What Would Cause Me to Protest?

I'm watching the events in Washington over the course of the last two days, as great crowds gather there to participate in public demonstration. Many were there to welcome the new President, and many were there to protest his ascension to the office. It is this latter group that I concern myself with here.

Clearly, something has moved them to this act--the act of public protest. There is the investment of their time and whatever money it cost to be there, so there is also a question of logistics for many. Those who protest without violence have my consistent approval. Knock yourselves out. That's what we do here---we bitch, we march, we get on TV. I don't necessarily get it right now, because my temperament leads me to believe someone should actually DO something worth protesting, rather than protesting on the basis of what they might do or what they have said they might do. But that's just me.

This process has however, led me to wonder what kinds of things might bring me to the act of public protest. I am an ideological conservative. Public protest is just not what we do. I certainly do not protest in anticipation of societal ills, and I doubt very seriously whether I could be brought to the point of marching and sign waving by the jot and tittle of our political process--meaning that when my side loses a legislative debate--I will raise noise here and on other social media, but I won't hop in my car, drive to the metro, pack myself like a sardine among others similarly moved by the political loss, and march. Put another way, I don't think you'll see a "Million Brooks Brothers March" any time soon.

No, for me to be moved to march, bright lines would have to be crossed. And so, in an effort to figure out what might drive me to the barricades, here is a framework for what would cause me to consider it:

1. The government is in some way actively and purposefully abridging the Constitutional rights of the citizenry. Short of the kind of thing Lincoln did in the Civil War, the Bill of Rights MUST mean something. It makes no difference if the action comes as the result of legislative majority. The Greeks told us long ago that the people can be a tyrant. An example? The internment of American citizens of Japanese descent in WWII. This would have brought me to the streets.

2. The government is in some way actively and purposefully enforcing the law in a manner that selectively targets groups based on their group affinity, as a matter of public policy. Had the Obama Administration been more convincingly shown to have (from the very top) targeted conservative groups for IRS intimidation, I could see myself carrying a sign in front of the IRS building. As it turned out, it looks to me that lazy (but still ideologically motivated) IRS officials DID go after conservative groups, but the lack of a direct tie to the White House seems important. That said, if it were shown that the Trump Administration was in some way punishing its enemies using the apparatus of the State selectively, this would trip my "protest" logic. But this logic applies to any administration.

3.  The nation engages in an armed conflict I consider antithetical to our interests. This is a tough one and full of interpretation. But that my friends, is what deciding whether to protest is all about. I have a rather wide "bucket" into which I place our national interests. Some are economic. Some are security. Some are reputational. And I can easily get to the point of not supporting a whole range of interventions. But one that brings me to the streets would likely have to be waged for reasons largely disconnected from even a loose interpretation of what I consider to be in the nation's interests.

Any suggestions for other criteria? I guess what it boils down to for me is the difference between how I react to a policy setback, and how I react to essential Constitutional questions.

On the Inaugural Protests

I had a snappy little exchange with a liberal friend of mine last night on Twitter. At some point in the evening when the protests began to turn violent, I tweeted something along the lines of not remembering there being violent conservative protests when Obama was inaugurated. My liberal friend then tweeted (without reference to me--so I cannot be sure that I was his target) these words "Fun watching GOPsters who were bitterly denouncing Trump several months ago, now with the vapors about the possibility of protests."

Apparently this fellow believed that because some of us strenuously objected to the possibilty of a Trump Presidency, we must therefore believe that violent protest was warranted (or should at the very least, be accepted) now that he had been elected. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. The country conducted an election, there was a clear winner by the clearly stated rules of the game, it is time to get on with things.

That there are people protesting in the streets does not bother me. Only when they turn violent do I take issue. And seeing that the man had not even yet been inaugurated, that he had not yet made a single decision as President--there simply isn't a rational excuse for violent protest.

There seems to be an expectation among those on the left that those of us who were vocally anti-Trump during the election would then turn into take-to-the-barricades radicals when he was elected. That's just not the way it works, at least not with someone possessed of a classically conservative mind.

Inaugural Balls

As political as I am, I have attended only one inaugural ball in my life. In January 1993, I was the Flag Aide to a Three Star in Washington, and one of the senior civilians in our office was a genuine, Medal-of-Honor Recipient War Hero---Tom Kelley.  Tom and I became quite close (we shared a solid Irish sense of humor), and when Clinton won the election, Tom was able to get me two tickets to the Medal of Honor Ball, which as it turns out, would be the only one Clinton and Gore attended together.

My wife and I got all gussied up (she in ball gown, me in Dinner Dress Blues) and we had a blast.

Eighteen days later, we decided to separate.

Ten months later, we were divorced.

Haven't been to an inaugural ball since.

Trump Team Getting Out the Budget Knife

Here's a story to warm the cockles of a conservative's heart. This story from The Hill lays out the broad strokes of the developing Trump Administration budget proposal, which cuts $10T in spending over 10 years, including privatizing "public" broadcasting, and eliminating funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. This is change I can get behind.

More Navy!!!!

Some of you know that I've been engaged in an American Seapower Speaking Tour. I had a recent event videotaped, and below you can find a lightly edited version. Enjoy!

The Lowdown on the Showdown

War is upon us. So far it is an uncivil, loud and vicious war, and I think will continue to be. There will be casualties on both sides; ruined careers, ruined fortunes and ruined lives. The American political establishment has declared this war on behalf of the globalist elites. This war is waged by their foot soldiers in the 'bought and paid for' media, the academy and the federal bureaucracy against the middle-class of America. What instigated this war (their Archduke Ferdinand moment) was the presidential election of which the outcome was completely unacceptable. The elites (I make no party distinction) are full of anger, outrage and self-pity. They feel blindsided. They have convinced themselves outside influences are at least partly responsible for the result. They are beside themselves with angst believing the world is in peril without their enlightened leadership all the while knowing they could have affected the outcome, numerous times, had they just taken Donald Trump seriously. They are determined to fix their mistake.

What we are witnessing in Washington and New York is panic. In one short week a man they do not and cannot control, will take the reins of power. This situation is incomprehensible for a ruling class who think themselves the best and brightest, with not only an obligation but the EXCLUSIVE RIGHT to rule America (and much of the world). For them the notion some pleb, without their validation and approval, without a clear 'understanding' as to what the new administration's policies will be vis-a-vis their positions and power, the idea some guy like Trump could take their Presidency and expose them to the 'will of the people', well the whole thought just leaves them speechless. Trump is a festering, open wound even BEFORE he takes office, and he has to go, there is no alternative. The political establishment, and even more so the 'wanna be' establishment, hates Donald Trump like no other. The American left hated Reagan, they hated Nixon, they hated the Bushes, but that was just business. This is different. This is bi-partisan and visceral. This is FEAR!

"FEAR IS THE ONLY TRUE ENEMY, BORN OF IGNORANCE AND THE PARENT OF ANGER AND HATE".    

The question is can Trump beat the establishment and what does this all mean for us? The answer is yes he can and everything.  We all know Trump doesn't fear the establishment. He's been fighting these kinds of people all his life. Plus he has at least one significant advantage. You see the guy on the bottom knows the guy on top all too well, but the guy on top has to work at knowing the people beneath him (or her). The Donald's business background has prepared him well for this job. Trump broke into Manhattan real estate AGAINST the advice of his very experienced father and Trump was smart enough and tough enough to beat them at their own game. Just consider for one second how hard it was to scratch his way to the top of that hill! He dealt with cronyism in government and unions, mafiosi, predatory banks, rules, regs and bullshit like you wouldn't believe. It boggles the mind. What Trump did wasn't free enterprise as I we know it, it was dealing with the corrupted, the criminal, the connected and the incorrigible... and he WON! This man understands how to beat a rigged game, a fact the establishment knows only too well. Hence the panic.

Regardless of how you may feel about Trump, step back a second and consider. Isn't all this what we've been waiting for? How many times on this very blog have we complained about media corruption? How many times have we pointed an accusing finger at Obama's cronyism and corruption? How many times have we seen our politicians refuse to represent us "WE THE PEOPLE" or obey our laws or hold themselves and their colleagues accountable? How much of our money will they blow? How many times will they exempt themselves from the rules they impose on us? They use and abuse us and we complain, and rightly so, but that's all we do. Now, at this moment in history, we have a rare opportunity in Donald Trump. I would even say a once in a lifetime opportunity. At any other time and place the man would be a disaster, but in our present circumstance he is Heaven sent being absolutely perfect for the job at hand. A guy with his skill-set, his mind-set, his toughness and determination showing up when we as a nation sit precariously close to the precipice, Good Grief it's almost biblical. All we have to do is hope and pray the left continues their reckless attacks, watch his back and let the guy be himself. Mark my words, if we stick by Trump he will break the back of the left, and we will get our country back.

So, if you think as I do the elites are ruining the country and destroying the greatest, most productive middle-class in the history of mankind and therefore MUST be taken to task and/or rendered powerless, that we need an AMERICAN cultural revolution to preserve our values and the rights and priviledges enunciated so well by the Founders, that the days of 'by and for the elites' and their failed globalist economics are OVER, then let's all commit to this Presidency. We owe it to ourselves, our children and our children's children to preserve, protect and defend American culture and the Judio-Christian values we hold dear. We owe it to the World as well. No other country can do what we do and still be a force for good. No one apart from we Americans can do it or will do it.

The establishment elites have a vastly different view, a view of entitlement and privilege and world governance. The believe the nation-state is obsolete. They are neither for nor against American interests, and they are standing in our way, but they will not go quietly. A war is not only necessary and inevitable, but desirable. If we want our country back we must take it and Trump is the best chance we've had in a generation. Now is the time. There is no alternative.

CW Does Some of that Navy Magic

Doing my annual thing at the Surface Navy Association Symposium. Vago Muradian of Defense and Aerospace Report did an interview with me that may be of interest to those tiring of politics....

From Russia With Love

Can you believe all the whining, pissing and moaning going on these days? Of course you can, we all knew the Dems would take the election hard, forgetabout the #nevertrump idiots. I personally am eating it up, their pain is my pleasure. It's wonderful to see the left thrashing about hoping someway, somehow they will find themselves back in power. I almost feel sorry for them, even though they did it to themselves and their efforts have no basis whatsoever in reality, but WTF, neither does their ideology. At this stage I am absolutely convinced they would resort to violence ON A GRAND SCALE if they thought; #1 there was any hope at all for success and #2 they could direct things from afar with no possibility of putting their own asses in harm's way. As I've said many times in the past, liberals are many, hardcore leftists few. Liberals are the storefront clerks, leftists are the shop owners in the back who rarely show their face. Liberals are do-gooder pussies, leftists are killers and thugs not the least bit shy about (how do they describe it?) cracking a few eggs to get their subjugated and compliant omelette they can eat off of for at least a generation. But before you buy into all this stuff about Russia "weaponizing" DNC emails (which apparently CW has) let's keep a few things in mind. It could all be 100% bullshit.

To start with do we indeed KNOW Russia hacked the DNC? The answer is maybe. Our Director of National Intelligence (a position created after 9/11 to act as a clearinghouse because liberals had put up so many bureaucratic impediments between our intelligence agencies the right hand didn't know if the left hand was scratching its butt or picking its nose) the venerable James Clapper is of no use on the subject. He is just another of Obama's political stooges, as are all the President's appointees. He's lied before Congress and repeatedly covered up facts that don't jibe well with the Baraq Hussein Obama official world view. In short he's a hack, I know it, you know it, and anybody paying attention knows it. So his testimony before that bitter loser John McCain's committee the other day has the same level of credibility as Rachel Dolezal's Ancestry.com profile. BTW I hear she's dating fake black dude Shaun King...or maybe they're just Facebook friends.

But having said that Lord knows none of us would put something like this past the Russians, or the Chinese, Israelis, Brits, French, Italians, Latvians or the Burkinabe if they had a God-damn computer and an outlet to plug it into. The point is everybody hacks everybody, if they can. And the fact the Democratic National Committee got hacked by SOMEBODY is NOT my problem. "But Hammer, they 'weaponized' those emails for the benefit of one candidate over another. We cannot allow our elections to be hijacked by a foreign power, especially Vlad Putin. He's so SCARY!" To which I say not nearly as scary as what was in the emails: Corruption, collusion and a laundry list of RICO predicates that would keep an honest prosecutor busy for the next several decades. "But Hammer...eh....we don't want to talk about that."

To put this in perspective, this whole business is a no more than a last-ditch effort by the MSM and the left (one and the same) to delegitimize Donald Trump before he even takes office, all the while distracting from the real criminality found in the emails. If John McCain and the bachelor (hint, hint) Lindsey Graham gave a good God-damn about the United States of America and the integrity of our elections they would be going after George Soros, Jan Schakowsky and her thug husband Robert Creamer who directed much of the violence at Trump rallies (otherwise known as a blatant attempt to affect our elections). Plus the idea that many who read this blog have bought into this narrative of deceit troubles me greatly. You need to wise up and stop being used. If Putin did it, he did us a favor!

A Trump supporter being "affected".

It Appears the Wall Will Not Be Paid for by Mexico

The entering argument for national sovereignty is being able to determine who enters and who stays in one's country.

We have a porous border with Mexico that needs to be effectively closed.

I fully support a physical wall being built.

I believed that it was a national security imperative, and that as such it would be funded by the American taxpayer.

It appears that the President-Elect agrees. 

On Term Limits

Senator Ted Cruz, capitalizing on a subject that is near and dear to America's growing populist movement and one that also has some adherents in the mainstream conservative movement, has introduced in Congress an amendment to the Constitution that imposes term limits on members of the House and Senate.The amendment limits service to three two-year terms in the House and two six-year terms in the Senate.  My compliments to Senator Cruz for refamiliarizing the American people with a proper method of amending the Constitution (see Article V), but as bad as Congress is, things would be measurably worse if this amendment were to become law. Here's why:

1. Like any other job, being a competent legislator takes time. After a certain amount of time, one begins to acquire expertise. Once attained, that expertise is applied to law-making. Under the Cruz amendment, members of our legislative branch would not be in Congress long-enough to attain this experitise and put it to work. Power would move naturally then from the legislators to unelected bureaucrats in the administrative state. Additionally, if you think there is a "swamp" now, just wait until the day when the only folks with policy expertise are lowly paid staffers and highly paid lobbyists. And if you think there is a revolving door now.....

2.  While we may detest Congress, we love our own Reps and Senators. Why should Americans be denied the services of those deemed best qualified to represent a given polity simply because those outside that polity don't like them? I don't care for Chuck Schumer. Not one bit. But the voters he represents returned him to office in 2010 with 66.4% of the vote. Clearly someone likes him.

Here's a pretty good piece on the subject from The Heritage Foundation from 2009. I think it holds up well.

RINO's Talk about the Future

Jonah Goldberg and Bill Kristol talk about where we are headed. A lot to like here.

It Was All Obama...and they love him for it.

I'm sure the Democratic Party is gearing up for the smear campaign of all smear campaigns. The Donald has gotten under their skin like no Republican since Richard Nixon. It's a blind, unreconcilable hatred with no semblance of reason or thought. Trump touches all the bases in the progressive playbook of hate; racist, homophobe, misogynist, xenophobic and at least ten other 'isms' or phobias I can't recall. Plus leftists feel emboldened when they see common cause with Republicans who feel as threatened by Trump as they do. But Donald J. Trump is not to blame. Donald Trump is a symptom.

The problem was Democrats, as they usually do, overstepped and over-reached. They take every election as a mandate. Most of them are well aware their ideas are unpopular and unworkable, but they have no policy discipline, no idea of what they can reasonably get away with.

BHO took office in a financial crisis CAUSED by Democrat policies stupidly left in place by a weak and distracted Republican President. Through their bought and paid for media they successfully laid the blame on every conservative since Ronald Reagan. They were well positioned to be the saviors of the middle-class resulting in Democrat rule for the next several decades. But what did they do? They set about ramming through an unpopular and unworkable healthcare takeover which not only didn't address the problems of the uninsured but actually raised cost (and limited choices) to those who did have insurance. We all know the result. Since 2008, across the board from top to bottom the Democratic Party has been devastated, and Hillary is just the latest casualty.

What I just described is the accepted, conservative view of this past election and I think there's a lot of validity to it. But I'd like to add a few points if I may.

If you were to talk (or gloat) to a committed progressive, the smarter ones would tell you they are not worried at all. They are in a happy place and look forward to a Trump Presidency. Why? Because their agenda has been advanced, significantly! Plus they are far from being powerless and this is a time for consolidation. A respite before the next big push. They would tell you elections are fleeting, temporary, of the moment. What BHO was trying to do was TRANSFORM the system, and he hasn't done a bad job, in fact they would say he's done a great job. He has put nearly a generation out of work, in debt and beholding to government one way or another. He has transferred middle-class wealth out of the country to foreign dictatorships and abused and weakened our military. He has destroyed (or nationalized) industries and natural resources. He has armed our worst enemies and created divisions among our populace designed to weaken our resolve to defend ourselves and our allies. He has flooded our country with people unable or unwilling to assimilate but more than willing to game our system. He has overburdened our social safety net and squandered our money to the point of insolvency. In other words he has weakened us as a nation unlike anything we've seen in modern history, including the Great Depression. He has made us ripe for social unrest and revolution. He has employed the Cloward-Piven, Saul Alinsky strategy like MacArthur island hopped to Japan. He indeed has been a transformational President and although he and his fellow progressives would have much preferred Hillary carry on, they are not in the least bothered by Trump. Let Trump take the heat for a while, let Trump deal with the mess, and when he fails, well you know.

Remember their strategy, one step back, two steps forward. As the tide comes in (so to speak) the progressive agenda will ebb and flow, but it never recedes as far as it was and it always advances further than it has been. THAT thinking is repeatedly drummed into their leftist heads and it's why they never quit and never get discouraged...and why they ADORE Baraq Hussein Obama.


 

New Years Resolutions

Every year at this time, I review a list of 10 predictions I made the previous year, and I make a set of new resolutions for the coming year. I am however, after this year's events, out of the predictions business. And so I will not be doing this part anymore

I also review my performance on a list of ten resolutions I've made, and then put out ten new ones. But as I sit here, I find myself somewhat unconcerned with how I did. And so I will just list my 2017 resolutions.

1. I resolve to make more money this year. I spend an awful lot of my time on unpaid stuff, but this year I will minimize these pursuits and concentrate more on financial return.
2. I resolve to exercise at least four times every week
3. I resolve to average 1500 net calories a day for the year.
4. I resolve to be more positive. I have a habit--especially with my own family--of making little negative comments that when taken out of context, are small and meaningless (at least to me)--but when added up, add up to me being a jerk. I need to be less of a jerk.
5. I resolve to be less of a jerk.
6. I resolve to obey posted speed limits more often.
7. I resolve to curse less. Much less.
8.  I resolve to golf more.But not so much that I impact #1
9. I resolve to spend more time on the water.
10. I resolve to spend less time on social media.

A Time for Choosing

As I've said here on this blog before, the Russians did not "hack" our Presidential election. Hillary Clinton lost because she misread the electorate, just like every single GOP primary contestant but one.

However, it is clear to me from the evidence presented, and from the direct conversations I have had with those in a position to know, that the Russians did in fact attempt to influence our election. President Obama--who famously hit the "Reset" button with the Russians, bent over backward to accommodate their paranoia, bungled Syria in such a way as to invite the Russians to build up their air and naval power in the Eastern Mediterranean, and refused Republican requests to investigate Russian activity in the late election--has taken strong action to sanction Russia as a result.

Both Speaker Ryan and Majority Leader McConnell have strongly supported the President's actions, however late they come in the game. I agree also with the moves.

But there is a good deal of hypocrisy brewing in our modern Republican Party, one in which for some reason, Vladimir Putin's obvious attempt to influence our election is seen by some as a civic duty to Americans, rather than the act of espionage that it is. Make no mistake folks--Putin OWNS this. The Russian intelligence services would NEVER have done something on this scale without his express consent and close oversight.

Four years ago, the GOP Nominee for President, Mitt Romney, called Russia our #1 geopolitical foe. He was laughed at by the President and his entire party. Putin then spent the next four years proving Romney right, and Republicans NEVER missed a chance to drive this point home to Democrats. But because Putin's espionage campaign was aimed at the Democratic candidate, all of a sudden much of the GOP has forgotten the past four years altogether. One GOP House member went as far as to laud the Russian operation. 

It is a time for choosing for Republicans. Have you become so intoxicated by power that you are immune to great power meddling in our internal political process, or worse, have you allied yourself with it? Do you REALLY think that Russian security services have focused EXCLUSIVELY on Democrats, and that they don't have a trove of information, electronic intercepts, email, and video of numerous Republicans to include the President-Elect and many of his cabinet nominees just waiting for the opportunity to arise where release would serve Russian interests? To whom will you complain then, if you find nothing to complain about now?

Or are you concerned at the prospect of Russian interference and the precedent it could set for the future, not to mention the basic impropriety of what they have done?

We are at the dawn of a new era of great power competition. Russia is one of the adversaries, China is the other. It is time for patriots to put aside the settling of scores and buckle down to the reality that this competition brings. Now is not the time for petty political pride--it is that time to act like an American.

The Day Facebook Died (I hope)

I've been a Facebook customer (subscriber/user/chump) for I don't know, maybe going on ten years now. I don't use it like most folks. I've never used it to "keep up", as the people I wish to keep up with I keep up with. I don't care to see how someone I knew from 'way back when' turned out. I don't care to make contact with high school, Army or college buddies from times gone by. My view is we are all on our own path, and what interested me as younger man rarely interests me now. Plus I'm just not that social, and to be honest I find most people petty, intellectually slow, ignorant and tedious. Yes I know I'm an asshole, but I'm ok with it.

So I've never been a Facebook whore, in fact I find the whole process of ASKING someone to be a "friend" and the puerile act of "unfriending" somewhat embarassing. I use Facebook simply as a conduit for commenting on various political sites, and that's all the hell it's good for in Hammer-World....but not anymore. This "fake news" bullshit was the last straw.

Facebook had SOME utility before kowtowing to all this hysterical, panic driven "fake news" fakery from the left. Yes indeed there is fake news, all conservatives are well aware of this fact, it's just that it's impossible to qualify most of the time. There are a thousand and one ways to mislead, misdirect and obfuscate, how will FB sort all that out? The answer is they won't, they'll just sort out the views they (or Politifact) don't like.

But it's not all bad. I look at it like this, Zuckeberg has done us a solid, in the long run. All this whining and acting out illustrates the panic of our leftist friends. We can expect more of the same for the foreseeable future as they are desperate for a win. Just keep in mind, for conservatives politics is always a road game. For the most part the left controls the media and the messaging, and just as important how long they want their message before the public. But come January WE control the government. It's time we used our power to advance our agenda, much the same as the Democrats have done. Mr. Zuckerberg has given us a wonderful excuse to pull him in for a short interview before the House Sub-Committee on Communications and Technology. We can do a little vetting of the vetors, see what our billionaire uber-nerd has to say about the veracity of Politifact. After all it's in the public interest is it not? According to what I've read in the NY Times etc. most of these millennial shit-heads get their news from social media. It would also be a good opportunity to ask about FB's intolerance of conservative thought and opinion, which has always been there but is presently out of control. This is just a logical extension of net-neutrality so those communist bastards over at the FCC should have no problem.

The situation is we won, we control government like we never have before. But do not think for one second we are in control. The left still owns most of the courts, the media, the academy and the bureaucracy. We can do a lot, and should, but it won't be easy. We will face furious opposition if and when we go after the aforementioned cornerstones of the American leftist monolith. BUT IT MUST BE DONE, otherwise ours will be a short-lived, pyrrhic victory that does more harm than good. Trump must follow through where Reagan and Gingrich couldn't. I don't want to kill Facebook or any other news outlet, I want to own them. And even if all we achieve is parity, then that will be a great victory indeed. So let's repeal and replace Facebook while we've got the strength... before we loose this generation entirely.  

Media Bias and the Staffing of an Administration

President-Elect Trump is busy staffing his team these days, and I have been generally pleased with many of his selections. The whole process has--as these things tend to do--raised in my mind questions of media bias, or at the very least, media affinity/groupthink.

PEOTUS has the responsibilty to pick people to run the various agencies and departments in his administration, many of whom must then be confirmed by the Senate. These agencies and departments have missions and regulatory functions, some of which fall directly into the ideological push and pull of the roll of government in the lives of Americans. Determining who will lead them is in effect, a statement on how active or intrusive a President would wish that agency or department to be. Where the bias comes in is the degree to which the media has focused its attention on how some of Trump's picks seem to hold views that reflect an ideological desire to restrain the bureaucracy they would head. We see this reaction to his Secretary of the Interior, his EPA Director, and his rumored FDA Director. In each case, the man nominated has taken positions publicly that question the expanse of power exercised by the organization he will head. These stances are reported with great trepidation, with various and sundry environmentalists, patient rights advocates, and other fans of a greater role for the government loudly decrying the choice.

Where the bias comes in is that when a liberal President stocks his pond with people who would presumably use the power and authority of the offices they are granted to increase the regulatory state, the reporting is matter of fact, as if it is quite natural for an environmentalist to be appointed as the Secretary of the Interior or the head of the EPA. Only when someone is appointed who might rightly restrain the state does the media go into its collective rush to the fainting couches.

On Russian Activities During the Election

There is a great deal of discussion in the media over the past few days about intelligence community assessments that Russian security services attempted to play a role in our election. There seems to be NO doubt among them that the Russians played such a role--but there is doubt as to whether that role was designed to favor one candidate over the other. Apparently, the CIA believes that Russia was trying to throw the election for Trump, and the FBI is not convinced. One (FBI) is a law enforcement agency and so is likely more interested in a tighter case, whereas the CIA is a classic intelligence agency where making calls on "good enough" information is the name of the game.

Here is what I think.

1) I believe the CIA is correct. Wikileaks has been thought by our own security services to be a front for Russian intellegence for some time now, and the information put out be Wikileaks was almost exclusively prejudicial to Hillary Clinton.

2) I do not believe that the Russians were involved in ANY voting mischief, because there is no evidence of it. Their involvement was a classic information operation designed to sway opinion. I am unsure how successful their operation was, and I do not believe we can ever know.

3) The election is over. Period. Donald Trump is the President-elect.

4) That said, we cannot as a sovereign nation allow foreign interference in our electoral process. Both parties (and every patriotic American) should get behind a thorough investigation designed to reveal the tactics and measures that Russia took, expose them for their perfidy, and figure out ways to mitigate this kind of thing in future elections.

On My Conduct During the Election

Since Donald Trump's election, I have had numerous opportunities to discuss its impact with friends, strangers, family members, and even with members of the Press. These conversations have forced me to think deeply about my views...but more to the point, my behavior during the election.  The bottom line is that I behaved badly, I brought discredit upon myself, and I've learned important lessons about how I wish to conduct myself in the future.  What am I talking about?

Let's start with what I am NOT talking about. I am not talking about all of the instances here and elsewhere on social media where I pointed out legitimate policy differences between what Trump was saying and what I believed and what I thought the bulk of Conservatives and Republicans believed. I am proud of the policy stands I took, and had I restricted my statements SOLELY to the realm of policy, I would not be writing this post.  But I didn't.

I said and wrote disrespectful, ad hominem, and personally insulting things about a man I have never met (Trump), and I lumped a good many of his voters into the mix. I allowed my deep disappointment in my candidate's demise (Rubio) to cause me to act inhumanely, and I allowed my ego--battered by having been so utterly wrong in my political judgment--to drive me into great fits of anger and pique.

Quite simply, I let the election get the best of me, and I allowed it to make me a lesser man. I was intemperate, immodest, and without poise. I cannot undo what I did, but I can resolve not to repeat it. So this is what I am going to do.

As I wrote when after the election, I wish the President-Elect well. I hope and pray he is successful. I have been greatly pleased by some of the people he has chosen to surround himself with, and I hope he continues to attract more.

Where his policy choices and my preferences overlap, I will say so.

Where they are in conflict, I will say so too, and I will explain why I hold the views I do.

What I will not do is insult him or anyone else. I broke my own blog's rules over and over, but I won't do it again. I aim to disagree without being disagreeable, something at which I failed miserably over the past year.

I ask you--my readers--to call me on this. If I lapse into personal attacks, I want to hear about it. I think the quality of this blog suffered greatly this year and it was entirely my fault. I think we can return it to a place of considered thought and opinion in 2017, and I hope that you'll keep reading.

And So It Goes....

Remember this smug little bastard? Yes, no? That's John Koskinen the IRS Commish. He was just given a pass yesterday by the House which voted to send his impeachment recommendation back to committee. That's the Judicial Committee which had brought the matter before the House to start with. In other words they handed it right back.
Now this guy destroyed evidence under subpoena, withheld evidence, engaged in illegal targeting of certain groups (which is still going on) and lied about it all before Congress. If all that doesn't rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors I don't know what does.
The galling thing about this vote is (the Democrats bloc voted of course) 166 Republicans crossed the aisle and voted against the committee. In my mind they voted against the rule of law and the will of their constituents.
This is a textbook example of why we need special prosecutors. Obviously this man is guilty. Obviously the proper thing to do would be to prosecute, and just as obviously we are in the world of political threats and deal-making. 166 Republicans do not go rogue. This was the leadership Paul Ryan et al. But think on this all you #nevertrump-ers out there, this is the kind of shit that got Trump nominated and elected. A team that misses their free-throws is one thing, a team that doesn't care to hit their free-throws is another. Paul Ryan and the Republican leadership is part of the problem. I don't expect them to go immediately, but go they must and go they will. They're out of touch. The mood of the country is FOLLOW THE LAW!

Know this guy? He's the Governor of North Carolina Pat McCrory. He just conceded the election to Attorney General Roy Cooper after a month or so of recounts. The perception is he lost because of HB2 legislation which denies transgendered folks the "right" to use the restroom of their choice regardless of what may or may not be dangling between their legs. That may be true but I don't don't think so. I think the election was stolen, and here's why.
1. When it looked like McCrory would pull it out in a close one, 95k votes were "discovered" in Durham County, just before midnight on election day, in one of the most corrupt counties in the state (remember Duke Lacrosse?).
2. North Carolina has "same day" voter registration and several hundred Duke, NCCU students were discovered to have the same address, which turned out to be no address at all (1 Duke University Way). None of these votes could be verified. I was actually told by a Dem operative the students had been "advised to use that address" and it was no big deal. I tried to envision such a scenario: "Ok people, listen up. Don't use your real address, use 1 Duke University Way. It's a paperwork thing. Got that?" Obviously there was a lot of cheating going on in Durham, and that's just one county. In Bladen County an organized ballot box stuffing operation was exposed, but the perps will probably get a pass...they're Democrats after all.
3. Ok, let's assume HB2 riled up the populace and many wanted to punish the politicians who had thrust this injustice upon some of our most vulnerable perverts. Why didn't they punish the Legislators? Most especially why didn't they vote out Lt. Gov Dan Forest, a VOCAL supporter of HB2? He won by 300,000 votes. So, we're being told Roy Cooper won with less votes than Dan Forest because HB2 was such a big issue (which Dan Forest supported LOUDLY AND VIGOROUSLY!) and people wanted to punish Pat McCrory. This was just a surgical strike at the Gov for this one issue.
BULLLLLLLL-SHIT! If the Governor gets punished so does the Lt. Gov from the same party with the same views. To think otherwise is idiotic.
It's very telling that Soros has spent the past five years setting up and funding several "grassroots" organizations in the State. His team of election law attorneys were Johnny-on-the-spot at the NCBOE this election. It's almost like they expected events to turn out this way.

 
Let's cut to the chase, the Charlotte Ordinance which precipitated HB2 was a set up from the git-go. The Gay-Gestapo, Soros and the leftist establishment in general targeted NC because it's ripe for turning, as was Colorado a few short years ago. We have had a steady influx of (will I be kind, yes I think I will) Northerners coming from their fuqed-up, bluer than blue states trying to escape taxes and overcrowding, who are bound and determined to turn MY State into the shit-hole they just left. They can't see past the noses on their face.
So the fight continues, and it is FAR from over. Progressivism is like toe fungus, ignore it thinking you got it beat, next thing you know you ain't got a leg to stand on.

Update: http://www.americanlens.com/2016/12/07/new-hanover-voter-disenfranchisement/

Dispatch from Westlake Village, CA

It is nearly two in the afternoon, and I am sitting in the lobby of my hotel in Westlake Village, CA on the day before the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Reagan Library. I have come to this event each year since its inception a few years ago, a chance to get out of DC and hobnob with -- well -- mostly a bunch of people from DC. A smattering of folks from the provinces show up, but it really is an annual get together of a tightly knit groups of folks who work national security issues. It has always tried to be down the middle, but it has a bit of a right of center color to it.

Last year, I remember coming with such anticipation, such enthusiasm. My boy (Rubio) was on the campaign trail, doing just fine, with the whole campaign ahead of him. I beleived strongly that the Republican nominee would win the election--as I found Hillary to be a weak candidate--but I did not expect it to be the man who eventually won.

My ride

There is a great program on tap, and things get started a little later today with a cocktail reception. I started off my day with a couple of phone interviews, a nice massage, and lunch at a passable Chinese restaurant I have visited each time I've come here. My ride is a bitching Camaro convertible, and I drove left LAX with the top down last night, with the temperature a reasonable 63 degrees. As I headed north and East into the Santa Monica Mountains, the temperature dropped nearly twenty degrees in ten minutes, making for a frosty last few miles.

Tomorrow will be a long busy day, then up early for the flight back across the country. I won't get home until nearly midnight (after the two hour Dulles/Easton drive), and then it's up and out at 0600 Monday.  I'll write something quick tomorrow night if I have any brushes with fame.  Cheers!

Go West, Young Man!

I am sitting outside Gate D-19 at Dulles Airport, awaiting my flight to San Diego where I'll do a little client work for a few days. Sorry to disappoint, but I am not rigged in my tracksuit and trainer get up, as I have a follow on engagement in LA later in the week that requires me to be in business suit. So I decided to travel in said suit, with blazer carefully folded into the suitcase along with everything else.

I fly to LA on Thursday night, hang around a hotel lazily on Friday, and then attend the annual Reagan National Defense Forum at the Reagan Library. I usually run into a lot of friends from the National Security business there, and the day's events are always top-notch.

I do not like Dulles Airport. No, I do not. You either ride one of those silly buses to your terminal, or you ride a monorail that drops you a half a mile from your terminal and you get to walk the rest of the way. The dining options remain terrible, and the United lounge servicing the "D" terminal is clear at the end of one side of the building, and my gate is at the other. So, I am sitting at the gate sucking up an electrical receptacle powering this laptop up for the flight. I have plenty of work, but I suppose I'll read and watch movies.

I land at 1845 hrs SD time, and since I won't eat on the plane, I'll be ravenous. There is a Ruth's Chris right up the street from my hotel, so I think that will be my dinner choice tonight.

Just a check in today, I'll write tomorrow if I have anything interesting to share.

Castro FINALLY Goes To Hell

I'm going to make this short and sweet: Fidel Castro was a ruthless thug who ran a communist dictatorship that murdered a greater percentage of his people than Stalin, controlled their lives to a greater extent than North Korea and spied on them more efficiently and effectively than East Germany. He was a paranoid killer who's only peers were Stalin, Hitler, Zhou En lai, Mao and Pol Pot. May he rot in hell.

Jeb Bush on the Future of the Republican Party

Jeb Bush has a nice piece up at the Wall Street Journal, and in it he gets fully behind an Article V Convention of the States. To remind, Article V of the U.S. Constitution provides the means for its alteration by future generations, and it says:

"The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate."

To explain, if a super-majority (2/3) of both chambers of Congress determine that an amendment is desirable, it is then sent to the States where 38 of the 50 must ratify it for it to amend. The Constitution has been amended using this method for all 27 of the existing amendments.

An alternative method would be for 2/3 (34) State Legislatures to call for a Constitutional Convention of the States in which Amendments could be proposed completely apart from the wishes of the national legislature. Those amendments would then go to the States for their ratification, and again, 38 of the 50 would need to ratify amendments for them to take on the force of law. Such a means of amending the Constitution has never been used.

The Founders specifically insisted on this latter method because of a fear that the Congress might itself become too tyrannical, and that there would need to be a method of amending that could occur utterly outside its authority. Initial discussions at the original Constitutional Convention did not include this "federalist" method of amending, but some who watched the sovereignty of the several states decline in that proceeding insisted on its inclusion.

With Republicans in control of 32 state legislatures, it is time for the Article V movement to switch into high gear. R's should market this as a means to update the Constitution THE RIGHT WAY, rather than having unelected judges legislating from Federal benches. They must remind people that 38 States would STILL have to ratify anything that came out of the Convention. They will need a few States where they don't control the legislatures to pitch in on this effort, so it cannot be seen solely as a way to push a conservative agenda. Attach items issues like term limits to the discussion, things that cross party lines for popularity.

Jeb is right on this.

Happy Thanksgiving

Ready for The Turkey

It is a little after 8, and I am in the kitchen staring out at the Miles River while the dogs go through their morning rituals. A glass enclosed gas fire is kicked up next to me, and it just became hot enough to excite the small fan which propels its goodness outward. I slept in this morning, until just a few minutes ago really, after bedding down at 9:30. A solid effort on my part.

In about two and a half hours, the cooking will begin. The Kitten has planned a gluttonous repast to celebrate this day of Thanksgiving, and we and the Kittens will be joined by an additional six family members living closeby. This year, we have the added treat of hosting The Kitten's mother-in-law, who is also grandmother to the Kittens and mother to The Kitten's late husband. She is a delightful woman, and she has made me welcome in her world from the moment I entered it. We share a great interest in news events, and the two of us can sometimes bore the rest of the house with our chatter.

The Kittens are both here, and it is renewing to hear the laughter that comes from their scheming upstairs. Not that they are scheming right now; it is far too early for that. This is the 10th Thanksgiving that we have celebrated together--as I woke this morning I gave The Kitten a little squeeze as I rendered thanks for the three of them--properly named Catherine, Hope, and Hannah--for having allowed me into this wonderful family.

The Kitten has a well-thought-out plan, complete with timetables and forethought into how to manage the use of the oven, five cooktop elements, and the grill. Here is today's menu:

Roast Turkey

Grilled Local Duck Wapped in Bacon with a Blackberry and Balsamic Sauce

The Kitten's Famous Mashed Potatoes

Cranberry Sauce

Sweet Potatoes

Oyster Casserole

The Kitten's Famous Dressing (or Stuffing)

Brussel Sprout/Broccoli Medly Drizzled with Light Sauce of Balsamic and Honey

Gravy

Dinner Rolls

Pumpkin Cheese Cake Pie

Pumpkin Pudding Pie

Pumkin Pie

Vanilla Ice Cream

Coffee

We have a great, well-equipped kitchen, but an undertaking of this magnitude requires forethought into how all the tools are managed, and The Kitten has it down to a science. My contributions include, all things turkey, gravy, and duck. Also, the Brussel sprout dish and the peeling of the numerous potatoes that go into her decadent mashed potatoes. I remember an early Thanksgiving, together, when the little Kittens chatted about their mother's mashed potatoes with reverance. I dismissed it of course, as the hero worship of children for their mother--but when I tasted them, they were confirmed.

We are shooting for Supper at 1700 hrs, which means the long lead item (Turkey) gets started at about 1100 (out of the oven at 1615, in at around 1145). I have a 23 pound fresh Butterball, which I will cook breast side down (as is my recent custom). Doing so results in a bird that is not as pretty as a breast up version, but the breast meet comes out perfect. After the Turkey goes in, I turn to the mind-numbing job of potato peeling, before heading out to the grill to cook the duck, which is then refrigerated until the guests arrive, and is used as an appetizer. In the past, we have had several more appetizers, but this year we concluded that while they were delicious, they made us (me) full before the meal even started.

The house is quiet as I wrap up this post. The dogs have concluded their morning hyperactivity and have settled down for naps. I hear the hot water heater, so someone in the house is up and about besides me. Soon, breakfasters will be all around, and the television will be turned on to the Macy's Parade. Not much TV football watching goes on in this house on Thanksgiving, so I sneak out to the ManCave for quick nips at the games.

To conclude, I want to wish anyone who reads this a Happy Thanksgiving, and I'll share what is rolling around in my mind as the general theme for this evening's Grace with you as a way to extend its blessings.  Be well, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Dear Lord,
We thank you for this day, and for our lives.
We ask that you be with us this evening as we enjoy our family's love and this bountiful meal.
We know that there are many across this country today who do not share in the bounty, and who
are suffering in body, or in spirit.
We ask that you be with them this day, and all days.
We ask that you be with those whose jobs keep them away from home, and to return them to their loved ones safely.
And we ask that we be worthy of all of your blessings each and every day.
Amen.

NOT Good Policy, NOT Good Politics

I like to think I understand politics, most of the time. Generally speaking I realize making an effort to get along, meeting your opponents halfway and being a magnanimous, all around swell guy can pay great dividends. The election is won, no reason to be vindictive or seek retribution. I get it. 

But Trump's decision to give Hillary a pass confuses and confounds me. Number one the promise Trump made to us that no one is above the law and justice will be done REGARDLESS, still rings in our ears. Hillary flouted the law. She set up a private server to avoid government oversight so as to sell access and favors through the Clinton Foundation. That much is clear as a bell to anyone who cares to look. We know it and the Democrats know it. So what's the problem in pursuing an investigation?

"Well Hammer we have a tradition in American politics where the winner never goes after the loser. It's tradition. We don't want to look like a banana republic dictatorship. Even though the law was broken, just let it go. We'll all be better off." 

Sorry, can't subscribe to that way of thinking. The law is the law and this isn't about the Democrat nominee or partisan politics or Donald Trump. This is about our national security and the RULE OF LAW, prosecutorial discretion does not apply. Mr. Trump upon taking office should have his Justice Department, with Congressional oversight, appoint SEVERAL special prosecutors. One to examine the Clinton Foundation and their role in Hillary's email server, one to ferret out the IRS abuses, one to examine "Fast and Furious" and one to look at the NSA and their spying on the American people. This is just my short list, I could think of others.  

"But Hammer, the animosity this would cause! Do you really want to put the country through all that?" Uh, let me think...HELL YES! The Hammer doctrine has always been good policy makes for good politics. Can you imagine the revelations to come from these investigations? I would argue we have seen only the tip of the iceberg. We have a compliant, corrupt media that refuses to tell us anything detrimental or embarrassing to BHO and his cohorts. We have members of the current administration taking the 5th before Congress. There is a lot there, if we would only look. We could drip drip drip extremely damaging information almost daily for the next four years. At the end of the day these investigations would most likely culminate in prosecution and conviction at the highest levels of the Democrat elite. Either that or we'd have a two hour highlight reel of the Democrats exercising their right against self incrimination. We could break the back of progressivism for a generation. The public would see all the nefarious dealings of this corrupt, vile administration and at the very least, Schumer would be playing nothing but prevent defense for the foreseeable future. Why would we NOT do this?

But let's say we don't. Let's say Trump takes the easy way out. What message does that send? It tells me and his most loyal supporters Trump is full of shit, and everything he's said is now questionable. In other words CW will be proven right. It also sends the message to the leftists that you can do anything you like no matter how heinous or outrageous, and if you do happen to get caught the conservatives will be too scared to take you on. This decision gives them aid, comfort and POWER. 

Jesus H. even the timing is wrong. If Trump wants to give Hillary a pass why would he announce it now? He's just letting BHO off the hook. Why not wait, see how this plays out. Obama could very well pardon Hillary in which case problem solved. The Republicans don't look weak, Hillary's guilt would be acknowledged by the current administration and there would be no backlash for our cowering Republicans to worry about. Waiting just gives Trump more options, and the fact he can't see that is more than a little disturbing. 

Trump should do as Obama with not a care for the feelings, input, council or reputations of his opponents. Elections have consequences. Trump needs to build bridges WHEN IT'S IN OUR INTEREST not to appease the radical left and their corrupt media. We as conservatives need to go on offense and advance our agenda forcefully and vigorously. We won! We won BIG and we need to start acting like it. I see absolutely no need for compromise. Extend the hand of friendship to the #nevertrump-ers, but the progressives get nothing. This is good policy AND good politics.  

Mattis and Romney

Talk this weekend on The Twitters was of visits to the North Jersey Whitehouse of Mitt Romney and Jim Mattis to call on President Elect Trump. The rumors are that Romney is being considered for the Secretary of State, and Mattis (former Marine four-star and Marvel Comics Action Hero) is being considered for Secretary of Defense.  These would be inspired choices, and there are strong cases for each. But the strongest case in my view is for each man to be in the other job. Here's why.

Jim Mattis used to be called "the Warrior-Monk" while on active duty. There is no doubt, but that he is a tough, Marine. But he's also a deep, deep, strategic thinker. When I think of who I would want looking across the negotiating table with our friends and allies ALIKE, I can think of no one I'd rather have there making our case than Mattis. This is after all, the job of the Secretary of State.

Why Mitt at DoD?  DoD is a huge series of interlocking businesses, and Mitt knows how to run big things.  He will have the gravitas to deal with the generals, admirals, and White House Staff.

I don't expect to be asked about this by the Trump team, but I leave this suggestion here for anyone who might be listening.

Pardon Me While I Gloat

What'd I tell you? What the hell did I tell you!? Don't remember or refuse to remember? I said way back in December of 2015 Trump would win with a solid South and a few "rust belt" states like Michigan and Ohio. Now who's your Daddy? Who is your God-damned DADDY!? Bow down and kiss my lily white SOUTHERN ass because I got it right (and won) and you didn't. 

You want to know why I got it right? Well I'll tell you, I'm a working class stiff that's why. I don't live in a palatial estate on the Mary-Land eastern shore. I'm not an attorney. My domicile is not in a huge population center nor do I get my news from Twitter and/or Facebook. I wouldn't give two shits for what Cher or George Clooney or Labron James think. I am a son of the working class just one generation away from sharecropping. I'm the guy who does the dirty work, the slubb who has been ridiculed, slandered and REPLACED by immigrants because the elites don't like my voting patterns. I am the guy who ALLOWS the elites to run things because I am too busy earning a living and providing for my family AND PAYING TAXES. But the elites grew too big for their britches and screwed it all up, so an attitude adjustment and a little remedial education is required. If they behave themselves we might, I say MIGHT let ‘em back in the game. But they have a lot of work to do, well see how it goes. One question though; wonder how they like me now? 

Ok, that's out of the way so let me tell you what I want to happen with our new President, not necessarily what will happen, just a Hammeratic 'to do' list.

1. BUILD THE WALL! If Trump loses his nerve or Congress won't go along or an earthquake devastates the Rio Grande Valley or Martians land in Lafayette Square or for WHATEVER REASON Trump DOES NOT build the wall, then all is for nought. At that point in time it's over. Trump will lose all credibility. Every criticism, every insult, every disparagement directed at Trump by the #nevertrump crowd and the radical leftists masquerading as the mainstream will take on new life and THAT will become Donald Trump. He will no longer be in control of his agenda, the country or his own destiny. Building the wall is PRIORITY ONE! 

2. Get trade sorted. Nobody wants a trade war. Nobody wants to NOT trade. Countries that trade tend not to go to war. But unfair trade is as bad (or worse) than no trade. Is China more amenable to our interests because of the massive and growing trade deficit we have with them? Of course not! The richer they become the more aggressive and belligerent. Transferring our wealth and technology out of country at the expense of the middle and working classes is a globalist scheme that has been rejected. Fair trade absolutely yes, NAFTA and TPP (as written) forgetaboutit. Them days are over. 

That’s it. Now there are other things on my list of course; tax reform, the VA, repeal and replace Obamacare, all extremely important. But the aforementioned are Trumps signature issues, the rest can wait awhile. The reason I put the wall at #1 is because it is tangible. Everybody in the country can see and touch a wall, they'll know it's being built (or not) and can see for themselves. That why this thing has to be built properly, under budget and quickly. Trump is the wall and the wall is Trump. The opposition understands this fact. He is going to face a full court press from all sides, he MUST withstand the temptation to back off...even a little. If he follows through and get it done the next issue will be easier, a lot easier. Winning begets winning, losing begets losing. Ask GHWB what happened to him after he reneged on his "read my lips, no new taxes" promise. Vince Lombardi said there were only a few plays in a game that decide the outcome, and so it is with politics. Trump has the ball and in this opening drive he has to score, that's all there is to it. 

So you may now go back to reading the WSJ and watching Meet the Press. Just keep in mind, they got it wrong too. 

Pence Booed at Performance of "Hamilton"

The concept of Broadway theater is much more appealing to me than the reality of Broadway theater. As far as entertainment goes, Broadway gets considerably more press than it deserves, if one were to work in the number of Amercians who actually avail themselves of the entertainment. But because it is New York, and because New York considers itself singular and because New Yorkers tend to drink their own bathwater, Broadway--or a play in New York--has made the national news.  It seems that both the audience and the cast at last night's performance of "Hamilton" decided to avail themselves of the opportunity offered by the attendence of the nation's Vice President Elect to boo, and lecture, said attendee.

Great. Going to the theater is a political act.

The phenomenon that is "Hamilton" (which I have not seen, but which I think I might wish to see) has exposed an entirely new generation to a man I consider to be -- behind Washington -- our greatest Founding Father. His bootstrap story, his battlefield bravery, his energy, his genius, his ideology--all are worthy of being celebrated in every generation, even if this one's go at it insists on "hip-hop" as the method of transmission. Whatever it takes, I suppose. But it strikes me that maybe too much hip hop and too little substance is being absorbed by Hamilton audiences, and its actors aren't taking the time to understand the man they are dramatizing.

Little doubt that many attendees are now casually dismissing the Electoral College as an instrument of racism--without having read Federalist 68 and its rationale therefor--written by--you guessed it-- Hamilton.

Little doubt that many attendees are now taking to their fainting couches at the prospect of Trump wielding Presidential power--power explained by Hamilton in Federalist 70 . He was in fact, the leading proponent of a powerful Executive throughout the Constitutional Convention.

Putting aside the history and political science, what happened last night was just plain rude. I realize that we are a coarse society, and the recent election did not help that one bit. But we can and should be better.

Big Fat Friday Free For ALl

What's the matter, Chum? Were you With Her? Did you lose your first night's deposit on that Shee-Shee room in DC for the Inaguration? Did the ultra-competent Irish air transit system lose your luggage?

Bitch about it, folks. That's what Friday is for.

Now Comes the Business of Governing

As the left of center world takes to its safe spaces for grief counseling atop plush divan chairs, the hard business of governing begins. I see five areas where the Trump Administration is likely to focus its early efforts, and the seeds of conflict on the Hill are sown in each.

No matter what else he does, PE Trump needs to deliver on his immigration message. It seems to have been the main rallying cry, and fire that got his whole candidacy moving. I actually believe that he'll be able to get something done on this pretty quickly--it might not be everything his most ardent supporters wanted, but it will be much more than there is today. Plus, I'm not sure his most ardent supporters are all that concened with scorekeeping details.

The second priority--and I think for PE Trump--far behind the first--is infrastructure investment. This is one where he'll run up against a good bit of resistance from the Republican majorities, but perhaps not enough to blunt it, especially given how much this subject acts as catnip to Democrats. Fish gotta swim, builders got to build. President Obama's "stimulus" passed with token R support in 2009, with much of the resistance being ideological. We'll see if R's have Road to Damascus conversions on this. Requirements for union labor or prevailing wage contracts--also catnip to D's--will also enliven this issue. There are real arguments against this on the right, and they will likely be heard.

Healthcare Reform came late to the Trump Campaign, and while it will be a HUGE Congressional priority, I imagine the PE will be somewhat more likely to move slowly on this front. He's already indicated support for keeping some Obamacare provisions (adults under 26 staying on parent insurance--this one has become middle class candy--and pre-existing coverage--which means keeping the individual mandate), so we'll have to see what direction this heads in.

Next is reform of the Veterans Administration. I honestly think PE Trump came to see this issue very clearly on the campaign trail, and if there is a swamp to be drained, I think he sees this one as at the top of the list.

Finally, there is rebuilding the military. I think this one is going to be toughest for him, simply because of the expense of doing anything other than token efforts. With his infrastructure plan almost certainly costing a good deal, there simply may not be a lot left over for defense. Debt financing could obviously cover much of the bill, but here he'll run into ideological problems on the right--because they hate debt--and on the left, because they won't want debt to pay for defense.

A lot to think about here--2017 is going to be an incredibly interesting year.

Why an Electoral College?

Because Mrs. Clinton appears to have won the popular vote, many Dems and Liberals are once again shouting from the highest parapets that the Electoral College should be abolished.

By way of enlightening readers a little rusty on just why the brilliant founders gave us this gift, I offer this transcript of a speech by former Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Additionally one could read Hamilton on the subject in Federalist 68.

Autumn on the Shore

My little hamlet of Easton here in the People's State of Maryland celebrates the mass slaughter of winged game birds annually duing this weekend, in what is called The Waterfowl Festival. The Kitten's mother--who owns the land surrounding our bit of it--allows a few local gentlemen to use her fields for their hunting, and just a few seconds ago, I heard the first reports from their field pieces. Fall is begun on the Shore. I love this time of year.

I'll get out a time or two myself and take a crack at the transiting birds, and we'll have a healthy supply of gooseflesh over the Winter from that and from offerings from friends. I usually do some to pick on before Thanksgiving, and our annual New Years Day gathering feasts upon it and The Kitten's tasty oyster stew.

We have a full weekend of fall activities, what with the festival, a horseshow for kitten #2, and a Pig/Oyster Roast tomorrow afternoon for a local politician with a very bright future.

Life goes on in my little slice of Heaven.

Oh, and speaking of Heaven--welcome back to the digital pages of this blog The Hammer, fresh from his consistently predicted victory over the forces of evil in the recent election.

Look Who's Back

That's right friends, the Hammer is back in town (and it wasn't easy). It took several months of a relentless campaign of ridicule, hate and intimidation until CW finally gave in and said (I suppose), WTF have I got to lose? After all, the poor man's candidate(s), party and dignity have gone by the wayside this election, how could I possibly make it worse? We all feel his pain, but not really. His political instincts are on a par with Mathew Dowd's speaking on This Week this week "Hillary Clinton has a 95% chance of winning with a larger coalition than BHO". Yeah right Mathew, ya friggin' moron! This is the kind of shit one overhears from lesbians chatting at the gas pump while filling their Harleys.

Well it is what it is and I want to thank CW for this opportunity to piss off and embarrass his beltway buddies. I will endeavor to do my best. Be seeing you soon and I leave you with this quote.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

My Senate Run Ends

Folks, a number of you were in on the fact that I was considering (seriously) a run for the US Senate in Maryland in 2018. I decided last night to walk away from that quest, and here is the text of what I sent out in a newsletter:

"I took a lot of time over the summer thinking about the 2018 Senate race in building a “Theory of the Case”. Essentially, the question was “what would justify the long-shot candidacy of an inexperienced man, in a heavily Democratic state, who has lived only ten years in MD, and who knew few people in the state outside his own town?”

That (admittedly thin) case was built around a central proposition—that Hillary Clinton would win the upcoming Presidential election, that in the first election in her off-year Presidency her party would take a beating, that the Democrats wouldn’t necessarily want to spend money (at least early on) to shore up what was generally an “in the bank” state, that a popular Republican Governor would be on the ballot, and that Obamacare would have had two more years to fester, creating additional problems for the Democratic incumbent.

Under these circumstances, a perfectly run, well-financed, and “lucky” Republican could have a small chance.

Donald Trump’s victory Tuesday dramatically alters the landscape. The Party on the hotseat in 2018 will be the Republican Party, with whom my brand of conservatism is somewhat out of fashion. Obamacare will not be an albatross to hang around the Democrats’ neck, as it will by then have been reformed. 

And so, I simply can’t justify all the sacrifices that I and people I love would have to make for this run to happen. I tried to bring method and planning to the decision, so that in the end, my case for running was more than “I’d really like to be a Senator”. The tentpole planning supposition of that method and that case has now fallen, and all I am left with is the desire to be a Senator and the desire to make things better. I will always think these noble impulses, and if I were independently wealthy, nothing would stop me. But I am not, and so I bring this process to a close.

Thank you so very much for having taken me seriously for the past few months, and thank you for being a part of my life.

Bryan McGrath

Some Thoughts on the Day After

I climbed atop my treadmill yesterday morning at 0507 and turned CNN on to see 289 votes in the chryron for Donald Trump in the Electoral College. I shook my head and said (to no one in particular) "son of a BITCH!". Then I went to my computer to check the Senate and saw that R's had held the line there. As I processed the news, three things became instantly apparent:

1) the utter depression that I felt after the Romney loss was nowhere to be found. I had little personally invested in this election, and was not supportive of either candidate.
2) I was encouraged by the fact that the Republicans will have the entire political apparatus of the government for two years (at least) and I began to think about all the good things that come come of it.
3) There was incredible cognitive dissonance from the Hillary folks about not only her personal integrity, but the extent to which her long years in the public eye, much of it negative, had impacted her candidacy.
4) I wondered how much President Obama and Secretary Clinton wished that they had that White House Correspondents Dinner back--the one in which the President and others went after PE Trump HARD--and what I consider to be the likely day of his official (unofficial) candidacy.

At some point in the day, I watched President-Elect Trump (henceforth PE Trump) give his acceptance speech and later, I watched President Obama give his Rose Garden chat and Secretary Clinton give her concession. All three rose to the occasion.

I thought about the Obama Presidency. How free of scandal it was, how the President really was an examplar of much that is good about our country. Also, how profoundly unsuccessful it was, and how thoroughly repudiated it was by the Trump victory. The two things I think he will try to hang his legacy on--the Iran Deal and Obamacare--are already in tatters and await only the Inaugural to administer the lethal dose.

Additionally, I thought about how the incredible rise in identity politics in the last eight years generated an equally powerful counterforce, one saying, "we are not racist because we believe in law and order, we are not racist because we believe the nation's borders should be secure, we do not hate because we want our daughters to use rest-rooms with other women only, and we think the Little Sisters of the Poor should not have to subsidize practices in their employer provided healthcare plan that they consider abhorent." I realize that many readers in cosmopolitan areas look at the foregoing and scoff--but LOOK at the county by county election map and infer how widespread the popularity of these views is.

Things are about to get very, very interesting.

President Trump

At no point in this election cycle did I get it right on Donald Trump. You could have been perfectly predictive on his fortunes had you simply read what I wrote and then thought the other thing. My job initially was to get Marco Rubio nominated. Then it was to see anyone by Donald Trump as the nominee. Then it was to encourage as many Americans as possible who read or hear me to beleive that neither he nor Hillary was suitable for the job, and that they should vote for someone else. On every point, I was wrong, and I failed. But that was my job as I saw it.

Now that I have failed and my fellow citizens have spoken, it is my civic duty to support the President wherever I can. On any issue where his preferences and mine align or are even close, I'll support him. Where we disagree, you'll hear about it. But he is going to be the President. My President, and he will lead the country I love with an unusal ardor.

I am happy for Donald Trump's supporters, especially the Hammer. He--as opposed to me--was right from the start on this.

That the Republicans kept the Senate and the House is good news. To the extent that the President-elect puts forward policy proposals that are aligned with traditional Republican principles, I think he'll enjoy success, as he should. Where his policy proposals are misaligned with prevailing Republican views, I think he'll find more difficulty.

Expect the Democrats in the Senate to a wall of opposition, and they'll use every parliamentary proceedure in the book to butress it. All of the stuff R's said about Supreme Court picks will be repeated--how the Senate is under no obligation to confirm, etc.

Big Fat Friday Free For All

Well folks, it's about time, huh? What's bothering you? Seen your girl's lead dissipating? Tired of hearing about your man's Russia worship? Your team 0-3 lookin' at 0-4?

Let it all out.

A New Viewing of The Godfather

"The Godfather Epic" was on TV last night, and I happened upon it at the point where Michael is visiting his father in the hospital and is then brutally assaulted by the police captain. I watched it until the final scene of the origninal movie, when he lies to his wife straight-faced about killing his sister's husband Carlo.

Until I read about "the epic" version this morning, I hadn't known what was up. If you remember, Godfather II had two stories in it--the early life of Vito and then Michael's life after the move to Vegas. The origninal movie sort of "fit" in between the two story lines of the second movie. I think cutting it all up and presenting it chronologically (as the epic does), makes a lot of sense, and I need to set aside the requisite seven hours someday to take it all in thusly.

What's important though, is that I was able to rope The Kitten into watching the movie with me last night. I don't beleive she's ever watched more than a couple of minutes of it, mostly passing through rooms where I have been watching. It is difficult for me to not watch The Godfather...sort of like "The Shawshank Redemption" in that regard.

But she sat down and watched when I said, "sit down with me and watch this. I promise to answer every single question you may have." I think this appealed to her, as I can on occasion, not be as generous with my time whilst watching the telly.

And so we watched, and she would pipe up now and then to ask a question, which I answered enthusiastically. After all, the prospect of adicting her to The Godfather was offering itself, and I was not going to pass this up.

This morning, we were discussing the movie--a movie I've watched dozens of times; a movie in which I can recite line after line. And The Kitten did something that she has a habit of doing--she caused me to look at something I'd looked at over and over--in an entirely new way.

You see, I spent a good part of the last part of the movie talking to her about how well I thought the filmmakers portrayed Michael's descent into evil, how well Pacino under-acted (for the only time in his career) in a particularly effective way. I've always admired Michael in a perverse sort of way for the focus and method he brought to the elimination of his competition on the day of his nephew's Baptism. What I NEVER realized is the degree to which this meister stroke was cooked up with Vito before Vito's death! All along, I had thought Michael and Michael alone had cooked this up, and waited for his father to die to implement it. Not so--as the Kitten pointed out.

In the scene where Michael and Vito are in the garden, Vito informs Michael that Barzini will try to arrrange a meeting, and that the person who brokers the meeting is a traitor. All along I've believed that the Don was talking matter of factly about a future event that was bound to happen. What I NEVER realized was that they were engaged in transistion planning, that the Don was speaking specifically to WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN HE DIED, when the terms of the "deal" among the five families would be considered null and void. Even as he was failing--the Don was the visionary, the Don was the strategist. Here I was thinking Michael to be a prodigy with an edge that even his father hadn't possessed. But I was wrong.

Later, during the scene when Clemenza and Tessio ask the Don to allow them to start their own families, Michael talks about great events that were in motion. Every previous time I've watched that scene--I assumed he was talking about the move to Vegas. But he wasn't. He was talking about a Shakespearean display of power designed to shock and awe La Cosa Nostra -- planned jointly by him and his father!  Vito and Michael realized that when the Don was gone, Michael's position would be perilous. Their plan was so breathtakingly perfect, that it simply could not be discussed with ANYONE else in that room--as we see from Tessio's eventual defection.

Again--I've watched these movies over, and over, and over again--and I simply saw all of this as a sign of Michael's evil virtuosity. But it was not just that. It was Vito's genius.

And I needed a rookie watching it all with intent for the first time to show it to me.  There is a lesson here.

This Day

Many of you know that the Kitten's husband and the Kittens' father perished today in the second tower to be hit in NY 15 years ago. It is never a wonderful day here, but they muddle through, and I try not to be in the way.

My crappy scheduling/increasingly busy life meant that I needed to be in San Diego early this week, so that means flying on this day in which airplanes figured so prominently.

It is--as was that day--beautiful here. Most September 11's are beautiful on the Eastern Seaboard. I wonder if any inquiry has been made on whether it is one of the most reliably consistent good weather days of the year.

I have been alternating between deadline work necessary to complete before flying today and meandering through social media to see how the savages are dealing with the day. So far, pretty good. Nothing in my various feeds that causes me to shake my head. At least not today.

I do long for the feeling this country had in the days and months following the attack, especially in this particularly polarized time. I am certain that it can be achieved again without a national calamity, but I just don't see leaders on the horizon who seek it as an animating goal--or at least some portion of it. I realize that the degree of unity then was outsized, but then again so is today's disunity. We can do better. I am thinking every day about how to help bring that about.