Friday, April 24, 2026

Looking Ahead…Through a Glass Darkly

Looking ahead for this nation and world is…unsettling, at best.  It is now a bit over six months to the mid-term elections.  Six months is a lifetime in politics; but the tea leaves are beginning coalesce and give us an idea of how those elections might turn out. 

 

Even though it has been essentially crowded out of the headlines, the Russia/Ukraine war continues unabated.  The daily carnage has apparently reached a level of normality for the mainstream media that makes it unworthy of headlines…but the evil abides with us.  The Iran conflict is headed somewhere…just hard to say where.  The ever-changing updates from the White House are leaving everyone guessing as to who is doing what to whom, who is running the show in Iran, and precisely what is the end game of the Trump Administration in this battle of will, rockets, planes, ships, bombs, and bluster.  Canada, France, and China appear to be closer together than America, NATO, and the North American continent.  The USA is shooting manned spaceships to the moon and we are hearing about military weapons that heretofore have only been mentioned in science fiction.  Hardly a day goes by without some new AI-created marvel being unveiled.  Our Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been unfunded for weeks now, but no one seems to notice anymore.  The Democrat Party’s rhetoric is getting cruder and this coarsening of the legislative process has spurred our infantile President to lower himself to their level in words, deeds, and thoughts.  The Supreme Court of the United States is torn apart by partisan rancor and rife with unethical leaks that are destroying its credibility.  Our national economy, like the international economy, is struggling with the ever-present uncertainty that continually ebbs and flows.  And in the midst of all this chaos and turmoil…the band plays on.

 

Even now, given all the above-mentioned madness that surrounds our country and the world, there appears to be an underlying sense of muted optimism that is unspoken.  It feels to me like a pent-up urge to build something, expand something, buy something, make a career change, or set up a new business.  Democrats don’t address it because anything positive in nature might possibly benefit Donald Trump.  Republicans don’t talk about it because they are dysfunctional, at war with each other, fearful of being labeled “Trump Toadies”, and essentially content to play political defense rather than partisan offense.  What does all of this tell us about the upcoming midterms?  There are a few scenarios and each has a reasonable chance of occurring.  Let us consider a couple of them.

 

Best case for Trump and the Republicans.  The Iran conflict wraps up in the next month with the crippled and neutered Iranian radical leadership still in charge…but powerless in military capability, impotent in an economic sense, and reeling from a stinging defeat with civil unrest boiling.  American forces come home, the straits are once again open to free shipping, Israel is content with the lessened threat they must daily face, and far more extensive and costly conflict is ultimately avoided.  Trump realizes that stirring up a hot mess in Cuba prior to the mid-terms does not make a lot of political sense and somehow manages to stifle that ambition until next year.  The economy begins to bloom with optimistic attitudes based on positive activity; interest rates remain flat or possibly drop a bit; unemployment remains stable or decreases; inflation is steady with a tilt towards decline; and the non-stop riffing that seems to flow from the Trump Administration is strangely muted, thus permitting people to judge current events for themselves.  Given this big exhale of relief by the American populace…the Republicans hold the Senate, maintain their slim majority in the House, disjointed Congressional legislative efforts continue in fits and starts, and the government finds an acceptable rhythm that gives the impression of competence and proper function.  President Trump is content to build ballrooms and paint swimming pools, while Republicans tout a robust economy with great potential.  With Republicans in control of the White House and Congress, we barrel into a free-wheeling political circus over the next two years where both national political parties will choose their future leader and their future policy direction.

 

Best case for the Democrats.  Trump’s “on again, off again” series of Iranian cease fires and negotiations continue into the summer with a simmering aspect that looks promising, but offers no tangible evidence of real…and final…success.  If it comes to an end at all, it will be wholly unsatisfying and anti-climatic, leaving more questions than answers.  No sooner is the US presence removed from the Middle East than the new talk about regime change in Cuba is fired up and this becomes Trump’s quest du jour.  Republican disunity in Congress fails to fund DHS, the legislative process stalls, and the carnival atmosphere surrounding the Legislative and Executive branches continues unabated.  The mainstream media is obsessed with international relations and the degrees to which our alliances are improved or damaged…with most emphasis being placed on the damage.  Without any relief from daily conflict and tension, the economy remains unsettled with energy market uncertainty holding up or even slightly increasing inflation rates.  Economic performance is lukewarm at best and is effectively…and fairly…laid directly at the feet of President Trump.  The Republicans manage to hold a slim Senate majority, but surrender House control to the Democrats with a small, but larger than current, majority with which to operate.  Divided government is once again the rule of the land, and the House Democrats are ready to roll…indicting, investigating, impeaching, legislating dead-end bills with no prospect of Senate passage, and basically bringing any semblance of routine legislative function to a screeching halt.  For the next two years leading up to the presidential election of 2028, there will be nothing in Congress but the unmitigated partisan warfare that we have seen glimpses of before, but never with the scope and intensity that will be forthcoming.  The unquenchable TDS disorder of the Democrats will be all consuming and the frustration and lame-duck status of our President will lead him into some of the worst presidential behavior we have seen in decades. 

 

It is beyond foolish for anyone, especially a uniformed hack like me, to prognosticate about what the next couple of years hold for this nation and its government.  Goodness knows the intricacies and complexities of the upcoming political and global dynamics are entirely impossible to predict with any degree of accuracy; and they hold the potential for any number of outcomes…none of them purely good or bad.  But think for yourself.  Consider the political gamesmanship that we experienced in the last two years of the first Trump Administration, the corruptive abuse of power and rank incompetence we witnessed during the Biden Administration, and now look at the gaping/raging/incoherent/out of control partisan divide that currently exists in our country.  Is either one of the two scenarios really that unreasonable or bizarre?

 

With either scenario in play, America is in for an extended period of raucous political theatre.  Each national party is going to struggle through an internal civil war that not only determines their next presidential nominee; it will also largely determine the very future of their parties.  These two individual struggles will then setup the penultimate decision facing this nation in the next presidential election.  A lot of dramatic and consequential history will be made over the next two and half years in our country.  We should all choose wisely.

 

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The Iranian conflict is facing an age old dilemma…how do you negotiate with madmen and what is the fair price of freedom and security?

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/04/19/the-geopolitics-of-epic-fury/

 

https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/04/20/unfiltered-media-trumps-iran-initiative-resonates-voters

 

https://www.zinebriboua.com/p/the-iran-question-is-all-about-china

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/04/23/how-iran-committed-suicide/

 

An interesting and consequential aspect of the Iranian conflict is how it will undoubtedly trigger a reassessment of our global alliances.  Who is our friend?  Who is our enemy?  Who is reliable and valuable?  Who is weak and malleable? Most importantly…who can we trust?

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/04/20/sanchez-lenin-and-global-opposition-to-trump/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/04/20/use-the-momentum-the-eu-moves-to-destroy-the-last-vestiges-of-national-sovereignty/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/04/16/its-time-to-rethink-nato/

 

An elephant in the room that no one wants to address is the absolute, irresponsible, unforgiveable, and profligate spending of federal tax dollars by our elected officials from both national parties.  They spend too much and lie constantly about it.  They are fiddling while Rome is burning around them.  The only difference between the two is the causes they choose to overspend on. 

 

https://reason.com/2026/04/19/one-thing-every-modern-president-has-in-common-they-all-spent-more-than-the-last-guy/

 

https://reason.com/2026/04/16/the-rich-dont-pay-their-fair-share-and-4-other-tax-myths-that-wont-die/

 

Education…Education…Education

 

https://amgreatness.com/2026/04/18/socioeconomic-status-does-not-explain-the-black-white-achievement-gap/

 

https://jamesgmartin.center/2026/04/in-praise-of-the-4-4-load/

 

https://reason.com/2026/04/17/yale-admits-self-censorship-and-political-bias-are-eroding-trust-in-higher-education/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/04/23/more-heat-than-light-ucla-law-school-students-disrupt-federalist-event/

 

I am about to line up a series of links that offer us a glimpse into how Democrats like to govern.  But before I do that, I want to link this first article to establish the fact that the Republicans are certainly as capable of government corruption as are the Democrats.  The difference between the two that I see is the simple fact that the depth, width, frequency, and competence to execute abuse of federal authority is so much greater in the Democrat Party than it is in the Republican Party.  Both parties have corruptive elements…but in the Democrat Party, it is far more pervasive and tolerable.  You can judge for yourselves.

 

https://reason.com/2026/04/23/the-fbis-alleged-probe-of-a-reporter-for-stalking-breaks-new-ground-in-criminalizing-journalism/

 

And now the Democrats…

 

Their vision…

 

https://victorhanson.com/all-the-dream-houses-of-the-left/

 

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5830141-socialist-mayors-struggle-delivering/

 

In the realm of justice…

 

https://thefederalist.com/2026/04/17/new-docs-reinforce-the-newest-dc-district-judge-is-a-legal-hack-skilled-in-abusing-power/

 

https://justthenews.com/accountability/whistleblowers/ided-witness-2-helped-ukraine-whistleblower-worked-strzok-wrote-2016

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/04/22/the-disbarment-of-john-eastman-the-california-bar-bags-a-trump-lawyer-and-leaves-troubling-questions/

 

https://thefederalist.com/2026/04/17/john-eastman-disbarment-marks-new-low-in-lawfare-against-conservatives/


https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/democrats-ukraine-narrative-has-gone-reverse-gop-seeks-expunge

 

Trump Derangement Syndrome…

 

https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/opinion/michael-goodwin-chris-murphy-is-cheering-for-americas-enemies-as-dems-spew-lies-about-trump-israel/

 

How they portray themselves as moderates when running for office and then once elected, boldly pursue their progressive goals…

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/04/18/spanberger-signs-unconstitutional-bill-to-strip-confederacy-linked-groups-of-tax-exempt-status/#more-243465

 

Gerrymandering is messed up.  President Trump started this whole deal with his irresponsible rant about Texas redistricting.  As I said before…if you want to fight the Democrats in the corruption arena, you are going to lose every time.  Trump should have kept his mouth shut.

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/florida-pump-the-brakes/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/virginia-voters-approve-democrats-aggressive-mid-decade-redistricting-proposal/

 

https://reason.com/2026/04/22/virginias-grotesque-gerrymander-and-the-bipartisan-death-of-redistricting-reform/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/04/virginia-votes-against-its-citizens-while-national-republicans-sleep/

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/04/on-the-virginia-referendum.php

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/virginia-democrats-cast-republicans-into-the-outer-darkness-on-a-bare-majority-vote/

 

The Democrats have always had a big advantage because of their dark sources of cash and mainstream media support.  Occasionally, the curtain gets pulled back and we get a glimpse of how we are deceived and manipulated…

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/04/manufacturing-racism/

 

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/04/22/the-southern-poverty-law-center-indictment-can-public-interest-groups-run-alleged-black-bag-jobs-and-confidential-informants/

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/todd-blanche-splc-indictment/2026/04/23/id/1253912/

 

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/splcs-offshore-assets-ballooned-as-embattled-left-wing-darling-secretly-funded-kkk-and-other-violent-extremist-groups-and-reported-owning-accounts-in-the-cayman-islands/

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/04/a-look-back-at-the-splc.php

 

Here are four quick hits in closing.

 

History is controlled by those who hold the writing instrument…

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/who-owns-american-history/

 

It is always fascinating to see how the ultimate arbiter of American justice operates behind the scenes…

 

https://thefederalist.com/2026/04/22/how-justice-alito-assembled-the-coalition-that-sent-roe-to-the-dustbin-of-history/

 

Peace through strength is essential…

 

https://americanmind.org/memo/how-the-u-s-can-restore-its-arsenal/

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-rearms-iran-ceasefire-advanced-munitions-supplies/

 

Behold the sticky wicket that is gun control…

 

https://reason.com/2026/04/17/the-gun-debate-hasnt-changed-in-500-years/

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Looking Ahead…Through a Glass Darkly

Looking ahead for this nation and world is… unsettling , at best.   It is now a bit over six months to the mid-term elections.   Six months ...