So much is happening in so short a period of time that I would have to be a fulltime blogger to get even close to commenting on all of it. However, here are some thoughts on recent developments:
1. Senate Committee rule change: It has long been practice that members of both party need to be present for a vote on a nominee. The Democrats have used this rule to prevent votes by not being present. This was used to the extreme by Wisconsin Democrats trying to thwart Governor Walker's reforms, which included them fleeing the state! Committee Chairman Hatch altered the rules to allow for a vote with those present. I suspect the purpose of the rule was to prevent the majority from meeting secretly to move nominees and bills out of committee and intentional absence was not an expected tactic. Such childish antics explain the low approval ratings of Congress and government.
2. Neil Gorsuch nomination: It is always best to have justices who understand that it is up to the legislature to write law, not the courts. Far too many subjects are decided by courts writing laws and framing it as existing rights. That he was unanimously approved for his current position in 2006 is good maneuvering by the Trump Administration. It used to be that nominations were not so contentious, because the court wasn't nearly as important as it has become. Antonin Scalia was approved 98 to 0 and Ruth Bader Ginsberg won with 96 to 3. Gorsuch will be lucky if he gets 60 in favor. If courts would refrain from legislating, we could return to the ho-hum confirmation process. Yeah, that's not going to happen.
3. Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary: Though she is out of committee, two Republican Senators have stated their intention to vote against. A party line vote would give her a 50-50 split which VP Pence would presumably decide in DeVos's favor. As someone who would like to abolish the Department of Education, I am mostly indifferent to who is in charge. When did the Constitution get amended to expand federal authority to education? In any case, US education has been static - at best - since the creation of the department, demonstrating how useless it is.
4. Barack Obama speaks: Not even two weeks and Obama feels the need to offer his opinion. I'm not sure George W Bush ever said anything in opposition to Obama though Obama spent most of his first term blaming Bush for the state of everything. Even so, Bush remained silent and allowed the new president to take the world stage. Some ex-presidents have class.
5. Military Action against Mexico: Apparently Trump had a phone conversation with Pena Nieto and suggested that he deal with the cartels or perhaps the US military might. Wow, that escalated fast. The US has intervened militarily in Mexico in the past. When Pancho Villa raided into the US, President Wilson dispatched a Punitive Expedition led by General Pershing. Wilson also occupied Vera Cruz. It is extremely unlikely that US forces actually march into Mexico but hinting at the possibility could certainly prompt Mexico to crackdown. Bullying or smart diplomacy?
6. Frenetic Trump: That may not be the right adjective but it certainly seems appropriate to an outside observer. There is something new always happening. No one would accuse Trump of being 'low energy.' In a way, his tactics so far remind me of a military campaign. Shock and awe is surely what Washington is feeling. This high-speed activity is not how things are normally done. However, that may be the point. The opposition is off-balance. Heck, even the allies are off-balance. It remains to be seen how successful this strategy will be. Did he use this technique in the many deals he has struck over the years?
7. Berkeley Riot: The self-described 'Dangerous Faggot' was scheduled to speak at Berkeley but protests turned to a riot. Do these students not realize that this sort of 'tolerance' of opposing views is part of the reason Trump was elected? Each time one of these protests make the news, more people wonder what Milo is saying to incite it. Curious, they look on YouTube. This is how I became aware of Milo and now he is a rising star with a huge book deal and multiplying appearances. It reminds me of how every time Obama would call for reasonable gun legislation, gun sales would sky rocket. Counter-productive.
I wonder how much has happened while I've been blogging.
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