When “Half a Pie” is Sufficient.

I have written many times over the past years about the poisonous political divisions within our society.  They are not disappearing.  They are becoming more pronounced.  There is little, if any, evidence that they will even begin to diminish any time soon.  While there can be much debate about when the civility and statesmanship in our government’s political nature began to recede, there is no question that a short backwards glance in the range of 25 years will find that it has not been that long since Democrats and Republicans once knew how to co-exist in a political environment without the use of long knives and hand grenades.

There is a reality among us that we must each simply address.  Our society and culture is 40-45 percent liberal, 40-45 percent conservative, and the ones in the center are not real sure where they stand politically on a daily basis.  They have no allegiance to a national party and many have checked out on the subject of politics.   They are busy living their lives, paying their bills, raising their kids, earning their paychecks, and dealing with the occasional personal crisis that rears its head in each of our worlds.  This is where we are; this is who we are; and this is how we are.  The entertainment world has embraced this situation.  Most of the late night comedians have made the decision to tailor their acts to those of a liberal persuasion.  They understand that their over-the-top rhetoric and subject matter will alienate and offend people with different, more conservative opinions and frankly…they don’t give a damn.  If you don’t drink their kool-aid, you are not a concern to them.  The majority of those folks popularly known as journalists have also decided that they can coddle the segment of the population that will warm up to their agenda and can write off the others.  Do you actually believe that Sean Hannity really cares about how many liberals watch his show?  Reality has demonstrated that a particular 40-45 percent of the population that can be effectively targeted is quite sufficient to support many types of commercial and political efforts.  Many enterprises from every segment of our culture have decided that “half the pie” is sufficient.

There is something about this seismic shift that concerns me.  Perhaps it is just me and I could be mistaken, but I believe that I see this attitude crossing over into the very fiber of our nation; going deep into the entertainment industry, mixing in with the marketing of various products and services, and dominating the polishing of images both commercial and political.  It is seeping into our judicial system, our education system, and yes…in some instances, even into our religion.  It is sobering to watch Stephen Colbert and realize that he honestly could not care less whether you watch his show or not.  If his liberal rhetoric and crude humor offends your conservative senses…tough luck.  He could really care less about you, what you think, and how you live.  He is a child of the left, just as Tucker Carlson is a child of the right.   These folks know you control the clicker and can switch channels; and they DO…NOT…CARE.  It is has gotten to the place where product and service commercials are so heavily messaged with social context that you wonder exactly what it is that they are hawking.  Is it just me or is anyone else sick and tired of being constantly bombarded by Corporate America and their marketing efforts that show me in graphic detail how our society should look…and think…and speak…and act.  What happened to the days when an actual product or service was featured in marketing efforts?  I hate myself for this, but I have to admit that part of my purchasing decision process as a consumer is now the consideration of how the manufacturer handles their social messaging.  Who really needs this foolishness?  I want tape that sticks, pens that write, deodorant that keeps me from stinking, shampoo that keeps my hair clean, investments that make a profit, cars and trucks that are reliable…well, you get the point.

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The really scary part of this whole deal is that the truth is becoming evident that we CAN exist as a divided society.  The left can sell to the left, the right can sell to the right, and there are sufficient numbers on each side to make the respective boat float.  The gulf between the two philosophies can continue to widen and each side will simply polish up their demographic targeting, pick off a few of those independents in the middle, and write off a huge part of the American people from their business.  Our institutions of higher learning and the fields of academia have long been liberal bastions; but it seems like they used to be a bit more subtle and cautious about their leftist agendas.  We now see college administrators, faculty, and organizations openly and proudly opposing even the consideration of opposing points of view.  We now see instances where this political and social tunnel vision is seeping into K-thru-12 education.  Is this the future for our country?  Will conservatives have their own preferred states to live and work in?  Will liberals exclusively attend a handful of colleges while conservatives choose others?  Will the media take that last, short step towards obvious political bias and throw away any semblance of balance? 

When we consider the possible consequences of the path we are on, it is impossible to predict with any degree of certainty where it will all end.  What can be said with complete certainty is that we as a divided nation are weaker, less just and caring, less judicious in our compassion, less admired in our global world, and certainly of less value as a culturally rich society.   The concept of America is now in full debate.  There are those who advocate allegiance to the fundamental tenets set forth in black and white with our constitution and founding fathers.  There are those that submit that we, as a nation, are an evolving experiment that can be changed, improved, and reinvented to a new and enlightened level.  And even though our nation’s founding principles provide process for changes in our government, that process to many is inadequate to address the changes they so fervently desire.   It is not an exaggeration to say that the heart and soul of our nation is at stake in the great debate and divide that is ongoing.  Has the blood and treasure spent throughout history to preserve the tenets of our founding fathers been invested to preserve the original concepts of these United States or were they the price we paid for the freedom to reinvent our nation and change it into a new and different country driven by progressive concerns and considerations?  You decide.

Hypocrisy and Hubris.

Hypocrisy first.  Every man or woman is supposed to be presumed innocent prior to trial.  Alabama Republican and Senatorial nominee Moore’s escapade is no different.   However, when numerous complainants come forward with some of the specifics that we are seeing in their accusations, there certainly seems to be the real possibility of fire down inside that smoke.  At the very least, Moore should back out of this campaign and deal with his personal issues.  It certainly seems like an effort that might require his full attention.  As an aside, how fascinating it is to see the way liberals have been reacting to the rash of articles comparing Moore’s issues with those of Bill Clinton, the fat Hollywood director/producer, and some various Kennedys.  There has never been equal justice in American courts, either the judicial ones or the ones that deal with public opinion.  In America, one gets as much justice as they can afford.  We should not expect saints in our Congress; that quest would never be fulfilled.  Who wants a saint making all the rules anyway?  On the other hand, there are certain moral and ethical standards that we can reasonably expect to be met by Senators and Representatives.  It is one of those deals where we might not be able to put the list down in black and white, but I think we all know the “pass or fail” grade when we encounter it.  Until proven otherwise…Moore has failed.

And speaking of hypocrisy…have you read Hillary’s latest comments about the possibility of a special counsel to look into her Uranium One deal?  If you want to get the real and honest scoop on Trump Investigations versus Clinton Investigations, go to McCarthy @

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/453659/mueller-paul-manafort-investigation-hardball-tactics  .

Special counsels are a bad idea, whether they are investigating Republicans or Democrats.  It is an open invitation to political skulduggery and mission creep.  If our Department of Justice and other related government law enforcement agencies cannot be trusted to conduct transparent, non-biased, and competent investigations of politically-tinged issues, then we need some wholesale changes in civil service personnel.  Mueller is a joke, a farce, and the biggest bamboozle ever perpetrated on the American taxpayer.  The sooner he can complete this circus he is conducting, the better.  Appointing another Special Counsel to look into Democratic Russian monkey business would be “oh so satisfying” to many Republicans in a tit for tat fashion; but it would be a terrible idea, a colossal waste of time and money, and would only serve to further devolve the poisonous political environment that currently exists in WDC.  Civil servants, especially high ranking civil servants, are very well paid.  They need to step up, make the hard decisions they are paid to make, do their jobs, and quit passing the buck and ducking their obligations.

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Now, about that hubris…in the U.S. Senate.  Mitch McConnell, my home state Senator, drives me nuts sometimes with his total allegiance to Senate traditions and decorum.  Most times these days, I just want him to throw down and play hardball with the majority advantages that he holds.  On the other hand, I suppose for the Senate to survive in some type of semi-civil state, there must be McConnells on both sides of the political aisle.  They are likely the closest thing we have to statesmen these days.  But this absurd expectation of each U.S. Senator that has become so prevalent over the last decade of demanding legislation that is precisely according to their liking is becoming very tiresome.  We saw it most recently in the Senate Republican’s effort to repeal and replace Obamacare.  The pathetic drama inflicted upon us by McCain, Collins, and Murkowski borders on the unbearable.  And now we have Obamacare, the Sequel: Republican Tax Reform; more of the same drama and grandstanding, beginning with Senator Ron Johnson.   These people know the legislative process and they know what is doable and what is not.  They know when the process will allow for changes in the legislative product and when it is simply designed to move the bill forward to a later reckoning.  History has taught us that pushing legislation in the House is like herding cats; a frustrating and nebulous process.  But so far in the Trump Administration, the House has been the mature body with members serving their paltry two-year terms while the hubris of the “Senate elites” has exposed them to be the preening, shallow, unprincipled politicians we all suspected.  Love him or hate him, we must give a tip of the hat to Paul Ryan for moving actual legislation through the sausage factory that is the U.S. House in an impressive and meaningful way.  Unfortunately, once it has achieved House passage, said legislation heads over to the Senate graveyard to serve as a pretense for grandstanding.  Six years is waaaaay tooooo looooong for some of these dudes (and dudesses) to be serving in office.  Term limits cannot come soon enough to our nation’s government.  For the time being in WDC, we are seeing the triumph of House citizenry government over the arrogance of Senate vanity. 

Anyone who has ever been to WDC and Capitol Hill can’t help but be struck by the obvious grandeur that surrounds everything Senatorial in nature.  When you walk through a Senate office building, you can’t help but notice that the doors are little bit higher and wider, the ceilings are a little bit taller, the offices are a good bit larger, the furnishings a bit more plush, and the people are a damn sight more pompous.  It is no wonder that in this environment, Senators form their sense of entitlement and privilege.  And as we have done so many times in the past, when we graduate one of these prima donnas to the White House, the club only deepens its hold on all things civic.  Be they Democrat or Republican, there is much to be said for sending an outsider to WDC as President.  On the one hand, the established rule of order is threatened and that new outsider has a difficult time getting any cooperation out of the old heads.  But on the positive side, an outsider brings a stark contrast to the front that reminds us of how far removed our elected officials are from living in the real world. 

Our Cultural and Governmental Dissonance Continues Unabated.

It is now a known fact that the Obama IRS was weaponized to target conservative groups and individuals.  The IRS has admitted as much in a formal apology letter to those targeted groups and individuals and several large settlement checks are being made payable to those same folks.  You, me, and all the other taxpayers are paying for Obama’s IRS zealots’ misbehavior while they go merrily off into retirement with their pension checks.

• ·      Once again, it is useful to consider how ridiculous we look as a society and culture when we note that Nixon’s proposed four articles of impeachment included an “attempt” to use the IRS for political purposes.   Think about that for a moment…Nixon tries unsuccessfully to do it and they were going to impeach him for it.  Obama actually does it and skates away without a trace.
• ·      And  how about the way the intelligence agencies of our government, under the guidance of Obama/Holder/Brennan,  kind of adopted the DNC/Clinton Trump dossier, likely used tax dollars to fund its continuance, used it to execute unethical and perhaps illegal unmasking actions, and essentially used our national security apparatus for pure, political purposes?
• ·      The Obama DOJ was obviously used for political purposes to unmask, probe, and go on fishing expeditions for Trump dirt.   Susan Rice, Ben Rhodes, and Samantha Power were apparently waist deep in blatantly exploiting highly sensitive and restricted intelligence data for pure political gain.  And what are the consequences for those actions…at least so far?  Nada.
• ·      Records show that Obama, who was term-limited and was a very lame duck, and through his official campaign organization, paid Fusion GPS, the Kremlin-mucking, dirt raking outfit funded by the DNC and Hillary Clinton Campaign, almost a cool $1 million.  Why in the world would that happen?  He was not running for office.  It was not spent to help elect Democratic candidates for Congress.  It was plain and simple a power play and abuse in a lame attempt to continue his perverted agenda rather than turn the government over to the reality TV show personality put up for President by the Republicans. 
• ·      How farcical is it that Robert Mueller and his band of F. Lee Bailey wannabes are now banging around in the cupboards of any individual who has ever been associated with anything Trump, spending YOUR tax dollars by the millions, and running without any oversight authority as hard as they can to pin something…anything…on the President or someone he once met or shook hands with.  Robert Mueller, who was in charge of the FBI when the Uranium One “get rich scheme” was running wide open and who very likely played a part in involving the FBI, the Obama Administration, and who knows what other intelligence agencies with the ridiculous Fusion GPS Trump dossier?  It is nothing short of “theatre of the absurd” to see Mueller and his band of merry lawyers chasing around the goblins of Trump Russian collusion when facts are breaking every few days about the actual collusion between the DNC, Hillary Clinton, the Obama Administration, and Fusion GPS with the Russians.
• ·      Obama’s absolute foolishness in foreign policy made America a laughing stock on a global basis, made us a tool of foreign leaders who chose to exploit Obama’s naiveté, and was unvarnished proof that he placed his own quest for personal acclamation well above any concerns about the security of this nation.  The entire free world is now dealing with the consequences of his misadventures involving Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
• ·      Schumer’s recent comment about the House Republican Tax Plan (“the longer it lies in the sun, the more it stinks”) is much more appropriately applied to the Obama/Clinton Administration than it is to Congressional tax reform legislation.
• ·      In my humble opinion, considering all of the devolution we have seen over the last decade in government ethics and operations, the single greatest tragedy in all of this is the abdication of the mainstream media and news journalistic community of its credibility, respect, and responsibility to serve as the public’s watchdog on our government.   We have seen the pendulum swing from a point of total and absolute enthrallment with Obama and his ilk (shivers down the leg and all that); resulting in his understandable attitude that he could get away with all things, spin the stories in any fashion he pleased, ignore the accepted standards of Executive operations and ethics, and essentially do anything and everything in his quest for his fantastical vision of Obama’s America.  And now that same pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme where there is no honest examination or assessment of President Trump and his Administration; but rather a blindly executed, knee jerk, obstinate and irrational resistance to anything Trump.  In its long history of Presidential misadventures and boundary explorations, there has likely never been a greater need for media and journalistic oversight that there was in the Obama Administration and that there will be in the Trump Administration.  And now, as with then, when we need them the most and their moment of fulfillment arrives; they are reduced to a babbling, partisan, unethical, and self-serving bunch of political hacks that no one believes in.  The Democrats know where to turn the dial to get their red meat.  The Republicans equally know exactly which stations butter their bread.  And very damn few of us take the time to sample a bit of both sides’ wares.  We simply consume our daily diet of the news that depicts the world in the way we view it.  History will undoubtedly show that when the United States needed its free press the most, that free press was out to lunch.
• ·      And what about Obama and Clinton rigging the 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary for Clinton, hoping to insure a continuance of the Obama idiocy.  Do you suppose Sanders is feeling the “Bern” yet?
• ·      There is the ultimate, ironic twist to the tragedy of angst that is all things Clinton.  Had the Democratic National Party  not sold its soul to Hillary Clinton and guaranteed her the nomination, a full two months before Vice-President Joe Biden announced that he would not seek the nomination,  there is the distinct possibility that Ole Slow Joe might not have withdrawn from the contest.  We will never know how much he knew about the stacked deck the DNC and Hillary had created; but the knowledge of that unholy alliance might very well have been the deciding factor in his decision not to seek the presidency.  Considering that the longer the primary and general election season progressed (right up to the election date), the more pathetic a candidate Hillary Clinton became; it is entirely possible that Joe Biden might very well have decided to enter into the fray and oppose her for the Democratic nomination.  And had that happened; had Joe Biden been running against Donald Trump for President in November of 2016…America would have a different President today.  For better or worse?

Hillary is a Crook; Obama is an Educated Fool; and Trump is a Loudmouth Boor. Whodoyawant fer Prez?

Now let’s see how this works…If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…it is probably a duck.  Obama is the President who desperately wants to get his Iran Nuclear Deal approved to (so he believes) cement his legacy.   A key player in getting Iran to sign said agreement is Putin, who is the power behind the Iranian throne.  Putin has his greedy fingers into all things that are Russian and profit-making, such as an effort by Russian company Uranium One to corner the world’s uranium market.  Hillary Clinton is Secretary of State and pretty much has a free-hand (consolation prize from her loss to Obama and price of admission into his Administration) in all things foreign policy.  Hillary is in the midst of her presidential quest that, from all appearances, seems bound for glorious success.  Oh…by the way…uranium is a base ingredient for nuclear weapons and is the fuel for nuclear generators, which just happen to account for 19.7 percent of America’s electrical generation.  The Russian effort to get their uranium deal approved through our government involved about 20 percent of all American uranium deposits.  And…just as a side note…as is the case in all things Russian, the effort by Russian interests in seeking this uranium deal approval involved bribery, money laundering, and other various nefarious practices and…the U.S. Government knew this was going on because that had a confidential informant undercover in the negotiations, placed there by the FBI.  And to add one more layer of bizarre to this episode, the FBI and the Obama Administration chose for some reason (what could that reason possibly be now?) not to disclose this criminal activity to the Congress, who was at that time evaluating the uranium deal as part of their oversight responsibilities.  Now, that just about sets the stage.

Obama gets his Iranian Deal signed by the rulers of Iran, with the prodding of Putin’s Russia and with the shipping of pallets loaded with cash (yes…stacks of bundled currency) directly to the Iranian rulers.  Picture in your mind what a payoff looks like; yep…that’s it.  So while they are aware of Russian government involvement and sponsorship of illegal activities in the uranium deal, the Obama Administration keeps that information secret, ships cold hard cash to the Iranian rulers to use as they please (terrorists, line up for your share),  turns a blind eye to Clinton’s personal enrichment in the deal (more on that to come), enlists the mainstream media in touting the utter brilliance of the agreement, and gets Iranian rulers to sign off on a list of promises that they obviously have no intention of honoring.  Law be damned; ethics be damned; national security be damned; all things are expendable in the quest of a legacy.

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Now as Obama and his ilk were providing cover, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton watches her husband stroll over to Russia and receive a cool $500,000 to make a speech for the bank that is backing the uranium deal.  Simultaneously, approximately $2.35 million flows into the Clinton Foundation from a foundation set up by Uranium One’s (the Russian front company in the uranium deal) chairman.  And as anyone who has been paying attention whatsoever knows, once money goes into the Clinton Foundation black hole, no one knows where it goes.  So while serving in the office that is responsible as the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser, Hillary Clinton is lining her pockets with cash while compromising not only her office as Secretary of State; but also compromising the very security of this nation by enabling the uranium deal.  Law be damned; ethics be damned; national security be damned; all things are expendable in the quest for cash.

And where is Donald Trump in all of this?  Where is the Russian collusion that we have been hearing about constantly from the Democrats and the mainstream media for over a year?  The so-called collusion that Robert Mueller (who by the way was running the FBI during the uranium deal) and his superstar (?) team of ace prosecutors are seeking?  While the mainstream media is all over Donald Trump Jr. entertaining overtures of possible opposition research material on Hillary Clinton, they are strangely quiet while the Clinton campaign and the DNC is surreptitiously paying out over $9 million ($5.6m Clinton/$3.6m DNC) to fund  the so-called Trump dossier.  Oh…and by the way…no one can recall those payments for the dossier’s production and somehow it was overlooked for federal reporting purposes on campaign expenses.  While certainly behaving in a fashion that embarrasses many people (other than himself) who dearly wanted him to defeat Clinton, Trump appears to have danced with, but never embraced, the Russian efforts to feed him disinformation about his political opponent.  The DNC and Hillary Campaign Machine, on the other hand, appears to have leapt into bed with the Russian effort to sell them a dossier filled with Trump disinformation.

Chickens coming home to roost; karma is a bitch; what comes around goes around; what’s fair for the goose is fair for the gander; those who live in glass houses should not throw stones; careful what you sow, lest come the harvest; all of these seem to be formulating a perfect Democratic storm.  It is too early to tell exactly to what extent ethics and laws were broken in this escapade; and it absolutely ludicrous for anything Republican in nature to promote any comparisons that might make them appear saintly (that ain’t happening).  But we should all consider the facts, the hard cold facts, in this Uranium One story and dwell on the point that had Donald Trump not defeated Hillary Clinton for President last November, none of this would have ever seen the light of day.  So while Jeff Flake and Bob Corker and John McCain find it nigh on impossible to deal with the sophomoric reality TV star currently in the White House; they would be wise to consider what the alternatives to President Trump were.  Sometimes, the least of all evils is the best choice available.

Living in a Cocoon Changes People.

With so much very real and meaningful news in this wide world, the mainstream media is apparently obsessed with the parting shots of two U.S. Senators, their maverick cohort from Arizona, and a glitter cowgirl wannabe Representative from Florida.  It seems that anyone, anytime, and in any way can diss President Trump and become an instant rock star.  It is one thing to hear opposition and the “Resist” call from the Democratic Party; they are still in denial about losing the last national election.  But it is difficult to understand why given a rare opportunity to govern with control of the Executive and Legislative branches of government, the Republicans can’t get their act together and get something done.

On several occasions over the last year, I have written critical remarks about Donald Trump and how he conducts himself both personally and politically.  Lord knows he is not the most civil politician; but civility is not a very common trait these days in any politician.  And truth be told, how many of us wouldn’t lose our cool to some degree if everyone and their uncle was on our case about   …EVERY…SINGLE…THING…THAT…WE…SAID…OR…DID?  No doubt, our President brings much of the turmoil and drama that follows him down upon himself.  His childish and perpetually sophomoric tweeting is not only demeaning to himself and the office he occupies; but it is quite likely the largest impediment to gaining some degree of accomplishment and stature for his term in office.

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Even so, it is puzzling why so many Republicans in WDC hold President Trump in such obvious contempt.  Are they really so sanctimonious that they feel themselves to be superior to the President in character and judgment?   These Senators and Representatives who have reveled in their positions of authority and posh benefits,  held themselves up to be models of integrity and wisdom, and have been part and parcel of running this nation’s government into the ground over the last decade or more?  Flake and Corker and McCain, now being hailed as heroes by the Democrats and the liberal media, have suddenly found their critical voices after eight long years of silence while Obama fiddled away.  Flake and Corker, who have very long odds of re-election in their home states; and then McCain, who hates Trump based on their war of words and his resentment that Trump accomplished the very task that he himself wanted so badly to succeed at and failed.  It must be hard to know that you are a genius among fools and then have to accept the role of lowly Senator when the man you consider the biggest fool of all is your President.

As I have said before, President Trump can be a buffoon, he is an egomaniac, he is a poor loser, he is an even worse winner, he has lowered the civility level in the White House, and he apparently has no intention of changing his stripes to please anyone not serving his purposes.  But he is our President.  He is the leader of the Republican Party.  He is the leader of the majority national Republicans who defeated the minority national Democrats last November.  For all of his faults, he deserves the respect due the office he occupies.  However, that deference does not extend to respect for the man and his habits.   The President has not yet, and may not ever, grasp that concept of distinction.  But whether or not his self-awareness matures beyond the current high school level, he will continue to serve as this nation’s leader and Commander in Chief until his term(s) expires.  He will establish policies and make decisions that impact each of us as citizens.  Republicans should criticize within reason, speak opposition when the opportunity presents itself, and then get on the field to win the ballgame.  If they can’t do that, then go quietly into the good night.  Democrats should present the alternatives to Trump’s policies and initiatives when they honestly and sincerely disagree.  But this knee-jerk “Resist” is not helping anyone; least of all themselves.  It is hard to imagine how the mainstream media and journalistic community can sink to any lower level than the one they currently occupy; but they seem intent on plumbing those depths.

It is absolutely incredible to me that anyone or any entity could look at the fledgling Trump administration and call it corrupt on the heels of Obama’s eight years of total disregard for ethics, bipartisanship, transparency, and yes…even the law.  As the days and months pass away and we get further away from its time in space, the width and depth of the Obama Administration corruption becomes more apparent.  History will eventually show that not since Richard Nixon’s team of power-hungry faithful ran the White House, no administration has allowed itself to be so blinded by its zealotry and dedication to its own ideals and principles.

At some point, it should occur to President Trump’s manic critics that if in fact he is the idiot they think him to be, he will tangle himself up if given sufficient rope.  Perhaps rather than making themselves look foolish with baseless opposition and criticisms, they should simply play their traditional roles and let the President walk through the door on his own.  If he is as inept as they think, he will stumble through that door and fall on his face.  Perhaps their certitude of that pratfall is not so great and their fear of his successful entry through that door is a greater threat?   The American electorate shocked themselves and most of the world last November when they elected Donald Trump as President.  They did not elect him because of who he was; they elected him because of what he represented.  And because of whom he was running against.  The Republicans have not grasped that first concept.  The Democrats have not grasped the second.  And the media?  Well, they are simply clueless.

Dancing Up to the Line, But Not Stepping Over.

After watching the President at the Pennsylvania rally and the FRC event this week, one thought came forth in mind….He is getting pretty good at this politics thing.  In fact, if the Donald can somehow, someway get some semblance of control over his manic tweeting; he could very well become a popular President and a formidable politician. 

These developments serve to simply push the Democrat’s “Resist Movement” further to the radical left.  One has to wonder to what extent they will allow this idiotic effort to marginalize their party.  However, the bigger question might prove to be exactly how Trump’s increased political acumen impacts his opponents within the Republican Party.  And make no mistake about it; the President has a wealth of enemies within the Republican Party and Congress.  Without diminishing the huge challenge that Speaker Ryan and Majority Leader McConnell face in trying to herd the Republican cats in the House and Senate, they did not comport themselves favorably in the Obamacare legislative debacle.  Some members in particular (looking at YOU, Mr. McCain) behaved in an openly hostile fashion towards not only President Trump, but also towards their own party.  If the President can continue to improve his political skills and gain control of his considerable presidential powers, he may become a huge factor in the upcoming national elections if he decides to settle some scores with those who have treated him so rudely.

I am more ambivalent about this President than any in my lifetime.  I do not like him personally.  His arrogance, bluster, crude language, and lack of civility are not endearing traits for my vision of what a President should be.  On the other hand, I find myself agreeing enthusiastically with the overwhelming percentage of his policy initiatives and I am very encouraged by the quality, character, and professionalism of his appointments.  Like him or not, one cannot dispute that Donald Trump is doing as President what he said he would do in his campaign for President. 

But I must admit that it troubles me greatly that much of the policy achievements that President Trump has realized have been accomplished through Executive Action.  This type of executive fiat is exactly what I railed so loudly about when Obama was president.  There is no greater example of this dilemma than Trump’s executive order eliminating the illegal Obamacare subsidies to insurers.  The correct and permanent way to deal with the morass that is Obamacare is for Congress to repeal and replace it.  That did not happen.  That did not happen in a spectacular fashion.  Is it acceptable to right a wrong by committing an equal and opposite wrong?  Think that one over carefully.  Our American society, especially the mainstream media, has developed an unsavory habit of condemning certain behavior in those with whom they disagree or dislike, while they celebrate the same certain behavior when executed by those who promote their agenda and beliefs.  Both parties, Republican and Democrat, and both political philosophies, Right and Left, practice this disturbing form of hypocrisy and the public, aided by the technologies of videos and recordings, are beginning to catch on to this Machiavellian deceit.

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So…I am stuck with the dilemma of either supporting Trump for doing the right thing in the wrong way… or… leaving things in a colossal mess because his hands are tied by a dysfunctional bureaucracy (U.S. Senate) that is paralyzed by its own ineptitude.   Perhaps I am trying to rationalize my way out of my ambivalence, but it is possible that there is a method to Trump’s actions that will hopefully set a pattern for future initiatives.  In the case of both his Obamacare and Iran Nuclear Deal executive actions, President Trump not so much announced new policies as he unwound existing policies.  He not only un-did the prior executive actions, but he did so in a way that sent these issues back to Congress for final edicts.  Several respected journalists have noted this reality and have dubbed it a “return to law’ or a “return to order”.  If, in fact, President Trump continues to exercise his Presidential authority by eliminating and/or negating improper executive impositions by prior presidents, I can see some reason and acceptance in his actions.  If, on the other hand, his forays into executive fiat begin to go beyond correcting past executive transgressions and meanders into the realm of creating new regulation and procedure, well…that will be a different kettle of fish. 

Obama played fast and loose with his presidential powers and the law in his effort to form this nation’s government in his perverse, personal vision.  He abused his authority, he broke faith with his office and the citizenry, and he allowed his arrogance and narcissistic inclinations to override common sense and responsible behavior.   If President Trump allows his frustration with Congress, his dedication to his personal beliefs, his arrogance and ego, and his own sense of what is best for this nation to cloud his judgment and push him towards an imperial presidency in the mode of Obama, then he is no better than Obama.  At some point…and that point is yet to be determined…the value of the action cannot validate the methods used to accomplish the action. 

The Eventual Cost of Binary Opinion.

In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting tragedy, the NRA has publicly, and for the first time in my imperfect memory, come out in support of regulating the use of “bump stocks” to make semi-automatic weapons more similar to fully-automatic weapons.  How has this entreaty been received by many on the left?...They have pretty much ignored it and continued their hysterical, misinformed, and intentionally deceitful effort to basically outlaw all gun sales and confiscate those that are already out there.  Now to be fair, there are those on the right who feel sufficiently threatened by any new gun control effort that they automatically oppose anything associated with regulating the sale and possession of firearms, no matter how practical the proposal might be.  Their understandable, but inadequate, rationale for this knee-jerking is their argument that any new gun control regulation represents the anti-gun lobby getting their foot in the door in preparation for the final battle…total and absolute control of firearms. 

This latest dust-up between pro and anti gun forces is in many ways a microcosm of the overall state of political affairs in our nation.  Whether it is media coverage, late night television, sports reporting, or extracurricular (and curricular) affairs in our school systems K thru PhD; our society and culture is polarized to such an extreme that there is little if any tolerance on either side for the other side’s position.  It is all or nothing, win at all costs, with us or against us, us against the world, damn the torpedoes (subtle tribute to TP&HB) and fight to the end for what and only WHAT we happen to believe.  What was once, and not too awfully long ago, a 35/35/30 split in our electorate with the last 30 representing the middle has now devolved into what is likely closer to a 45/45/10 split.  Do you doubt this?  Why do you see presidential approval figures for Bush/Obama/Trump appear to be capped at 45-50 percent?  Every radical cause,  no matter how illogical or rigid, seems to be able to find some type of foothold in that 45 percent of the electorate that will reliably support anything left or anything right.  The middle ground has become a deserted wasteland.  People are finding out that they can carve out a nice little niche inside of that 45 percent on either side of the political divide.  Our center is disappearing and what will be the price of that transaction?

The first and most obvious result is the paralysis and dysfunction it has wrought in our government.  With so many nuclear option scores to settle, we are inching closer and closer to that time when all legislation…ALL legislation…will be passed on a party-line vote.  Now before you stand up to cheer and shout “In your face, McConnell!”, you better think this thing through.  The one overriding WDC principle that we can all agree with is that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Do we really…really…want Republicans or Democrats to have carte blanche over everything governmental, foreign and domestic?  Think about exactly who it is that controls the two national parties these days.  Do you think the deep pockets of the party sponsors and donors pull the strings or do you think that our politicians are driven by some form of allegiance to their constituents?  If the ultimate nuclear option is detonated, those who control the lawmakers will control the law.  Those who control the law will control the society.  Do the terms KGB or Oligarchy hold any meaning for you?  Our society and culture would lurch from one type of state to another; the other being a polar opposite of the status quo.  No ally would be able to trust our word or commitment to any position.  Business and commerce would be forced to gamble on what the future environment might hold for their enterprises.  We ourselves would be in a constant state of wonder about the world we would be leaving our children to grow up in.

The most infamous accomplishment of our least effective President in my lifetime, Barack Obama, was to further divide and solidify the racial divides in our society.  Everything he touched and performed was racially tinged and his demeanor never wavered from a self-righteous and condescending manner that ultimately was designed to divide and conquer.  To its detriment, and ultimate demise if not corrected, the Democratic Party has continued with this philosophy.  Our culture and citizenry has taken this approach to almost every aspect of our daily lives.  Families and long-time friendships have literally dissolved over Trump disputes.  The level of vitriol and downright poisonous seasoning in political discourse has reached new and disgusting depths.  The mainstream media, to their obvious discredit, has leapt Full Monty on board with this effort and sacrificed decades of public trust and credibility for a few moments of Trump-bashing giggles. 

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Presidents will come and go; Congress will tilt from the right to the left to the right to the left; and when an occasional national consensus is reached on an issue of common concern, our government should respond to that consensus.  As is appropriate, that response should be executed by the Congress, the Executive, or the Judiciary.  But the world we are living in today; the politically-corrupted environment that has contaminated every aspect of our daily lives, illegitimately demands this response when a majority (50+ percent) of a minority (45 percent) feels a sufficient level of certitude in their wisdom to make rules for the entirety of society.    Presidents get weary of the heavy lifting required by the normal order of legislating and issue Executive Orders from on high; Federal  Judges short circuit the standards of lawmaking and civil order by injecting their personal beliefs into their opinions and verdicts; individuals and organizations throughout our culture have thrown away any semblance of respect and decorum, trashing those who dare to disagree with their thoughts and building blatantly deceitful straw men to distort the views of their opposition. 

Whatever his motivations might be, however insincere he may present them, and however oratorically awkward or inappropriate they may seem; President Trump has tossed out a few invitations in the direction of the Democrats to sit down and discuss some compromise on legislative issues.  Somehow…someway…the Democrats need to find a way to hold their club together and, at the same time, sit down and negotiate in good faith with a President they don’t like very much.  The Republicans in Congress have to come to grips with the fact that their majority is insufficient to power drive their agenda through the legislative process.  If we continue to see the 10 percent in the middle shrink; if we see continued support for the ultimate nuclear option; and if we continue to see our society cleaved by raw emotion and irrational opinion…well, our great nation is going to be but a shadow of what it once was and could be again.