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No Joy in Mudville

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When your own daughter turns on you, things are not going well in Mar-a-Lago.  Donnie Jr. also missed his father's coming out party, but it was because he was unable to secure a flight home in time from a hunting trip out west.  That left the in-laws to fill the empty seats.  Not a very auspicious beginning for another run at the White House.

He had to announce his candidacy after all the flack he was getting over the midterms.  To put off his presidential bid would have essentially been to admit defeat.  Can't have that.

I really don't care at this point.  I just hope that all the charges being leveled against him finally play out in court, making his final presidential run a memorable one that lands him in jail.  Still, a few lawyers couldn't resist the temptation to imagine Trump governing the country from a prison cell.  While you can't vote as an inmate, the Constitution allows persons to run as president from behind bars.  Lyndon LaRouche did it in 1992, having been locked up for tax evasion.

What gets me is how Republicans are acting like they are riding the crest of a red wave despite the stinging election results.  Kevin McCarthy wasted no time getting himself appointed House Republican leader, although his party has yet to reach the threshold of 218 seats necessary to secure a majority.  There was some talk that the Freedom Caucus might put up Trump as House Speaker, but in the end they nominated Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, who was only able to garner 31 votes.

Democrats have about 6 weeks to clean house before the Republicans come in, assuming they gain the majority in the coming days.  Biden is requesting an additional $37 billion in aid to Ukraine before the end of the session.  Given the recent missile strikes throughout the country, Biden will probably get it.  At least two missiles fell in Poland but they may have been errant attempts to shoot down Russian missiles.  I suppose this was Putin's parting gift to Ukraine after being forced to evacuate Kherson.

Democrats also need to wrap up their investigation into the January 6 insurrection and pass it along to the Justice Department before the new Republican leadership tries to bury it.  Trump was a no show for the deposition he was supposed to give the committee on Monday.

In January, Republicans will find themselves in a quandary.  There is little they can do over the next two years except make life difficult for Biden.  They will have no support in the Senate for any bills or resolutions they might put forward, having failed to win this chamber of Congress.  I suppose they can carry out their long-anticipated investigations into Hunter Biden's and Anthony Fauci's alleged criminal activities, but it will be purely a sideshow.  Their subjects will have no compelling reason to show up as Republicans repeatedly dodged subpoenas to testify before Democrat-led House committees regarding the January 6 investigations. 

I would like to think the media will focus more on the insurrection attempt now that Trump is seeking a third Republican nomination.  More likely we will just see the media mock him at every turn, making Republicans feel sorry for their embattled former president.  That was the general air Tuesday night.  Not even Fox News remained tuned in for the entirety of his pitiful speech, more concerned about the outstanding US Representative races in California, which will determine the balance of power in the House.  

Mitt Romney compared Trump to an aging pitcher who keeps losing baseball games. This was the third election cycle in which Republicans fell well short of expectations, largely due to Trump.  I would have compared him to the aging slugger Casey who had one last chance to save Mudville on a gloomy day only to swing big and miss on the last pitch.  

It is time for the Republican Party to move on.

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