There are enough Republicans who personally despise Donald Trump to prevent him from beating Clinton. As a man, he is loathsome. But he likes himself just the way he is, and will continue to show the world his inner juvenile delinquent. His fans are the type that cheer for football players who are little better than athletically gifted street thugs. Sure, he may beat up women, but look at him run!
Unless we get an Independent candidacy from someone like Greg Abbott, things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. Serious people like Paul Ryan know that we have no choice but to reform entitlements, but the political will isn’t there. The deficits will at some point overwhelm the monetary system. The Federal Reserve is just about out of ammunition, and the economy can’t recover without regulatory and tax reforms. Money in the stock market is a bet on growth, and where do we expect growth? A cheap dollar is a stimulus, but no solution. I’ve thrown in my hand, and gone to cash.
The case for Article V has never been stronger, but it may be years away. We’ve got 28 states for the BBA, and should pick up Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho and Wisconsin next year. If the Kentucky House flips, which I still think is likely, we could be at 33. Our nemesis in South Carolina, Sen. Hugh Leatherman, has drawn a primary challenge, and if he were somehow to lose, we could have 34 next year. But after the rescission in Delaware we have to expect the same in Maryland. So we would need Virginia. A tough fight, but doable. If we still have the House, it will aggregate the Resolutions and send them to the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will kill it. At that point it could become an issue in the 2018 elections.
I called Gov. Abbott’s office, and was told he has no plans to push the Texas Plan until next year. After the drubbing we take in November, more people may be willing to look at the Article V solution. What else have we got? It’s our last, best hope. And as the politics of Washington devolves further into chaos and gridlock, it will become more and more obvious. Congress is the problem, and Article V is the solution. Abbott can raise the money, and if he puts some kind of organization together I’ll offer to get involved. Working with the BBA Task Force for the last three years has taught me a few things about getting Article V Resolutions passed in various states. I don’t see any reason why Alaska couldn’t be one of the first states to pass the Texas plan, and off we go.
Things are going to hell in this country, and everybody’s pissed off. Everybody should be pissed off. Ted Cruz ran a great campaign, technically, but he wasn’t pissed off enough. I wonder what would have happened if, early on, he called out the Bushes, 1, 2 and 3, as the family that squandered the Reagan legacy. Jeb was there, ready to get beat up on behalf of the whole clan. But then nobody saw Trump coming, so it would have been risky.
I think a big lesson of this election is the death of Bushism. And not a minute too soon. Compassionate conservatism, represented by Bush 3 and Kasich, got its ass kicked. If nothing else, the rise of Donald Trump shows that kinder and gentler is over.
God knows what the world will look like in 2020. I bet it’s pretty ugly. The anger and frustration with Washington will only grow. Trump’s a one off, so we won’t be confronted with his like again. You’d think. But after this year, it’s more apparent than ever.
Nobody knows anything.
reaganproject.com 