Trump’s next gambit may be a trip to Moscow for a man to man chat with Putin. Two tough guys, taking each other’s measure, but ready to make a deal. Paul Manafort can set it all up. He helped Putin puppet Viktor Yanukovych win the Presidency of the Ukraine back in 2010. Yanukovych was later chased out of the Ukraine, and has supposedly taken Russian citizenship. I’ll wager Manafort stays in touch with him, and he’s got a direct line to Putin. In other words, Trump has a back channel to Putin.
But maybe a visit wouldn’t be such a good idea. Putin may make a move on Ukraine this summer, and Trump doesn’t want to be seen endorsing that. Trump will oppose the use of American force to stop it, as will Johnson, I expect. This puts Obama, and Clinton, in a very tough spot, and they’ll have no real choice but to back down. This country won’t go to war for the Ukraine, or anybody else, for that matter (with certain exceptions).
Later this year the 40 foot high statue of Saint Vladimir should be completed, located right next to the Kremlin. He brought Christianity to Russia a thousand years ago, and Putin reveres him, as he does the Russian Orthodox Church. Putin wants Russia to be a Christian nation. This is another reason we won’t go to war with Russia. We’re a Christian nation, and we are at war with radical Islam. Russia can be an ally in that war. It’s more important than the Ukraine, or the Baltics, for that matter. The American people understand that.
All this helps Trump. He’ll be disqualified if Clinton and the Hive have their way. But if he’s not destroyed, it seems to me that foreign policy crises, or terrorist incidents, help him.
It’s possible all this could redound to Johnson’s benefit. This is all idle speculation, but it’s all I’ve got. Johnson wants the Clinton and media attacks on Trump to succeed. He wants Trump so beaten up and discredited that he, Johnson, is the only viable alternative to the Harridan.
Tuesday is the South Carolina legislative primary, and 84 year old Hugh Leatherman has a serious challenger. I’m hoping for an upset, but old Hugh still knows how to win votes. As long as he’s in the Senate, his district will get more than its share of state money. Hugh has delivered on that for over 30 years, and it’s a poor district.
So we’ll probably have to deal with Leatherman again next year. Why in the name of God his Senate Republican colleagues surrender so much of their power to this guy amazes me. But they do, and he rules the Senate, and the legislature, with an iron fist. We have to find a way to get to Leatherman. I have a hunch it can be done, but it will need to be a pretty big carrot. South Carolina, Virginia and Montana will be our toughest states. I think we have to raise some money in order to get them.
There are, presumably, some big Republican donors who are not going to give to Trump. If just one of them was smart enough to understand the opportunity represented by the Article V BBA, we’d have enough to do it. But most of these donors are interested in access, or in the prestige of being associated with a Presidential candidate. Little things like the Constitution aren’t that sexy.
1968 was a crazy political year, just nuts. 2016 has the same feel.
reaganproject.com 