4d8&ei=52

 

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/590535-manchin-sinema-join-gop-to-sink-filibuster-change-for-voting-bill/#:~:text=Senate%20Democrats%20failed%20to%20change%20the%20legislative%20filibuster,President%20Biden%20and%20the%20party%20a%20stinging%20defeat.

 

The passage of Obamacare effectively sabotaged any hope of bipartisan and productive government under the two Obama Administrations.  Beside the word “boondoggle” in the dictionary, there should be a picture of “Obamacare”.  By their insistence of a strict party-line passage of Obamacare, Obama and the Democrats burned through any and all political capital they possessed.  By insisting on total legislative victory as opposed to overwhelming political victory (100 percent vs. 75 percent), they poisoned the political well in Congress and started this nation down the maddening, tiresome, and venomous political environment that we live in today. 

 

If there is any hope for redemption in the ash heap that is Obamacare, it will rise from the eventual passage of the clean Continuing Resolution legislation in the Senate or the reopening of our shut down government through the aforementioned nuclear option.  Following that action, a rational, compassionate, and honest debate on this nation’s healthcare crisis must take place.  The preferred result of that debate should result in a passage of health care reform legislation based upon a broad and sweeping reimagination of the existing Obamacare programs that have infested our government. That legislation should reflect the conservative and common sense principles of Senate Republicans and any Democrats who may choose to come on board and should be passed through the auspices of the new rules featuring the absence of the filibuster. 

 

Let’s take a look back at the origins of Obamacare and its unholy introduction into our spendthrift, governmental bureaucracy… (note the publication dates)…

 

 https://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-incredible-lightness-of-one.html

 

https://centerlineright.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-fundamental-problem-with-obamacare.html

 

In the course of your life, take a moment and consider the neighborhood, the state, the country, and the world around you.  Climb in your time machine and go back one year to November of 2024.  Consider for a moment just how consequential the election of Donald J. Trump and the reality of Republican congressional control are…and will be…for this nation and the planet.

 

What it was…what it is…what it would have evolved into…that being Obama Part IV (i.e. Obama I, Obama II, Obama/Biden III, and Harris would have been Obama/Harris IV)…

 

https://issuesinsights.com/2025/10/25/its-official-the-democratic-party-is-now-straight-up-socialist/

 

https://reason.com/2025/10/23/bernie-sanders-thinks-amazon-warehouse-jobs-are-exploitative-he-still-wants-to-save-them-from-automation/

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/even-fellow-liberal-supreme-court-justices-are-getting-fed-up-with-ketanji-brown-jackson-report/ar-AA1PA0M0?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=690507b2573a4e5cb731c7fbeb4fdbe8&ei=11

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2025/10/26/california-and-chicago-move-toward-taxation-armageddon/#more-237364

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/10/the-environmental-disaster-of-wind-and-solar.php

https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/10/the-outrageous-biden-autopen-scandal/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/10/30/biden-autopen-investigator-playtime-is-over-its-time-to-prosecute/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/autopen-vs-democracy/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/10/29/arctic-frost-docs-expose-breadth-of-biden-dojs-weaponization/

 

What it is…and will be…for at least the near future…

 

https://healthy-skeptic.com/2025/10/30/where-trump-isnt-getting-enough-credit/

 

https://freebeacon.com/columns/how-trumps-asia-pivot-can-pack-a-punch/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/the-maha-moment/

 

Elections truly do have consequences.  We get the government we deserve.  Now ask yourself the question…

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/30/are-americans-better-or-worse-off-since-january/

 

A couple of quick hits in closing; both dealing with visions of our future…

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/citizenship-starts-in-the-classroom/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/why-mars-is-americas-next-strategic-imperative/

 

 

Three Fundamental Questions

1   Do we send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine?  I truly believe that Donald Trump is instinctively a non-interventionist president; he is wary of involving American boots on the ground in foreign combat theatres.  At the same time, he is acutely aware that America is the supreme military power on the planet and is in the unique position of influencing global conflicts in a fashion that no other nation is capable of wielding.  Further, I think that Trump’s arrogance and supreme self-confidence leads him to see possibilities that may or may not be feasible and that other leaders simply do not consider.  All of these factors weigh into the decision as to how our nation might become further involved in the Russia/Ukraine War.

 

Just as it is nigh on impossible to negotiate with terrorists such as Hamas, it is equally difficult to negotiate with power-hungry zealots such as Putin.  He clearly is exclusively motivated by his desire to restore the old USSR to its former status of Russia and its myriad of satellite/puppet states.  Primary among these desirable, geographical acquisitions is Ukraine.  Try as he might, with and without the support of our ally NATO, Trump has been unable to speak reason to Putin’s unbridled ambition.  It certainly appears that this conflict is headed to a decision point that will certainly have global implications.

 

Putin has lied, cheated, cajoled, deceived, and brutally taken great advantage over any nation or leader of nations that is willing to give him a benefit of a doubt.  Trump may be slow to that game…or…Trump may be insuring that Putin is presented every chance to change before pursuing a strategy of maximum pain towards Russia.  It is patently ridiculous for anyone…of any station…to put forth the proposition that in a full state of war, one nation (Russia) should have the right and capability to strike military and civilian targets inside its opponent’s (Ukraine) borders while the other nation (Ukraine) should not have either the right or the capability to equally strike military and civilian targets inside it’s aggressor’s (Russia) borders.  This is WAR we are talking about here, not opera.

 

If America supplies tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, they will also have to supply the support to use those missiles.  There will be no question that America will have become quite complicit in that war on the side of Ukraine.  If America takes this action, it is quite likely that England and Germany would also supply new offensive missile capabilities to Ukraine.  This would be nothing less than an appropriate and united NATO reaction to a belligerent and unlawful invasion of one nation against another.  It would also be a stressful, risky, and bold step towards a defense of Europe against a determined and deadly foe that has done little to mask its bald ambitions. 

 

Continued dalliance with Putin and his patient, long-term strategy of obfuscation and delay runs perhaps an even greater risk.  It takes little imagination to consider the heightened Russian threat not only to Europe, but to England and other free nations of this world, if Russia were to prevail in their conquest of Ukraine.  Can any sentient being doubt the rabid, global ambitions of a Russia fresh off a consummate victory over Ukraine?  Especially when viewing that in the context of their new and close relationship with China? 

 

https://www.newsnationnow.com/world/russia-at-war/ap-ahead-of-zelenskyy-meeting-trump-shows-signs-he-might-not-be-ready-to-send-kyiv-tomahawk-missiles/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/launching-tomahawks/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/10/tomahawk-missiles-for-ukraine-should-be-on-the-table/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/17/this-is-not-the-time-to-give-tomahawks-to-ukraine/

 

https://nypost.com/2025/10/21/opinion/with-putin-digging-in-its-time-for-trump-to-send-kyiv-some-tomahawks/

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/tomahawks-russia-ukraine/2025/10/18/id/1230893/

 

2.    Do we finally get honest about discrimination?  The inhuman cruelty and immorality of America’s slavery past is undeniable.  However, the actions taken by this nation and its government in reaction to that past are wide open to legitimate debate. 

 

Decades of government programs have attempted, in a legal and civic sense, to mitigate and rectify many of the scars left from this shameful part of our country’s past.  Most of these efforts have been abject failures.  While some positive results may have arisen from them, the condescending and politically-tinged attempts at recompense for America’s black citizenry has resulted not in a lessening of discrimination, but in a heightened and broadened form of wider discrimination. 

 

Reverse discrimination is no less a stain than was the discrimination being addressed.  A multitude of wrongs, no matter how well intentioned, will not repair the original sin of slavery.  The only honest, sustaining, and equitable solution to discrimination is the removal of discrimination by its roots.  We must become a colorblind society and culture; we must legally guarantee equal justice for all regardless of race, creed, or religion; and we must eternally seek equal opportunity for those same citizens in every aspect of life.  We cannot become a color-blind people if we continue to obsess with color. 

 

The Supreme Court of the United States will be addressing a pillar of these futile, bureaucratic efforts towards erasing this blight.  There ruling on this matter might go a long ways towards a nation beginning to look forward to a better day…or…continuing to look obsessively backward towards a regrettable era of pain, suffering, shame, and human loss.

 

https://freebeacon.com/courts/will-the-supreme-court-finally-ban-racial-preferences-in-voting-justices-to-hear-challenge-to-strangely-shaped-majority-black-congressional-district/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/louisiana-v-callais-overdue-reckoning-with-race-based-redistricting/

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/a-bad-day-for-racial-gerrymandering-at-the-supreme-court/ar-AA1OEmc0?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=68f2ded0dde64f12a626c6bdf8f39ac4&ei=35

 

3.   Can a lasting peace be found between Israel and Palestine?  I continue to believe that there is no two-state solution to ending the Israel/Palestinian War that is reasonable, achievable, nor durable in any sense of the word.  The Palestinian people have proven incapable of removing themselves from the domination and persuasion of the terrorist organization Hamas.  In a very real sense, this should not be surprising…and it should not be viewed as a failsafe condemnation of Palestine’s hatred for Israel and its people.  The barbaric brutality of Hamas was showcased by their October 7 attack on Israel and given that level of evil, is it any surprise that they might dominate a small group of people in a small area of land and force them into abject submission? 

 

No doubt, there is some blame to be placed on the people who are intimidated and led by immoral and unethical leaders.  But it is far easier to demand a revolt from a remote and safe haven than it is to risk one’s life, the lives of one’s loved ones, and all that might be precious to one for the sake of freedom.  Refer to the prior topic above to illustrate this point in our own nation’s history.  The Palestinian people may only be properly judged once the boot of Hamas is removed from their necks.  That cannot happen as long as Hamas continues to exist.  Hamas must be excised from Palestine.

 

The only rational future for Palestine that can provide a safe and free environment allowing the Palestinian people to enjoy the dignity, freedom, and respect that all humans deserve is for them to exist as a protected and satellite state within the nation of Israel.  You can call this what you wish…United Nations supervision, multi-lateral administration, demilitarized zones of co-existence.  But at the end of the day, only Israel is in a position to both insure their own peace and stability while simultaneously insuring peace, stability, and autonomy for the Palestinian people.  I fear that any peace plan that ignores this reality is doomed to failure. 

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/10/hamas-is-already-violating-the-peace-deal/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/20/who-or-what-will-finally-end-hamas/

 

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21998/hamas-public-executions

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/10/eyeless-in-gaza-5.php

 

More news and current events to consider….

 

America’s great re-examination of our national education system continues in a series of fits and starts.  It “feels like” we are moving in the right direction…back towards the fundamentals of a good education; but it is unfolding in a painfully slow fashion… “Two steps forward and one step back”.

 

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/education/teachers-union-faces-backlash-after-sending-out-email-map-omitting-israel

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/questioning-one-of-those-progressive-education-cliches/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/10/visa-students-non-citizens-are-guests-and-should-not-have-the-same-rights-as-americans/

 

https://freebeacon.com/campus/a-harvard-dean-defended-death-threats-against-trump-the-university-has-said-nothing/

 

As with education, our mainstream media is showing signs of restoring some common sense and reason to their operations.  The liberal/progressive stranglehold that has been present on the mainstream media is showing signs of release…but not total submission.  We can only hope that the end result will be some semblance of a balance between the right and the left…the conservative and the liberal, with a healthy dose of “right down the middle” carefully blended in.

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-medias-narrative-serving-redefinition-of-illegal-immigrant/

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/10/reform-at-cbs-news.php

 

As was the case not too many years back with the Republicans, the Democrats are now lost in a leaderless wilderness after having lost the White House and both houses of Congress.  As crazy as it may sound, I do believe there are some moderates (Fetterman, Shapiro, Whitmer) in the Democrat Party that are not part and parcel of the lunacy we are witnessing from their organization.  They are simply keeping their heads down, biding their time, and waiting for their members to sober up and look for a more rational form of leadership.  That time will hopefully arrive with a wake-up call in November of 2026 (Resounding Defeat!).  You might ask…What type of lunacy?

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/10/shutdown-fatigue.php

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/19/to-my-fellow-democrats-a-third-way-to-reopen-the-government/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/08/the-democrats-affordability-agenda-is-a-fraud/

 

https://reason.com/2025/10/11/californias-minimum-wage-law-cost-18000-jobs/?nab=1

 

https://reason.com/2025/10/08/tsa-watchlists-were-used-as-tools-of-political-warfare/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/carnival-of-fools/the-activist-and-leisure-class-whines-and-dines-for-no-kings-day/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/23/who-are-the-real-kings/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/10/no-trump-isnt-destroying-the-white-house/

 

“This” is what true insurrection looks like: https://www.city-journal.org/article/minneapolis-george-floyd-square

 

The New York City mayoral race is a tragic comedy.  As crazy as it is to realize that they are the verge of electing the Democrat Party nominee Zohran Mamdani as mayor is the fact that many people from both sides of the political aisle are calling for the Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa to withdraw from the race in order to improve Independent (hah!) candidate Andrew Cuomo’s chances of winning.  Asking the Republican candidate to withdraw from the race in order to save the Democrat Party from its own madness is like the murderer running through the police station with a blasting machine gun and screaming…Stop me before I kill again!

 

https://nypost.com/2025/10/20/opinion/swallow-the-bitter-pill-curtis-sliwa-quit-the-race-to-stop-mamdani/

 

Here are three notes of optimism to close this piece….

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/10/trumps-argentina-gamble/

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/cutting-down-the-administrative-state/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/18/the-american-republic-is-the-last-bastion-of-true-tolerance/

 

 

Donald Trump’s Moment is at Hand

For those of us who lead normal, routine, mundane lives…drama is typically confined to family and workplace matters.  There might be the occasional and distasteful church disagreement or some manner of upheaval in an organization we work with, but those are usually passing dramas that come and go like the rain showers.  For each of us, there are people in our lives of whom we wish to earn respect.  These are the ones for whom we are on our best behavior and actually stop and think about how they might view our words and actions.  This group would typically include our spouse, our children, our peers, and our parents/grandparents.  It matters to us what these folks think about us.  Our sphere of influence is somewhat limited and the reach of that bubble does not cover a lot of territory.  We make mistakes…saying and doing stupid things, and are forgiven for it by those who love us and respect us.  We try hard not to stumble too often, but being the imperfect creatures that we are…it is going to happen more than we want. 

 

There is, and should be, a different set of rules for the public officials and leaders among us.  They have been placed in positions of power and authority with the expectation that they are of high moral and ethical character.  They know this when they accept their positions because they crow about it loudly when seeking those positions.  But all too often, once those positions are obtained, they slide back to the content of character yardstick that regular people live by.  They claim to be saints when they are climbing the career ladder, but they demand a sinner’s forgiveness when they reach the upper echelons of that ladder.  This blatant and shameless form of hypocrisy is rampant in America today.  If our society, culture, and government are going to revert back to a semblance of civility, we must have some accountability dished out to those folks on the top rungs of leadership and authority.

 

Our Constitution is a marvelous blueprint for governing that envisions three co-equal branches of government.  It is designed through a division of responsibilities and powers to lay the groundwork for an effective and representative government.  The co-equal standard requires constant diligence and debate; it is not a static proposition.  It is a living, thriving plant that must be nourished.  The Constitution can grant these authorities and even lay out the broad parameters under which they are to be plied; but it cannot assure us that the people conducting the business of this government are of high integrity.  That is up to the citizenry.

 

It does however provide us with the mechanisms to help insure the maintenance of these check and balances and a method to replace the bad actors that periodically end up in the mix.  This is why we have elections.  This is why we have confirmation hearings.  This is why we have impeachments.  This is why we have the Hatch Act and administer oaths of office.  The general corrupted and dysfunctional state of our nation is not a result of our Constitution; it is a result of the people we have selected to implement that Constitution and the insufficient character content of those people.  These are the people that should be held to the higher standards mentioned in the opening paragraphs and who today commonly fall far short of those behavioral standards.

 

Our Senators and our Representatives, whether they be state or national, campaign on the premise that they are special people who are somehow uniquely qualified to represent us in the halls of government.  But once that position is acquired, they want to bill themselves as the common man, as one of us, and they conveniently slip those character standards down a notch or two…or three…and demand understanding for taking a less judicious approach to how they conduct their public and personal affairs.  The most obvious illustration of this chameleon-like shift is the increasing coarseness and vulgarity in political rhetoric that has become commonplace.  The language we now see on a daily basis in the halls of Congress and the White House is the type of language that not too long ago was confined to bars, men-only sporting events, and good old boy adventures to the woods or the workshop. 

 

Not only has the rhetorical level of sophistication slipped dramatically, but so has the physical and social actions of these selected individuals.  They are commonly and openly aggressive in their words and actions in such a way as to foist mockery, intimidation, and ridicule onto others.  Sadly, the result is more often a belittlement of them.  And unfortunately, we the people are apparently willing to buy into this slide down the character chute and more or less encourage them to slide down further.  So what if they curse and become belligerent in the course of their duties; they are just being themselves and of the people.   So what if they unabashedly take advantage of their insider information and enrich themselves in financial transactions; they are special people and deserve these benefits.  So what if the conduct of their personal affairs often borders on the immoral and unethical; they are public servants who are dealing with inordinate amounts of stress and complicity.  Their pleas to us are thin gruel…the burden of power hangs heavy.  Having reached their vaunted positions through a claim of being special people, they now claim the frailties and the forbearance of the common man.  The saints have fallen to the earth and yet still want to be heralded as saints.  If you do not want to walk the walk…do not talk the talk.

 

A correction to this abysmal erosion of character in our government must start at the top.  It must begin with those three co-equal branches set forth in our Constitution.  It must be demonstrated by our President, our Congress, and our Supreme Court of the United States.  It can…and should…begin with Donald J. Trump.  Based on his accomplishments over the first 10 months in office of his second term and the random possibilities that are present in the world today, it is fair to say that Trump has arrived at a fork in his road.  If he continues his current path and finds success in most of his efforts, he will go down in history as a very successful president.  But no matter how impressive his accomplishments might prove to be, he will nonetheless be a notch or two below a monumentally great president.  This is because 30-to-40 percent of the people in America hate the man for what he is and will never accept the merit of his success.  His moment is at hand.  Today, he is a colossus standing astride the global political world.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/13/trump-israel-gaza-hostage-release-news/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/all-living-israeli-hostages-return-home-ending-two-years-of-torment/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/10/13/the-pieces-of-trumps-peace/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/10/08/democrats-arent-insane-or-unhinged-theyre-deliberately-and-methodically-anti-american/

 

Ponder this reality for a moment….It has proven far easier for our President and his Administration to negotiate with a bunch of barbaric, heathen terrorists in the Middle East than it has with a bunch of liberal, progressive politicians who are leading the Democrat Party in Congress.  Trump has gotten down in the mud with these folks and licked them.  But having proven that point…is it not time to climb out of the pit and clean up a little?

 

Before him lies the opportunity to forego the completely understandable urge to even the score with all those who have persecuted him over his political career…both rightly and wrongly.  It is a much easier road that turns the treachery and sabotage back on those who had previously trained it upon him.  Considering what he endured, it is not at all surprising to see him go down this road; in all honesty, most of us would take a similar path.  But if Trump could tamp down those vengeful instincts; if he could rise above the pettiness and venom so ingrained in today’s political environment…he could win over a sufficient number of those 30-to-40 percent doubters and solidify his place in the pantheon of past presidents as one of the greatest.  Every…single…moment that is spent on lawfare, crude remarks about people being fat or stupid or both, sombrero memes, self-aggrandizing riffs, and lame exercises in over-the-top rhetorical nonsense is a moment in which he sacrifices grand achievement potential for personal gain satisfaction.  President Donald Trump is currently the most powerful man in this world.  What will he choose to do with that power? 

 

Will he continue the course he has begun in his second term piling up important political and policy wins while demonizing, marginalizing, and driving his political opposition crazy…or…Will he adhere to his fundamentally positive instinctual policy initiatives, make dramatic shifts in the health and well-being of our nation towards a greater and better country, and set a new and refreshing example as the type of inspirational and effective leader that we all yearn for?  The opportunity lies before Trump to make transformational changes not only in the performance of our government, but also in the character of our government.  Will he reach for the stars and all that might be possible…or…Will he settle for the satisfaction of eviscerating his opponents and laying their political agenda to waste?  The next three years will answer these questions.  As Americans, we can both support President Trump and still yet wish for him to be a better man.