2018 End-of-Year Musings

Here are a few short musings for my faithful readers as we approach the end of the year:

1. The Democrats won the mid-term elections; they took back the House of Representatives. They’ll have the power to launch endless investigations, consider impeaching President Trump, and block his agenda whenever they want. With Republicans having a bigger Senate advantage, we’re guaranteed two years of partisan gridlock in Washington.
2. With an increased U.S. Senate majority, President Trump will be able to appoint and confirm conservative judges to key court positions. If any other Supreme Court Justices leave or pass away, he’ll solidify the conservative majority impacting the court for decades. This remains a critical thorn in the side of the left who have used courts to move forward their liberal agenda.  They’ll count on the Ninth Circuit Court in California to make their case, but they’ll just be reversed by the Supreme Court.
3. President Trump may need to improve his communication style to secure a second term. His abrasive confrontations, aggressive tweets, and egotistical bragging have turned off many independents and some suburban women. GOP politicians have the challenge of furthering his agenda while having difficulty defending his aggressive actions. It’s clear that Trump’s behavior contributed to the Democrats’ success; anti-Trump campaign messages brought liberals out in record numbers. If he doesn’t find a way to disagree without being quite so disagreeable, even if he wins, he may lose the Senate in 2020.
4. Democrats have their own challenges—who will surface as their 2020 Presidential candidate? Like Republicans in 2016, there may be twenty candidates trying to be liberal enough for the left and deceptively moderate enough for the independents. Their candidate may have so many primary wounds that Trump might still win.
5. The partisan divide will widen in 2019. Neither side will have control. Supporters will focus on partisan information sources to support their own biases, and social media will provide the forums for immediate, emotionally charged exchanges that’ll add fuel to the partisan fire! Trump supporters were called the deplorables in 2016. Since the election, I’ve been called deluded, uneducated, a sucker, stupid, despicable, comatose, hateful, inflammatory, dishonest, and brainwashed. The name calling ensures a lack of constructive dialogue—no one likes being attacked so they avoid dialogue and huddle with “their own side.” 
6. Conspiracy theories are easy to initiate and sustain in cyberspace. When Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry questioned whether we landed on the moon, you know we’re in trouble. To their credit, NASA astronauts have offered evidence to ensure it was not a hoax.
7. Will Trump get his wall? David Rubin, the former mayor of Shiloh, Israel, asserts that walls work. In response to 55,000 illegal immigrants entering Israel between 2010 to 2012, Israel constructed a high-tech steel wall between Israel and Egypt. Completed in 2016, only 11 illegal immigrants entered that year. After making the wall higher, the number dropped to zero.Will a promised partial shutdown secure the needed funds? Will America find that we can get along with fewer government services? Let’s stay in a permanent, targeted shutdown and save billions.
8. Will the total Democrat control of California demonstrate how liberal policies can destroy a state? With unions expecting payback for their support, budget restraint will be nonexistent. With public sector pension obligations exploding and promises for expanded medical coverage, tax increases will be coming soon.
9. Finally, there’s a real question as to which will do the most damage—global warming or the destructive demonstrations around the world against the taxes needed to counter global warming. Watching the weekly crisis on the streets of Paris is enough to scare us all.

As we end 2018, it’s time for some much-needed good will and holiday cheer! So Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to you all.