There are a lot of suitable aphorisms. The Pottery Barn Rule (“You Break it, You Bought it”), “Be careful what you wish for… you just might get it” are two more, but the upshot is the same:
With Republicans holding on to the House while winning the Senate and the White House, they’ve won the trifecta. Now that they have control over all three branches of government, there’s nobody else they can blame for whatever happens over the next two (or possibly four) years.
The dog has caught the car. Now we’ll all get to see how well it can drive. The best we can do right now is hang on and do what we can to to limit the damage.
Democrats are already doing some of that by passing judicial appointments through the Senate like hot dinner rolls. (What took them so long?) And Biden will no doubt have a slew of executive orders, many of which Trump will try to undo as soon as he takes the oath of office.
But the fact of the matter is that as of January 21, 2025, MAGA will own the government lock, stock and barrel. Anything that goes wrong will be 100% their fault.
And there’s a lot that can go wrong.
A few things to keep in mind: When it comes to following through, the Republican record has been abysmal. (Remember the wall that Mexico was going to pay for?) And when Trump was successful in implementing policy, the results were often disastrous. Under Trump:
- Workers were forced to deal with more unsafe conditions
- Republicans tried to sabotage Obamacare by cutting off funding for health care exchanges
- Predatory college “diploma mills” were given a free pass to swindle students
- Food aid was cut off to over 750,000 of the poorest families
- Overtime pay was blocked for over 8 million workers
- International agreements to limit greenhouse gases were scuttled
- His tax cuts for the rich added over $2 trillion to the deficit
- Federal contractors with a history of labor violations (including sexual harassment) can now keep their records secret when submitting government bids
- Regulation against toxic chemicals was relaxed
- Republicans made it easier for bank failures to create another fiscal crisis
- Trump walked away from the Iran Nuclear Agreement, his withdrawal being a major accelerant to the unfolding Mideast conflagration
(See Politico – January 18, 2021)
So these are the sort of things that happen when Republicans get things “right.”
As of this writing, Republicans are expected to win control of the House by a narrow margin. But Trump has shown little respect for democratic norms, so it’s a good bet that whatever he can’t easily get through a compliant Congress, he’ll try to implement by executive order, let the chips fall where they may and rely on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling to let him get away with whatever he wants.
So here are a few things to expect:
Even if Senate leadership refuses to allow Trump to bypass Senate confirmation hearings, his nominees will be incompetent, corrupt or, most likely, both. (If the Senate allows Trump bypass Congress entirely by making recess appointments, it’s Katie bar the door.)
When it comes to Trump’s staff, you can expect infighting, firings, and constant competition between cabinet members as to who can best demonstrate their loyalty to Dear Leader. They will undoubtedly overreach, and that’s when things can get really dicey; remember, this is the “double-down” crew, who never, ever, ever makes a mistake.
The dog has caught the car. Now we’ll all get to see how well it can drive.
I predict that Republicans won’t be able to resist going after Social Security and Medicare. Both programs are incredibly efficient, spending only about 1% on administrative costs.
Both programs are also incredibly huge, and the banking cartel will simply be licking its chops at the prospect of getting a piece of the pie. So you can expect a lot of talk about “waste and abuse” and how we’d be so much better off with “professionals” managing these programs.
(They tried this under Bush, and thankfully, the effort failed. Otherwise the programs might well have been wiped out in subsequent banking crises. But again, this is the “double-down” crew. The bankers want this, and money talks.)
Anyway, trying to mess with these programs should be a bridge too far – the oft-quoted “third rail of politics” that’s most likely to get millions of Americans up in arms. I think that will be the rallying point that has the best chance of turning the tide… but only if we’re prepared for it.
Until then, I say it’s best to keep our powder dry and work on creating formulating winning messaging, as well as identifying messengers who can effectively deliver it.
Let’s ask the professors to sit this one out. Instead, let’s talk to regular people, listen to what they have to say, how they say it and get ’em out there. And let’s look for real brawlers who are willing to fight for working Americans. They’re all out there… it’s just a matter of finding them.
We can do this. Hang on and stay tuned.
