Once again loyal readers and visitors, apologies for the delays in between posts. Recent events have happened that will allow me to write more frequently, and hopefully it stays that way for the foreseeable future. It has been exactly 366 days since Donald Trump was inaugurated as 45th President of the United States, and to say some topics need to be covered would be an understatement. In order to catch up, lets review in terms of consistent coverage in the media and its implications.
1. Russian collusion. This story at this point is still merely that, a story. Michael Flynn has been dismissed by the Trump administration for failing to disclose certain activities he had with foreign governments, namely the government of Turkey. Paul Manafort has also been indicted and is out on restricted travel conditions. Both men have been indicted by Robert Mueller and the special counsel investigation for certain financial crimes, however that situation has been relatively quiet lately. A presidential pardon notwithstanding, this seems to be going nowhere. Vast amounts of people on the left believe to their core that Donald Trump is not the legitimate POTUS, and thus should be removed. Operative words in this situation are story, and believe. If no evidence has been brought to bear in a year, and no crime on the part of the Trump campaign have been identified, this is more about left wing cognitive dissonance than a large scale conspiracy on the part of the Russian government to insert a puppet into the presidency. Donald Trump has proven to be almost incapable of keeping his thoughts to himself via twitter, oftentimes tweeting late into the night about the special counsel, sometimes fast and loose with facts. That being said, new evidence has recently surfaced that agent Peter Strzok within the FBI discussed having an "insurance policy" should Trump have been elected. A sloppy "dossier" concocted from a former British spy Christopher Steele paid for by Fusion GPS, a political outfit with financial ties to the DNC was used as part of the rationale to investigate Trump in the first place. The idea that he is simultaneously a secret Russian plant and Manchurian candidate is comical. A far more likely situation is that the Democrat Party is using its influence within the federal bureaucracy to malign someone they hate and believe is illegitimate. It is a waste of tax dollars and air time, something most of the media is all too eager to indulge, which brings us to our next topic.
2. Fake news. This is one of those terms that is created once a generation, and isn't likely to go anywhere soon. Partisans have been dismissing sources they don't like as untrustworthy or overly biased for, well centuries. Thomas Jefferson had his own doubts about the press being free from bias, saying "Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper," during his candidacy for President. The current situation with President Trump vs the media is clearly amplified, given the 24 hour cable news media, internet, and his favorite weapon of choice, twitter. Trump has done himself few favors with this tool, often making claims that simply can't be verified or defended (his claim of the largest inauguration crowd one year ago today a perfect example). However, most fair Americans today would admit there is a left wing bias in the news and print media, or right wing if you watch FNC. The problem however seems to have been taken to an entirely new level, with an almost personal animus of most news outlets vs the President. Most notable of these animosities is undoubtedly CNN. MSNBC is what the left considers the counterpart to FNC, however CNN's coverage of the Trump Presidency is as personal as it is vitriolic. Ranging from stories about the president wanting two scoops of ice cream, to sending Jim Acosta to accost (pardon the pun) the man at every turn, to having Dr. Gupta offer a medical opinion about the President having heart disease after never personally examining the man, it is less news coverage than it is "get Trump." What the media and CNN fail to grasp in their intense loathing of the man, is as they cover him to the point they believe he dishonors himself and the office, they do the same to themselves. It is nearly impossible to watch CNN and consider it a credible a news source when they sell themselves out to say and do anything they can to damage him. Apart from lack of professionalism and journalistic standards, CNN has had to retract multiple stories this year as partially or fully untrue in an effort to get him. Jeff Zucker should do his best to reign in his network before it loses more credibility.
3. The economy. What can be said, other than things are looking good on all fronts. The stock market began its historic run before the Trump / GOP tax cuts were enacted, however the passage of that bill has seemed to help the markets and economy gain further steam. Unemployment stands in the mid 4% range. Economics being justly labeled the dismal science, both sides will take credit. Democrats and liberals will credit Obama for shoring up a tangled and messy economic downturn left over from the Bush administration, Trump supporters and conservatives will point to the fact that Donald Trump infused a sense of confidence back into the economy, coupled with the fact he has been on a self proclaimed mission to roll back regulations that he feels strangle businesses. Thus far, it seems to be paying dividends. The stock market has increased in value 31% since Trump's inauguration, the highest since FDR. Apple, one of the major US tax evaders for years said it plans to bring back $350 billion offshore, hire 20,000 workers in the US, and make a tax payment of $38 billion in the process. President Trump has obviously touted situations such as these to his advantage, as any other sitting president would. Regardless of whether politicians deserve credit when the economy does well during their tenure, he is using this to his advantage as well he should.
4. Legislative achievements (and failures). The fact that Donald Trump and the Republican party had to change Senate rules to allow the appointment of Neil Gorsuch was miscarriage of American democracy. Democrats are currently under pressure from their base to resist Donald Trump by any and all means necessary, and they knew they were facing a certain appointment of the vacant seat left by Antonin Scalia. Yes, they had every right to be upset about the GOP stonewalling President Obama when Scalia's death occured. However, when given the choice to filibuster a seat which was going to be filled one way or another, and forcing the GOP controlled Congress to amend Senate rules to a simple majority vote as opposed to the standard 2/3 vote was shameful. They should have moved on. Senate Majority Leader McConnell stressed this to his Democrat colleagues, suggesting one day the shoe would be on the other foot, the Democrats would have power, and they would wish they had not forced this issue. Equally embarrassing was the GOP's inability to craft a Healthcare repeal and replace bill, after campaigning on that issue for 7 years straight. To not have a bill that would gain the support of most of it's members and pass quickly is a banana peel slip, egg on face, Lucy pulls the football out from your feet debacle. Having a big tent party is one thing, not being able to craft and pass legislation you have promised for the better part of a decade is pathetic. Now, passing the corporate and individual tax cuts was a major success. Both parties had been in agreement this was something that needed addressing, until of course it came down to write the legislation and vote, then per usual everything fell back on partisan lines. Paul Ryan has stated he wants to tackle entitlement reform this year. Nobody should hold their breath. Given that the country is in the middle of a government shutdown over DACA kids and the dreamers, that is highly unlikely in the already hyper-partisan environment.
5. Immigration and shit hole-gate. Yes, we use adult language here at Kriplekistan. During a closed door session regarding immigration with Senators from both parties, Donald Trump apparently asked "why do we want more people from these shit hole countries, and not places like Norway" referring to Haiti, El Salvador, and other African countries. President Trumps opponents readily jumped on the issue, re-igniting accusations of racism. Clearly, it doesn't look good when someone says they favor a nation of Nordics over countries with predominant African descent. The larger debate about immigration emerged, with the shutdown focusing on solutions to the immigration system. All congressional members and political pundits claim the system is "broken," however left and right partisans offer radical means of repairing said system. Democrats want immediate legalization of all DACA and Dreamers, and offer token assistance on border security. Trump and the GOP are doubling down on building the wall and further means of border enforcement. John Kelly, the White House Chief of Staff who has given this administration a breath of fresh air, and more importantly discipline into the White House in terms of message, stated on FNC that Donald Trump's knowledge of the situation had somewhat evolved, and he no longer wanted a wall coast to coast. Trump somewhat rebuffed him on twitter the next day, saying the wall would in fact be built. At this point, it seems more like keeping a campaign promise on the part of the President as opposed to his insistence on a border wall's actual effectiveness. Considering he ran as an anti politician who keeps his word, it is wise Trump doubles down on this issue and insists it is built, regardless whether one agrees with the policy or not. Apart from a physical barrier, the USA needs to shore up its immigration and borders. It is not only the right policy, but is the sanest option. Letting anyone and everyone in because poor people from poor countries tend to vote for left wing causes and politicians of course benefits Democrats, and they cynically play this situation to the best of their abilities. Apart from partisan bickering, the USA is the only advanced industrialized country on Earth to allow such mass immigration on a yearly basis (currently it stands around 1 million admitted a year). Canada, for all its humanitarian bravado has recently started warning Haitians it will turn them back, as it cannot accommodate them all. This is not to impugn our dear Canadian friends' compassion, but rather pointing out it is a lot easier to talk about being an open, immigrant friendly society for all than actually being so. Australia has detention islands where it sends Sri Lankans. Germans are starting to bristle at immigration, and nativist parties are gaining in elections. Austria wants firm enforcement. Hungary wants a complete shut down. China refused asylum to any Syrian refugees. Resources will always be finite. Assimilation needs to take place. The world's sole superpower has the right to determine who becomes a citizen, and the decision should always be merit based, not who can get here first or fastest.
While these issues have been outlined above, they will most certainly be discussed in the coming weeks and months. Only time, and further blog posts, will tell what happens. Happy reading.
*Photo of President Trump by
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