Politics is many things: maddening, confusing, dirty, crazy.
A recent example is Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a #NeverTrumper who did
not seek reelection in November, and has decided that he will oppose every
effort to confirm President Donald Trump’s judicial and other nominees during
the remaining weeks of his term, unless there is a bill put forth to protect
Special Counsel Robert Mueller from being fired.
This position is odd for a couple of reasons. First, the
reason for holding up a vote on a nominee or voting against one is that you
believe the nominee is not fit for the position. Second, there is no indication
that Trump, after one and one-half years of Mueller’s investigation, intends to
fire him, even though he has the clear authority to do so if he chooses, for
any reason, or for no reason.
Such a bill raises constitutional questions, as well, since
a law that effectively raises an administration employee, which Mueller is,
above the authority of the president in effect creates a fourth branch of
government.
And then there’s the new Darling of the DNC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,
the young Democrat elected to represent a New York district. The new
representative is loved by both the Left and the Right, but for very different
reasons.
The Left loves her because she is young and appeals to their
idea of shaking things up. The New York
Times termed the young member of the Democratic Socialists of America a “28-year-old
giant slayer” when she defeated 19-year incumbent Representative Joseph
Crowley in the primary.
The Right loves her because of her frequent gaffs; she seems
to have little knowledge about the way the country works, among other things. She
not long ago informed the country that America’s government has “three chambers
of Congress.” Realizing the mistake, she corrected to “three chambers of government:
the presidency, the Senate, and the House."
She champions renewable energy, believing it can cure many
ills. “[T]he transition to 100 percent renewable [energy is] the vehicle to
truly deliver and establish economic, social and racial justice in the United
States.”
And to top it off, in a Twitter dustup with Donald Trump,
Jr., she threatened to use the House subpoena power against him. That’s a
no-no.
After the 2016 election there was talk of doing away with
the Electoral College because were it not for that system Hillary Clinton – the
person in all of time who was supposed to win the presidency – would have
become president, since she won the popular vote.
Another Democrat wants not only to do away with the
Electoral College, but the United States Senate, as well.
As reported by The
Washington Times, “Former Democratic Rep. John Dingell, the country’s longest-serving congressman, called for the
abolishment of the Electoral College and the Senate, arguing against the ‘disproportionate
influence of small states’ that paralyzes the lawmaking and electoral
processes.”
Whether Dingell, with more than 59 years in Congress, either
was never taught the reasons for the brilliant design of our government, or
perhaps just wants to grease the wheels for Democrats to speed transforming the
United States of America into another socialist catastrophe, a la Barack Obama,
is open to debate.
The Senate’s design of two from each state and the Electoral
College as the deciding electoral factor were very deliberate mechanisms to
insure that the states maintained some independence and that population centers
like New York City and California would not run roughshod over the less
populated areas of the country. They both are obstacles the Left would love to
eliminate.
A Facebook post laid bare the ignorance of at least some of
the legions of Trump detractors. When Trump saluted the flag-draped coffin of
former President George H.W. Bush, he was criticized for saluting without
having served in the U.S. military. Apparently, no one – or at least not Trump
– may salute without having earned the privilege.
The post, however, showed photos of former president’s Bill
Clinton and Barack Obama who also dared to salute without having served in the
military, which, if memory serves, did not generate any criticisms.
And we find performers in the anti-Trump media, sometimes
known as the “fake news” media, who criticize Trump’s combative “take no
prisoners” style as offensive, as well as nearly everything else he does, says
or even is thought to be thinking. One such performer said during the funeral
of George H.W. Bush that Trump’s style, in sharp contrast to Bush’s gentlemanly
style, has debased the presidency.
But history shows us that politics has always been a rough
and tumble activity, and that Trump has much company in his caustic style.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams may have set the standard in 1796, and the 1828
contest between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson has been called as the
dirtiest in American history.
So many of the crazy things that we witness today result
from the tremendous amount of things that people don’t know: ignorance. And the poster child for that sad characteristic may be
New York’s Representative-elect Ms. Ocasio-Cortez.
No comments:
Post a Comment