Posse Incitatus

Max Boot, the Koch Brothers and the Quisling GOP Establishment

In the day-to-day brawl that is our current political debate, it's easy to get fixated on minor quarrels and lose sight of the Big Picture.

But sometimes it's worth taking a moment to pause and reconsider why the battle lines are drawn where they are.  Just as important is looking at who is on which side, and the reasons for any changes in alignment.

Consider the case of Max Boot.  Until 2016, he was a Republican in good standing, a strategist of note and a respected military historian.  Now, he's a turncoat reduced to partnering with Hollywood uber-liberal Rob Reiner to push the RUSSIA collusion myth.

Not only has Boot alienated his core audience, he's called all his previous work into question.  Why would someone trash themselves like that?

The answer can be found in the sudden realignment of the Koch Brothers.  Not that long ago, these were the bugbears of the progressive left.  To put it another way, they were the RUSSIA of the early Obama administration.

Democrats railed about the "Koch-topus" and published elaborate flow charts showing how these dark lords of evil funded Republican causes and candidates.  Even ostensibly apolitical charities such as hospitals were pressured to refuse donations of dirty Koch-tainted money.

Now, the Koch Brothers are having a change of heart.  Their 'libertarian streak' seems to bending decidedly leftward.

The core issue?  Open borders.

The Koch Brothers may like free markets and individual liberties, but they like a cheap and unlimited supply of foreign labor even more.  Indeed, they like them so much, they're fine with risking single-payer health care, carbon taxes and democratic socialism so long as Trump's effort to secure the border is thwarted.

You know, priorities.

The left will of course enthusiastically embrace the Koch Brothers, because their principles are always in flux.  Today's enemy can be tomorrow's hero (and the day after tomorrow might have a bullet in their head) because the left is all about power.  The ends justify the means.

Seeing reports of the Koch Empire flirting with changing teams reminded me of all the wonderful articles published by National Review, The Weekly Standard and Reason magazine defending the family.

I'm now fairly certain it was simply paid advertising.

President Trump has been making noises about refusing to sign a Fiscal Year 2019 budget unless it ends catch-and-release for illegal alien criminals and funds a border wall.  The Dems and the GOP Establishment are both in high dudgeon.

The GOP leadership is claiming that a shutdown will flip control of Congress, and Trump's stand would be a spectacular "own goal" of epic proportions.  This, they claim, is proof of his political tin ear and poor judgement.

The thing is, this is what he ran on.  It is a core part of his appeal.  What is more, the GOP is supposed to believe in the exact same thing.  If not now, when?  The Paul Ryans of the GOP are always looking forward to the next surrender, claiming that tomorrow is when they will fight to the death.

And tomorrow never arrives.

Trump may be bluffing, or he may be flushing out the traitors.  He may also be setting up the Democrats, who will have to go on record as saying they would rather shut down the US government than control our national borders.  That's a pretty radical position.  I wonder if it is as popular as they think it is.

 

The NeverTrumpers are now just caricatures of humorless conservative scolds

Once upon a time, conservatives had a sense of humor.  Back in the 1980s, P.J. O'Rourke was the bad boy of the right, laughing at social convention and penning such memorable columns as "How to drive fast on drugs while getting your wing-wang squeezed."

In the 1990s and into the Aughts, Jonah Goldberg became the "it boy" by making frequent Simpsons references and generally keeping his conservatism light-hearted and fun.

Yet given a choice between Cruella Felonia Clinton and Donald Trump, both wimped out and went with the Pantsuit.

(Oh to be sure, Goldberg was evasive as hell when pressed on the issue, which is a typical weasel move, totally at odds with this devil-may-care persona.)

The irony here is both rich and deep.  Donald Trump is a Republican Party Reptile.  In fact, he's better than than since he doesn't smoke, drink or do drugs.  His primary vice is seducing women at the upper end of the hotness scale, and if you press him on it, he'll happily declare himself "guilty as charged."

Trump is the kind of president both men have clamored for since they first learned to type, and the fact that they are now grumbling about the state of their lawns shows just how they have fallen.

This is one of the critical weaknesses of the Quisling Never Trump faction:  they are humorless scolds.

Trump's trolling is epic.  His rallies are hilarious, a mixture of humor and compassion, sarcasm and seriousness.

More to the point, Trump is doing the things that the GOP Establishment has only ever talked about doing.  Moreover, he is doing it with a sense of joy that the Capitulation Conservatives lost years ago.

There is nothing so galling as a competitor kicking your butt and having a laugh while doing it.  The GOP Establishment went all-in against Trump and it's entirely likely that it is not only The Donald's success but the sense of fun he exudes that is driving these people into becoming such joyless jerks.

 

Foreigners Influencing Our Elections!

In the first place, we've known for decades that Russia, China and other countries work hard to hack into American computers, servers and networks -- especially those of the government, private sector, and defense industry. We also know that foreign entities can create bots to deceive the millions of gullible social media addicts.

But the Russians polluting social media with fake news, tweets and Facebook posts really has little bearing on whether Hillary Clinton could have defeated Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. What the dim-witted mainstream media reporters don't realize, or won't acknowledge, is that tens of millions of Americans were fed up with self-serving establishment politicians of both parties, and also deeply resented being branded racist/sexist/Islamophobic/pick-your-progressive-pejorative.... And on top of that, Hillary Clinton was, hands down, the most corrupt, mendacious, awful candidate in the history of U.S. presidential politics. Her husband's baggage didn't help, either.

Despite the fact there is no evidence that Russian meddling affected the outcome of the presidential election, or that Donald Trump collaborated with the Russians, yet there is ample evidence the Democrats colluded with the Russians, lefty observers still froth at the mouth regarding Trump and RUSSIA!!! Yet, if they are truly concerned about foreign influence affecting U.S. elections, why do they oppose requiring picture IDs at the polls, and why do they favor letting noncitizens vote? Talk about lowering the bar!

It's bad enough that Democrats emphasize "get-out-the-vote" initiatives and voter registration drives. Not to sound like a snob, but generally, people who don't have the gumption to register on their own, and who are so incompetent or lazy they won't even obtain a picture ID, are not well informed on the issues. They fall for the "free stuff" pitch every time. Ignorance is bliss, as far as the Demagogues winning elections. Open borders means more Democrat voters, and an eventual stranglehold on power by the increasingly radical Dems. Venezuela, here we come!

So the next time some blowhard lefty gets up on his high horse about foreign influence in U.S. elections, just remind him that you, too are concerned about this issue. But not so far as it regards Russia. No, it's Mexico and those other hellhole countries south of the border that we ought to fear.

 

 

The Trump economy picks up speed

Recently I drove through the rural hinterland of Michigan, including the peerless Upper Peninsula.  The UP (as the locals call it) has long been in an economic slump as a result of the decline in mining and heavy industry, which once showered the region with prosperity.

It had been a number of years since my last visit, and while some areas had hardly changed, others seemed abuzz with new activity. 

Signs of construction were everywhere.  I don't just mean road construction, (which is one of the two seasons in Michigan, the other being called "winter") but also home repairs, commercial renovation and new builds. 

The UP was once a Democrat stronghold, a citadel of blue-collar, pro-gun, right-to-life voters.  As the Democrats shifted away from their old issues, the UP still held firm.

Until 2016.

Hillary Clinton lost the election because these voters turned against her.  She offered them nothing but continuing economic decline in return for their votes.   She also openly insulted their traditional cultural views.  Her imperious demand was that they should vote for her lest she think even less of them than she does now.

Yoopers are famously independent-minded, and they demonstrated it in this case, voting (as usual) for Democrat state legislators of their peculiar (and now increasingly rare) political persuasion but casting their ballots for Donald Trump to be their president.

They seem well content with this decision.

I've pointed this out before, but it bears repeating: heavy industry and mining were once the backbone of American prosperity.  Tech jobs were never going to replace these skilled trades as the gateway to a good income for the vast majority of Americans.

The Democrats used to understand this, but starting in the mid-1990s, they decided that sucking up to tech billionaires was more profitable than defending the interests of the working class.   Certainly it was more lucrative.

Progressives talk the good game about protecting the environment and demanding fair wages, but in fact they don't care about either of these things.  They are happy to outsource mineral and ore extraction to China where there are zero environmental protections and workers are subjected to slave-like conditions.

This is why "Free Trade" is such a lie.  American miners enjoy extensive safety precautions and strict environmental controls.  Indeed, the biggest environmental disasters in the last few years have government fingerprints all over them. 

By equalizing the terms of trade, the Trump Administration is allowing once-dormant industries to come back to life, providing quality jobs for communities that had all but given up hope.

One of the most encouraging things about all of this is just how eager these people are to get back to work.  After eight years of contraction, the labor force is expanding again.  People are getting back in the game and happy to do it.

Democrats once understood that work provides more than just a meal on the table and a place to live; it provides meaning and purpose in one's life.  Take that away and you get idleness, despair, drug use and crime.

It's telling that people who love to spout off about "root causes" are so blind to the source of the opioid epidemic.

As my co-blogger observed, one of the great things about this virtuous circle is that it is still just getting started.  Right now most of the activity we are seeing is the opening stages - the tear-downs, the plans being laid, concrete being orders and poured.

Some plants are ordering extra shifts but are constrained because they have not yet expanded to meet demand.  As these facilities come on line, even more workers will be hired to meet the revived needs of resurgent American industrial might.

I fully expect the 4.1 percent GDP growth to be revised upwards in the months to come.

In addition, I'm not surprised by the positive turns in negotiations between both the European Union and Mexico.  Canada risks being left out in the cold, but I suppose that's what the Canucks get for electing a Ken doll prime minister.

Economy on the Mend

Just as expected, the second quarter GDP figure released today by the Department of Commerce was in the neighborhood of 4 percent -- 4.1 percent, to be exact.

This comes as no surprise to those of us who have long supported President Trump's plans to cut corporate and personal income tax rates, and hack away at the thicket of job-killing, Obama-era regulations. Admittedly, I was not enthusiastic at first about tariffs, but the more I studied the issue, the more I came around to the need to use tariffs as a cudgel against other nations just as they've done to us for years.

I had read about hollowed out towns, the devastation of major employers pulling up stakes and heading for the Third World, leaving unemployment, foreclosures, hopelessness and substance abuse in their wake. I was aware that China, India and many other countries pay dirt wages, do not adhere to environmental or workplace safety regulations, and often subsidize the companies that compete against our corporations and small businesses.

But what really shook me to the core was seeing the devastation first-hand. On the job a few years ago, I traveled far and wide, in two dozen states, most of them east of the Mississippi. I was shocked at the pervasiveness of desolate towns, boarded up main streets, closed factories and rural poverty. Yes, I was already aware that rural poverty is severe and widespread (and grossly under reported, since urban areas get much more attention). But seeing really is believing.

Contrary to the "conventional wisdom" as spouted by Never Trumpers and other establishment types, we're not going to relive the Smoot Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. For starters, our nation is not in a depression, and the economy has changed drastically in the past 90 years. The markets of 2018 are more sophisticated, dynamic, multi-faceted, resilient, technologically advanced, and intertwined by the four corners of the world.

The fact is, China, India and Europe need the United States. We are the wealthiest nation, the most lucrative market, the spoon that stirs the drink. China can threaten and bluster 'til the cows come home, but that nation is in a precarious position trying to keep 1.4 billion people fed and reasonably content. Eliminating hundreds of millions of consumers from purchasing Chinese products would have a crushing effect on jobs, economic growth and social stability in the Middle Kingdom.

Let's get this straight: Tariffs are not Donald Trump's end game. They are simply a bargaining chip. But one that Trump is using, albeit temporarily, to show he means business. Indeed, the European nations hit by U.S. tariffs have already agreed to step up to the bargaining table. Mark my words, we'll work something out with them. Can China be far behind?

Also consider the back-up plan. If, for some reason, high tariffs remain in place on products from a certain nation, the companies of that nation may well elect to construct plants in the United States to avoid the tariffs. So it's a win-win. But it seems more likely that agreements will be reached to avoid the most severe tariffs.

And now, before I get back to the improving economy, a quick word about NAFTA, the Trans Pacific Partnership and other grandiose trade schemes. I have long believed that major legislation that brings Republicans and Democrats together, patting each other on the back and boasting about what a wonderful thing they've done, usually stinks to high heaven.

The Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind and the McCain-Feingold campaign finance "reform" are three examples off the top of my head. These big trade deals are thousands of pages long, which opens up pandora's box for mischievous lawyers, bureaucrats and politicians. Carve-outs for special interests permeate like bed bugs in a flophouse. And we, the hard working people of middle America, are the ones getting bitten.

For the many thick-headed politicians who STILL don't understand why Donald Trump beat St. Hillary, YOUR TRADE DEALS SUCK! Get the hell out of New York, San Fran and the Beltway, and see how the other half lives! It won't kill you to eat at Cracker Barrel a few times, or to drive through hundreds of miles of corn fields. You might just find that we folk out here in flyover country are pretty nice, decent, down-to-earth people. You might also see, for the very first time, what those pie-in-the-sky agreements reached by jet setters in the five-star hotels at world class resorts actually do to the average Joe. It might be a soul-awakening experience.

But back to today's good news... For many years, corporations off-shored plants and jobs to avoid the world's highest corporate tax rate. No more. The incentive to build in the United States, and to move those customer service centers and tech support staff back here is great, with the reduction in the corporate rate from 35 to 21 percent. The personal income tax cuts will help millions, and while those in states with high property taxes will complain bitterly about their deductibility being capped, chances are they will benefit from new job opportunities, rising wages and a booming stock market.

True to form, the dim bulbs of the corrupt news media are trying to spin today's news as a one-off, an anomaly created by farmers and others rushing to sell large volumes of products to other countries before tariffs kick in. The dunderhead reporters, most of them illiterate when it comes to economics, don't have a clue about how lower taxes and reduced regulations incentivize investors, entrepreneurs and private citizens. Of course, that's partly because they attended universities that slam capitalism, extol socialism and do their best to indoctrinate their students to be good little liberals. Your average Midwestern farmer has more economic knowledge and common sense than does your typical Ivy League graduate.

I believe that once the tax cuts firmly take root, once better trade deals are negotiated, and the jobs reports continue to impress, we are headed for several quarters of 5 percent GDP growth. It is laughable to hear Obama slappies trying to give The Messiah credit for today's economic success. Let's see now, I seem to recall some of the Obama acolytes stating a few years ago that 2 percent GDP growth was the new normal, that we shouldn't expect anything more than that. Um... what happened?

And on another note, it is interesting how the same people who believe the previous administration has a great effect on what happens to the next administration (i.e., Bush economic collapse screwed Obama; Obama policies helped Trump) were singing a differrent tune following 9/11. That was all George W. Bush's fault, you see. He was president in a vacuum -- never mind the crippling intelligence barriers and PC mindset put in place by the Clinton administration such as Jamie Gorelick's infamous "wall."

But I digress. Let's raise a glass to the Trump economy, and thank our lucky stars that the execrable Hillary is not president!

When Words Speak Louder than Actions

Liberals have a convoluted way of processing reality. Nowhere is this more apparent than in their obsessive, psychotic rage against President Donald Trump for supposedly being a stooge of Vladimir Putin and the Russians.

A week ago, the media and Democrat talking heads were on fire with vehemence regarding words Trump said to Putin during their joint press conference that, in their minds, demonstrated Trump has more faith and trust in the dictator than in his own intelligence services. Speculation ran wild about what Trump told Putin when they had their private, one-on-one meeting. Never mind that many past presidents have had private sessions with foreign leaders, without their conversations ever being released to the public. And never did a tete-a-tete attract such wild, unhinged conjecture as did the Trump-Putin sit-down.

Let's take a moment to recall what Mr. Trump has done vis a vis Russia during his 18 months in office. Well, for one thing, he supplied lethal weapons to Ukraine, which Russia has been menacing for the past four years. Twice -- in April 2017 and April 2018 -- Trump has ordered bombing of Russian ally Syria after the Bashar al-Assad regime was suspected of using chemical weapons against its own people. The 2018 bombing is believed to have killed about 200 Russian soldiers. 

Additionally, the administration has kept in place economic sanctions imposed on Russia following its occupation and annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. He has also imposed additional sanctions in response to the Russians' 2016 election meddling.

Contrast these actions with what Barack Obama did: Removing the missile defense shield from Eastern Europe in 2009 to please Putin, the infamous "flexibiility after the election" promise to Dmitry Medvedev in 2012, and other butt-kissing that was part of the vaunted "re-set." Of course, Hillary Clinton cozied up to the Russians with her Uranium One deal, and her husband made a boatload of cash giving speeches to a Russian investment bank with Kremlin links. Big-shot Democrat lobbyist Tony Podesta also was rolling in Russian cash.

But Obama and the Democrats deny they were compromised, and their stooges in the press believe these lies. The corrupt media and jackass late night comedians continue to spout lies about who really is in bed with the Russians. And Special Counsel Robert Mueller, along with his team of Hillary loving, Trump hating lawyers who are out for blood, continues his empty charade against the president, with utterly uncritical obsequiousness by the Praetorian Guard media.

Apparently, they've never heard -- or simply deny -- that actions speak louder than words.

Bullet bubble gone, AR-15 market in a nosedive

Barack Obama was the best gun salesman in American history.

His terms in office saw record profits, soaring sales and boom times for the firearms industry.

Donald Trump's election has caused the eight-year panic-buying spree to finally come to an end.

Ammunition prices are close to what they were in the aughts and AR-15 prices are in a steep skid.  Today I saw a new one for less than $500.  I've never seem them go so cheaply.

To be sure, there are high-end models that still can command a premium price, but even the top end of the market has fallen dramatically.

I'd say people have had their fill of sporting rifles.  One area where prices are still up are in military antiques.  Mosin-Nagant rifles, which used to go for $100 a piece, are now in the $300-400 range, sometimes higher if the condition and provenance is good.

Of course they're RUSSIAN, so maybe it's part of Putin's deep plot to infiltrate the NRA.

Speaking of RUSSIAN stuff, the venerable SKS, which likewise could be had not that long ago for $150, is now going at twice that price or more.  I always thought of the SKS as a crap rifle, but people bought them and now they're getting scarce for some reason.

Here at the Posse, we belief in celebrating diversity and we have no prejudice against firearms made by other people of other nationalities.  I've a strong affinity for German products.  At some point, I'll probably pick up a Tokarev, just to show my tolerance.

Or maybe because I'm somehow under the thrall of RUSSIA.  You never know.

Sufferin' Succotash!

With apologies to Sylvester the Cat, I'm using his famous expression of annoyance and exasperation to describe my disgust with two equally corrupt and morally bankrupt entities: The Democrat Party and the mainstream media.

It used to be I'd laugh; sometimes I would get angry; other times I would lash out with sarcasm and derision -- either to another person, in a blog or maybe on Twitter. But since the outrageous, absurd and idiotic statements, policies and behaviors continue to leave parody in the dust, I've backed off. Because now, things are becoming downright annoying. And life's too short -- WAY too short -- to waste much time on rubbish.

So then, why am I writing a blog post about it? Well, just in the hopes that those who are apathetic and think politics has no effect whatsoever on the fate of our nation, our values and our culture, will think twice.

The stupidity and lunacy spilling out of liberals' mouths, and the shameful dishonesty and raw bias of the news media have been flowing like unending diarrhea for the past few weeks. I alluded to some of the garbage in my Leftist Meltdown post. But today, I'm not going to wallow  in the profanity-laced rage (don't four-letter words about body parts and sex get old in a hurry?).

Instead, I'd like to illustrate once again how unhinged, ignorant and classless so many Trump haters are. Because when these fools use real suffering, actual horrendous events in history, to make their point, this tells far more about their sordid state than it does Donald Trump or anyone else against whom they rage.

A few weeks ago, Joe Scarborough of MSNBC and former CIA chief Michael Hayden compared the illegal aliens and children being separated at the Mexican border while the adults were processed to Nazi Germany's death camps. This is downright disgraceful and pathetic. Former First Lady Laura Bush had the gall to compare this policy to FDR's rounding up Americans of Japanese descent and herding them into internment camps duringWorld War II.

Well, just when you thought the leftists couldn't go any lower, MSNBC commentator Jill Wine-Banks said Russian election meddling was "as serious to me as the Cuban Missile Crisis... or the 9/11 attack." Unwittingly digging her own grave deeper, she engaged in hyperbole on steroids by saying President Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin will "live in infamy as much as the Pearl Harbor attacks or Kristallnacht." Honestly. You can't make this stuff up. Why was I not surprised when I learned that Ms. Wine-Banks worked for the Jimmy Carter administration?

And then there's that loose cannon John Brennan, a guy who once voted for communist Gus Hall, and whose over-the-top tweets raging against Trump make me wonder if it's time to call out the men in the white coats. Brennan keeps throwing around the word "treasonous" to describe Trump. Brennan was one of the abusive Deep State spooks who took part in the conspiracy against Trump during 2015 and 2016, joining President Obama, James Comey and James Clapper in abusing their power and knowingly letting Russia meddle in our election. He'd better take his meds and settle down, or he'll destroy himself with anger.

Ditto for the arrogant, condescending FBI agent Peter Strzok, whose rage almost caused him to go into conniption fits during his House testimony. This is getting kind of scary, but it's also annoying.

I have a couple good books I'm reading now. I've gotten back into weight lifting, and been eating more salads while cutting down on carbs. I'm doing some painting around the house, and even working on a long-delayed book.  Who needs the stupidity and lunacy? It's downright counterproductive!

 

 

 

Trump's eerie week of winning even when he's losing

I'm not a lifelong student of Donald Trump.  I haven't read his books or closely followed his career.  I recall him emerging in the 1980s as the iconic "greed is good" rich guy and how the tabloids loved to cover his every outrageous move. 

But since he emerged on the political scene three years ago, I've noticed a number of traits that seem to elude other supposedly more practiced observers.

Foremost among these is his uncanny ability to maneuver his opponents into situations where Trump has multiple ways to defeat them.  Even when they think they can score a crushing blow, it turns out Trump's countermove is already in play.  It's fascinating to watch.

A large part of Trump's success in this regard is the complete lack of strategic thinking on the part of hte Democrats.  Their party platform is not only incoherent, it's riddled with internal contradictions.

Put simply, one cannot advocate massive union membership, high minimum wages and an open border.  People in the country illegally will force wages down and constant waves of new arrivals will render minimum wages just as meaningless as border control. 

People being paid under the table aren't paid to union scale, either, nor are they paying dues.

The Democrats used to understand this, and as I've pointed out before, much of Donald Trump's horrible, racist policies are the same ones Bill Clinton campaigned on in 1992.

This brings us to the events this week.  In retrospect it's clear that Trump was set up long before the Helsinki summit.  The indictment of Russians was timed to undermine his meeting with Vladimir Putin and I'd bet my booming 401k that advance knowledge of this was shared with friendly reporters so that they could make hay of it during the news conference.

Some might point out that this gives the lie to my earlier statement about the lack of Democrat strategy, but what was their follow-on move after springing this trap?

Well, the New York Times decided that now was a great time to throw gay slurs against the president, demonstrating once again the liberal/progressive belief that homophobia is fine so long as they do it.

Meanwhile, former Obama administration intelligence directors launched into hysterical tirades on Twitter, demonstrating to the world that they are unhinged lunatics and making an excellent case that the CIA and FBI ought to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up.

The word "treason" got a lot of play from the same people who not that long ago considered it to be the highest form of patriotism.  How odd for people who applauded clemency for ex-PFC Manning's wholesale betrayal of American secrets to now claim that it's a bad thing.

Those on the left who've still retained a semblance of their sanity also found themselves wondering (as we did here) when the CIA suddenly became beyond reproach in matters of morals and ethics.

The RUSSIA nonsense made me nostalgic for the Old Left of the 80s, so much so that I dug up Sting's "Dream of the Blue Turtles" album so I could listen to "Russians":

Mr. Reagan says "we will protect you,"

I don't subscribe to that point of view,

Believe me when I say to you,

I hope the Russians love their children, too.

Someone ought to ask Mr. Sumner to add that back into his playlist.

Finally, there's Bob Mueller's witch hunt, which really does look like a witch hunt.  The wider Mueller casts his net in search of the non-crime of "collusion," the more obvious it becomes that he's simply trying to find something, anything to pin on the president.  Granting immunity to crooked Clinton crony Tony Podesta pretty much vindicates everything Trump has said about the DC swamp.

Peter Strzok's bizarre testimony - which featured a bizarre spazz-out - also further undercuts the notion that the FBI can be trusted.  Anyone with a semblance of reason has to shudder at the thought of this adulterous weirdo being the head of counter-intelligence.

Both of these events make it that much easier for Trump to shit-can the whole thing on the grounds that Mueller has exceeded his mandate and is arguably obstructing justice by interfering with other investigations of wrongdoing.

This was about the best week the Dems have had in a long time, and it was pretty awful for them. 

Meanwhile, the economy is booming, which is why the media won't report it

It's funny to see how the Democrat operatives with bylines try to shape the news coverage.  Not that long ago a complete collapse in unemployment claims would be greeted with glaring headlines.

Of course that was because Barack Obama was president.

Now the media has nothing but wall-to-wall RUSSIA coverage, which is exactly the same story they've been running since November 2016.

Meanwhile, outside the fever swamps of Twitter, there is a growing labor shortage.  Hasty efforts are underway to implement crash-courses in the skilled trades to try to make up the deficiency.

In my daily rounds - stopping at coffee shops, stores - the 'community billboards' are packed with job offers.

This is what will win Trump re-election.

Anyone remember the phrase "it's the economy, stupid'?  It still is.

The Obama administration heavily massaged the numbers in 2012 and blanketed the airwaves with propaganda to pull Barry across the finish line.  Even so, he'd probably have failed had Mitt Romney shown any kind of backbone at the debates.

Hillary was a terrible candidate, but she also had to run on eight years of negative economic growth papered over with record deficit spending.  That's one reason why so many working class voters deserted the Democrats - she offered nothing new, just more food stamps, unemployment checks, addition and despair.

The 'trade wars' are another example of media hype.  US producers have been facing tariff barriers for three decades and no one cared.  Only now are we starting to fight back, which is anathema to the Chamber of Commerce and their minions at the Wall Street Journal.

But on Main Street, USA, the shifting economic landscape is spurring crazy growth in manufacturing and heavy construction - the backbone of any healthy modern economy.

Another factor is Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.  Behind the Obama-era outrage photos, the fact remains that border-jumpers are thinking twice about coming here and those already here are eyeing the exists.  A bunch of them are pushing into Canada, which - irony alert - isn't welcoming them with open arms.  Funny, that.

All of this is why we're hurtling towards 4.5% GDP growth with potentially great upside yet to come.

There are eight years of pent-up demand to be met.  Time to get busy.