I write this Wednesday evening at the end of one of the most momentous political days in my lifetime. When we’re actually living through history it can be hard to see, only noticeable with the perspective of years, even decades.
It must have been like that for this country in 1787, 1865, 1919, 1945, and so on. A day in each of those years changed America forever. Maybe today was a moment in history that will change the course of human events in America. If not, it’s a bloody good facsimile.
I had finished a day of work in DC this afternoon and was coming back to Union Station, the train station, for a drink and the shuttle home to Annapolis. Now, remember that scene in Starship Troopers when all the recruits run to the big comms screen when Klendathu destroys Buenos Aires? “Yeah Johnny, the Bugs got Justice Kennedy!”
Stay with me here.
Getting off the Red Line Metro it was like that scene, as phones started going off with calls and notifications on the Kennedy retirement. People got off the metro and walked faster towards the exits, barking into their phones, almost running and unconsciously herding. Leftists looked down at the ground and silently cursed. Some, not so silent. Our people pumped fists in the air and glee reigned. Me? I did what I naturally do to appreciate an important event. I found the nearest bar.
By the way, you guys know, right? For these recent Supreme Court wins, like it or not, we have one guy mainly to thank. Mitch McConnell. Hail the Turtle! If he hadn’t held that seat open for a year after Scalia’s death, then no Gorsuch and no important wins like the one today on union dues and yesterday on immigration.
But, back to the bar. It’s packed with most people jammed in small clusters. They’re looking at their phones and excitedly chatting. Again, you can tell from the body language. Leftists are nursing white wines and are slumped in their chairs. Some are sniffling up. Our partisans are doing shots and looking up to the sky and smiling.
They are smiling because they know the scenarios almost all play out well for the GOP.
Here’s how a fall vote works for us: Dems like Manchin and Heitkamp in Trump states will have to vote for the president’s nominee or they know voters will take it out on them. They’ll lose their supposed status as moderates. But the Leftist craziness that will happen during the nomination fight will give them cover to vote for the nominee. If they don’t, they look like they’re cowering to loony thugs and they lose the general election in these conservative states. If they vote for the nominee, the Left will then target them. Win/win.
And the other people? Soros will go for broke to refund the Dems after the Janus decision and to fight the Trump SCOTUS pick. Hollywood will lose its tenuous grip on reality and go all out with every manner of poodle celebrity whining about the approaching Death Star of another Trump win. Barack Obama will come out of hiding and just generally make himself annoying. Anti-Trump marches will get more violent, as the resentment and bitterness at the heart of the Left is further exposed, as is their blood-soaked nostalgia for radical 1960s New Left terrorism.
This will reinforce the GOP message that the Dems and their artsy allies are confused sob sisters who will make common cause with Bolshie street thugs to oppose the president on any issue. Combine this with the Janus decision and it is a perfect storm of hurt for the Dems.
Janus? In case you missed it in all the VJ Day-like hubbub over Kennedy, the Janus decision basically defunds union political activity to a significant extent. This is yuuuuuuuge.
Now, when I was a working political consultant, during President Polk’s term in office, I regularly checked opposition (read: Dem) financial reports to see how much political ammo the other guys had. Because in politics, money is bullets. If you can’t shoot you can’t win.
What would I see? Donation after donation at all levels of races from the political action committees of major labor unions like AFSCME. With Janus, individual union members can opt out of that donation process. But with this SCOTUS fight coming and trying to take back Congress, the Dems have a lot of targets and now considerably less ammo. Heh.
Add on to that recent major high court decisions on immigration and religious freedom and we are indeed living through a memorable time.
But will this be a national watershed like 1933, when President Roosevelt (the bad one who was a dilettante socialist, not the good one who killed large animals) started the New Deal or will it be more like a limp 1859?
I mention this because we see the Left getting more and more out of hand. With all these knockout blows to the face they are becoming more unhinged and, with that, less willing to abide by the normal rules of democracy. Alarmist?
Just read their responses to the Kennedy retirement. Many of them now openly disavow any loyalty to a country they truly believe is turning fascist and more than imply their response to this will be armed resistance. Though, the question presents itself: If Trump is a would-be fuhrer then why aren’t they already in a concentration camp?
And also, how would anti-gun beta males and their harpy galpals foment armed resistance? By throwing their pink beanies at us?
They aren’t in lagers or pulling any triggers because their childish hyperbole has little to do with coherent historical comparisons or actions and more to do with hoping if they screech at a decibel level only canines and Gender Studies majors can hear, enough people will notice to somehow make them effective.
But that’s the funny thing about a moment in history. To understand it, it helps to stop screaming and listen. And the sound coming from the White House tonight?
That would be laughter.
