14JAN2022 – Random Reactions to the News of the Day

There is much that is newsworthy today.  But all of it is incremental to old stories.

Reactions to the Supreme Court decision on the OSHA Mandate from both sides.  The far-left reaction is comically panic stricken.  One writer at Salon named (I kid you not) Heather Digby Parton claimed:

“The goal of destroying the government regulatory apparatus that makes America a first-world country is shared by Republicans from Bannon to Utah Sen. Mitt Romney to Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney to Chief Justice John Roberts and every conservative in between. And it’s one of the most radical agendas any political faction has ever advanced. If you want to know why all the Republicans backed Donald Trump even when they knew he was monumentally unfit, this was it. They got their court and their dream is about to come true. Unfortunately, it’s a nightmare for the rest of us.”

So, Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney are wild-eyed bomb throwing radicals.  Good to know.

Lindsey Graham, of all people, is warning Mitch McConnell to patch up his differences with Donald Trump to avoid damaging the Republicans’ effectiveness in 2022 and beyond.  He says:

LINDSEY GRAHAM: You don’t have to agree with Trump, what he did in Syria I didn’t like it. I’ve had my differences with President Trump but I appreciate what he did and the media tries to divide us all the time. January 6th was a dark day in American history but it was not Pearl Harbor, it’s not 9/11, and that’s all they have to talk about. So to my Republican colleagues, let’s spend our time growing the party and realize that President Trump is the most consequential Republican in the country since Ronald Reagan and see if we can work together. Whether or not they can repair the relationship is up to them, not me. I hope so.

SANDRA SMITH: Senator, you would not be saying any of this unless you believe Donald Trump was the future of your party.

LINDSEY GRAHAM: You are so smart.

SANDRA SMITH: And that he can actually win.

LINDSEY GRAHAM: You are so smart.

JOHN ROBERTS: We know you well enough.

SANDRA SMITH: Is that it?

LINDSEY GRAHAM: In case you missed the last four minutes, that’s it.

A mealy-mouthed milquetoast like Graham is mocking brainless Fox News reporters?  Has the world gone topsy turvy? To me that signifies that even spineless mollusks like Graham recognize just how badly the Biden administration has overreached and want to make the most of the political thumping the Dems are about to experience.  It seems to me the Stupid Party should be gathering donations from their billionaire patrons to build a larger-than-life statue of Manchin and Sinema and set it up in the Capitol Rotunda.  As to the question of whether Trump and McConnell can bury the hatchet my guess is no.  McConnell is a weasel and making money on his position probably overrules any other consideration.  So doing the right thing isn’t even in his vocabulary.

Here’s an article handicapping the Senate outcome in 2022 based on Dementia Joe’s approval rating which is at about 41% currently:

“What does it tell us about 2022? Assuming the parties don’t nominate particularly weak candidates and there are no further retirements, a Republican-controlled Senate starts to come into the picture when Biden’s job approval falls to around 51% and becomes the most likely outcome at around 48%.

At 42%, the model envisions virtually no chance for Democrats to hold the Senate and predicts a loss of four seats as the most likely outcome. At 42%, the Colorado Senate seat could potentially come into play, assuming that Republicans produced a credible candidate (remember that a relatively unheralded candidate held Sen. Michael Bennet to a six-point margin in 2016).”

Well, that sounds wonderful.  Crying Chuck Schumer will lose his majority leader job and be forced to hand over his seat to AOC along with his testicles.  What’s not to like?

Here’s an article that calculates the real inflation rate as almost double what the administration is saying.

“The probability is that inflation will run closer to 10% than 5% for the first half of 2022, pushing the Fed to tighten more than investors now expect.”

This shows us that nothing can provide good economic news before the November election.  The Dems are toast.

All of this is good news.  Well actually, it’s bad news for our enemies which is not quite the same thing but close.  We’ll have to suffer through what’s coming but at least the bad guys will get their lumps.  Even the idiots who legitimately voted for Biden are horrified and disgusted at the mess he’s presided over.  The incompetence, arrogance and malevolence have been impossible to miss.  They are going to lose the House and most probably the Senate.  Good.

But we’ve been in this situation before.  Our side is run by idiots and they will not kick the enemy when they’re down.  They’ll help them to their feet, dust them off and extend the hand of friendship just in time to get stabbed in the belly.

So, for me this is the time to work on building our own things and look for allies.  In my mind Ron DeSantis is the brightest light that has appeared since 2016.  What I’m looking for is a breakthrough.  I’m looking for an initiative that pushes the Left back instead of just trying to stand our ground.  And maybe we’ll see some of that in late 2022.  So, this is a good time to judge who are the real leaders and who is just collecting a paycheck.  Judge them by their results.