THE TRANSITION DIARY: 65 Days until the Inauguration: November 15, 2024:

 THE TRANSITION DIARY: 65 Days until the Inauguration: November 15, 2024:

   The TRANSITION is moving at a rapid pace. However, the choices being made for the various positions in the upcoming Cabinet are under scrutiny. The news cycle on “both sides of the aisle” is filled with PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP nominees for those Cabinet positions with Matt Gaetz for ATTORNEY GENERAL leading most stories and the subsequent discussions. The consensus that I have gathered is that GAETZ has no chance of getting the simple majority (51) of votes.The next most popular news worthy soul is RFK,Jr as secretary of Health and Human Services.

   Also discussed will be North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) to head the Interior Department. My initial thoughts without knowing BURGUM’s background would be that a Governor from NORTH DAKOTA must know a lot about the “interior”. This is a role overseeing 500 million acres of federal land and more than a billion acres offshore. This fits into TRUMP’S plan to boost U.S. oil and gas production.

   Nominated to oversee the second-largest agency (450,000 employees) in the U.S., The Department of Veteran’s Affairs is DOUGLAS A. COLLINS. President-elect TRUMP has pledged to increase the agency’s reliance on private medical care for veterans and have long been critical of the government-run system.

   Another gentleman mounting concern is Pete Hegseth, a military veteran/ FOX NEWS Host for Secretary of Defense who has tattoos associated with the white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements, including what’s known as a Jerusalem cross, a symbol used by Christian nationalists.

   And lastly, there are a number of senior White House roles:

James Blair, deputy chief of staff: Blair was the political director on Trump’s presidential campaign and as a deputy chief of staff will focus on legislative, political and public affairs.

Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff: Budowich ran Trump’s main super PAC, MAGA Inc., before joining the campaign. He is a trusted lieutenant of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and will focus on communications and personnel.

Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff: Scavino was a senior adviser on Trump’s presidential campaign and a longtime top social media aide and confidante to Trump.

Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff: Miller was also a senior advisor on Trump’s presidential campaign and is his top immigration adviser and speechwriter. Miller will focus on homeland security.

William McGinley, White House counsel: McGinley previously served as the White House secretary under Trump and as general counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. This role is expected to be central in the incoming president’s plan to expand executive authority.

    Meanwhile, THE AUTOPSY continues. The Dems need to pick the leader of the Democratic National Committee as Jaime HARRISON will step down…to be continued…

The opinions and observations are solely my own views, and I take full responsibility for any errors of fact, not to mention any predictions that prove to be wildly inaccurate.

THE TRANSITION DIARY: 66 Days until the Inauguration: November 14, 2024:

 THE TRANSITION DIARY: 66 Days until the Inauguration: November 14, 2024:

   President Biden hosted an Oval Office meeting with President-elect Trump where in my estimation the only thing discussed was what date the locksmith will arrive to change the keys. TRUMP’s transition team was to sign an agreement with the General Services Administration by Oct. 1, which to date has not been done. That agreement would allow Trump’s team to receive classified briefings from administration officials and visit the agencies that they will start running in 68 days. It has been said that TRUMP’s team does not trust the GS Administration as in his previous term information was leaked to the press.   

   The “TRIFECTA” is there, Republicans will enter Congress next year with 53 SENATE seats, the HOUSE is theirs, and #45 is now #47. The restraints on the president will become looser than they have been in many, many years. Well, at least until the mid-term election of 2026, which in political days is quite a ways off. 

   As I suggested, if the GOP controls the House and the Senate, the TRUMP faithful will seek a way to get around (amend) the 22nd Amendment which limits a president to two terms in office. They love THE DONALD. On Wednesday’s get together with the GOP’s Trump jokingly addressed running for a third term stating, “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s good. We got to figure something else.”

   President-elect TRUMP is strongly suggesting to the GOP Senators rubber stamp his nominees letting him decide who runs the government, rather than they vote on his nominees thereby disregarding the main function of the SENATE which is to “confirm OR oppose”. He was looking for a “lackey” (my word) to serve as the Senate majority leader. 

   At the House Republican Conference TRUMP spoke of passing legislation to secure the border, lower prices and reauthorizing his tax law. ELON MUSK was in attendance. (NOTE: All money bills must originate in the House.) MUSK and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are being slated to run a new commission (not a Cabinet seat?) whose purpose is to slash government staff, operations and regulations. Conflicts of interests will be debated about the nominees and the standing of the “commission”. TRUMP, when speaking of this commission stated, “These two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” As a “committee” rather than a new Cabinet position, TRUMP suggested that the department would operate outside of government to drive “drastic change,” while partnering with the White House and its budget office to provide recommendations to slash regulations, cut staff and overhaul federal operations.

    President-elect TRUMP controls the political news cycle with his nominations for cabinet members, some questionable even to Republicans. There are deep concerns about the integrity as well as the qualifications of the candidates. And TRUMP insisted that the next Senate majority leader allow for recess appointments, which would grant him the ability to unilaterally install cabinet members.

   First, let’s discuss the new Senate leader, then the process of recess appointments. Senator John Thune of South Dakota, will be the new leader, for as long as the majority allows him to hold that spot. Thune was first elected to the Senate in 2004, winning in a major upset against Sen. Tom Daschle, who was then the sitting Democratic leader.

   Senator Thune (63) is presently serving as minority whip, the No. 2 role in GOP Senate leadership, now elevating him to leader over Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who was the supposed choice of the TRUMP camp. The election was conducted by secret ballot, which might have allowed Republicans wary of offending Trump’s most ardent supporters some political protection. TRUMP was opposed to a “secret ballot”.Thune, won 29-24 in the second round of voting, will officially become majority leader when the new Senate is sworn in on January 3. McConnell, who has led Senate Republicans since 2007, announced in February that he would step down as GOP leader this year.  THUNE upon being elected said, “We cannot afford to take this coalition for granted. If we fail to deliver on President Trump’s priorities, we will lose their support,”…“They have trusted us with their votes. Now we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

   Now regarding the process of recess appointments,THUNE said that the Senate would “explore all options” to make sure Mr. Trump’s nominees “get moved and that they get moved quickly.” The only true option is the SENATE’S power to approve or reject a president’s nominees for Cabinet positions which is a fundamental feature of the Constitution’s system of checks and balances. HAMILTON in the FEDERALIST PAPERS explained that power “would tend greatly to prevent the appointment of unfit characters,” including those “who had no other merit than that … of possessing the necessary insignificance and pliancy to render them the obsequious instruments of [the president’s] pleasure.” The CONSTITUTION allows the president to make recess appointments — “to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate.” The recess must be 10 days or longer AND that the needed appointment is a necessity. The Congressional calendar is established to avoid any such recess. Though recess appointments have been used in the past by presidents of both parties, in recent years, the Senate has avoided going to extended recesses, blocking presidents from making any controversial  appointments in senators’ absence. Former President Barack Obama made 32 recess appointments, Bill Clinton made 139 recess appointments, and George W. Bush made 171 recess appointments.

   President-elect TRUMP’s CABINET nominees are worthy of the headlines and the discussions which follow in the media. The best example of this is Florida Representative Matt Gaetz (R) chosen to lead the Justice Department as ATTORNEY GENERAL. GAETZ resigned from the chamber on Wednesday (11/13/24) which would ultimately end the HOUSE Ethics Committee investigation into accusations of drug use, using campaign funds for personal use, and sharing inappropriate material on the House floor, among other offenses.“We ought to have a full-court press against this WEAPONIZED government that has been turned against our people,” Mr. Gaetz wrote on social media on Wednesday. “And if that means abolishing every one of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to get going!” GAETZ is also an advocate to limit sentences for people who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

   Next, there is a Fox News ally for defense secretary. Ironically, Pete Hegseth, a military veteran is known for defending Mr. Trump on Fox News. Also, a former DEMOCRAT turned TRUMP supporter, TULSI GABBARD to be director of national intelligence. With these three TRUMP dares the Senate GOP to defy him.

   Meanwhile the Dem’s autopsy continues as they gathered for their first caucus meeting since the election in which they lost the “trifecta”, that is the White House , the House and the Senate…to be continued…

The opinions and observations are solely my own views, and I take full responsibility for any errors of fact, not to mention any predictions that prove to be wildly inaccurate.

THE TRANSITION DIARY: 67 Days until the Inauguration: November 13, 2024:

 THE TRANSITION DIARY: 67 Days until the Inauguration: November 13, 2024:

   Yesterday, BIDEN had lunch with HARRIS. Today, he meets with President Elect TRUMP in the Oval Office at 11 A.M… and then there is the “underwear” drawer…First Lady Elect Melania Trump declined an offer to meet with current First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, citing the Biden administration’s raid on Mar-a-Lago as part of the federal government’s investigation into classified documents.

   The Cabinet is being built, choosing a governor this time as TRUMP picks South Dakota Gov. Kristi NOEM for the role of secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The appointee will be essential in carrying out Trump’s aggressive immigration plans, in addition to the agency’s duties surrounding cybersecurity, antiterrorism and emergency response. The trend of choosing House or Senate Republicans has garnered some concern as a possible shrinkage of any potential majority until the seat is filled.Senate Republicans won back the majority after four years in the minority. And in the House, Republicans are on the verge of winning a majority.There is concern that TRUMP will, in the future, make “recess appointments” aka temporary postings when the Senate is not in session, and therefore have little or no time to provide senatorial “advice and consent.”Note: a great novel by “Advise and Consent” (notice the spelling) by ALLEN DRURY and a 1962 film of the same name. The actual procedure is  United States Constitution's Article II, Sec. 2, cl. 2, which provides that the president of the United States "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States."

   The Democratic Party autopsy continues this time on late night tv…Jon Stewart complained, “The country felt like government wasn’t working for them, and the Democrats in particular were taking their hard-earned money and giving it to people who didn’t deserve it as much as them. And so the Democrats got shellacked.” However, in the theory that the DEMS choose “wokeness” he said, “Those are the Democrats,”… “They didn’t talk about pronouns. They didn’t say ‘Latinx.’ It was the opposite.”…“They didn’t do the woke thing. They acted like Republicans for the last four months…”

   Too many Cabinet appointments last night for me to digest, so I’ll save it for tomorrow…to be continued…

The opinions and observations are solely my own views, and I take full responsibility for any errors of fact, not to mention any predictions that prove to be wildly inaccurate.

THE TRANSITION DIARY: 68 Days until the Inauguration: November 12, 2024:

 THE TRANSITION DIARY: 68 Days until the Inauguration: November 12, 2024:

   THE Democrat’s Election autopsy continues. Milk Toast Joe and COMMA-LA were at Arlington National Cemetery to place a wreath for VETERAN’S DAY at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  

   Analysis of election data is coming through and it is very interesting. Simply put, many DEMOCRATS did not vote at the rate they did in 2020 presumably turned off by both candidates. According to the NYTimes (11/11/24),“Counties with the biggest Democratic victories in 2020 delivered 1.9 million fewer votes for Ms. Harris than they had for Mr. Biden. The nation’s most Republican-heavy counties turned out an additional 1.2 million votes for Mr. Trump this year, according to the analysis of the 47 states where the vote count is largely complete.

   PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP continues to choose members for his cabinet. He has the perfect “trifecta” (control of the Senate/House/ Presidency) so much of the approval process if needed will be a “rubber stamp”. Yesterday, it was announced that former New York GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin will serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin, 44, served four terms as a Republican congressman representing eastern Long Island before losing the 2022 New York governor’s race to Democrat Kathy Hochul. ZELDIN will become a key figure in adopting Trump’s deregulatory and pro-energy production policies.Trump said, “Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies. He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet. He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.”

   Next up is the hub-but that Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla) will be named SECRETARY of STATE. A staunch TRUMP supporter, RUBIO is vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. RUBIO will attempt to steer TRUMP in taking an aggressive position on Hamas whom he called “vicious animals.” 

   Rep. MIKE WALTZ (R-Fla) another Floridian is slated as the White House national security adviser. Waltz, a retired Special Forces officer who used to work for Vice President Dick Cheney. In Congress, WALTZ advocated for an open-ended U.S. military commitment in Afghanistan. He has sat on a number of key national security committees in the House.

   STEPHEN MILLER, who worked as an adviso with TRUMP during his #45 run will return but this time as deputy chief of staff.

   Tabulating the votes, it was announced that In ARIZONA (the last Senate race to be called) Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego succeeded in defeating Republican Kari Lake. With Gallego (D) win, Senate Republicans are left with a 53-47 majority…to be continued…

The opinions and observations are solely my own views, and I take full responsibility for any errors of fact, not to mention any predictions that prove to be wildly inaccurate.

THE TRANSITION DIARY: 69 Days until the Inauguration: November 11, 2024:

 THE TRANSITION DIARY: 69 Days until the Inauguration: November 11, 2024:

   It is VETERAN’S DAY so we take a moment to thank all who have served this great country of ours.

THE ELEVENTH HOUR - LEST WE FORGET

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day 

Of the eleventh month

We stand for two minutes of silence

To honour our fallen, our daughters and sons.

They went off to war, to places unknown

They knew not what they'd face

They knew not if they'd return

But they went bravely, to keep our home safe.

Please bow your head for two minutes

For those men and women so brave

It's only two minutes for them on this day

But it's their whole lives for us that they gave.

And so to ALL who have served, past and present I say

Thank you for your service.

   Yesterday I read an interesting piece in NEWSDAY (11/10/24) regarding the ELECTION results for 2024. A few professors were discussing how to approach the subject in their history classes. The following statement had me in awe. “Trump is no longer considered an aberration”. Consider that for a moment…“These students are 18,19,20. They’ve lived their entire lives with Donald Trump.”Prof Richard Himelfarb (Hofstra). WOW.

   The data is in, Trump made gains with nearly every single demographic group, and there is a record, 13 governors are female.

   The DEMOCRACTIC PARTY’s “day of reckoning” aka “The Autopsy” has begun, the time when past mistakes or misdeeds must be punished or paid for; a testing time when the degree of one's success or failure will be revealed.

   The Votes still being counted as voter turnout in this election is expected to be close to the record high set in 2020. In ARIZONA, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego leads Republican Kari Lake, with about 92 percent of the vote counted. If Gallego wins, Senate Republicans will have a 53-47 majority. 

   Senate Republicans will elect their next leader Wednesday to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) as the head of the party in the chamber. In January, this senator will become the Senate majority leader once the GOP takes control. President-elect TRUMP will  call the shots in the Republican-led Senate, pushing the candidacy of Sen. Rick Scott (Florida) for GOP leader and demanding that Republicans allow Trump to make appointments to his administration and the courts without Senate approval. The  GOP have the perfect “trifecta” control of the Senate/House/ Presidency. The current balance of power in the House is 214 Republicans and 203 Democrats, with 19 races remaining uncalled. Republicans need to win four of them to secure a majority; Democrats need to win 15.

   However, the balance may shift slightly as President-Elect TRUMP has asked at least on House member to join his Cabinet, a move ELON MUSK frowned upon. That move was offering ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY) the role of U.N. Ambassador to which she readily accepted. Gov. Kathy Hochul will drag her feet setting a date for a special election to fill that spot.

   In the IMMIGRATION area, TRUMP has named Thomas D. Homan “border czar”. “I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” Mr. Trump wrote his post. “Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin.”

   HOMAN has decades of experience in immigration enforcement. He was a police officer, a United States Border Patrol agent and a special agent with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. When questioned about his standing with others, HOMAN said,“Frankly, I don’t care what people think about me, especially on the left.”…to be continued…

The opinions and observations are solely my own views, and I take full responsibility for any errors of fact, not to mention any predictions that prove to be wildly inaccurate.

THE TRANSITION DIARY: 70 Days until the Inauguration: November 10, 2024:

 THE TRANSITION DIARY: 70 Days until the Inauguration: November 10, 2024:

 

   The ELECTION of 2024 is over and the “autopsy” begins. The DEMOCRATS took a shellacking in more ways than one. The GOP re-gained the PRESIDENCY by an overwhelming number of votes for Donald Trump. The SENATE will be theirs in January and possibly the HOUSE. The question is “Are that Democrats finally waking up and realizing that woke is broke?” The party needs to find a policy, a platform which will normalize and be more relatable to the Democratic Party faithful, to modernize the party for a new era.

   Facts are that Trump won a majority of white women, young men, and remarkable numbers of Black and Latino voters. More people ended up voting for Trump, even though many didn’t like him, because they liked the Democratic Party less. Wokeness hurt. Democrats learned the hard way that mothers care both about abortion rights and having their daughters compete fairly and safely on the playing field. The DEMS hyper-political correctness alienated half the country.

   White progressives hold views to the far left such as “racism is built into our society” while many Blacks and Hispanics Americans don’t feel that way (as they voted for TRUMP)  believing that “America is the greatest country in the world.”

   On CNN, the Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky said that Democrats did not know how to talk to normal Americans. Addressing Latinos as “Latinx” to be politically correct “makes them think that we don’t even live on the same planet as they do,” she said. “When we are too afraid to say that ‘Hey, college kids, if you’re trashing a campus of Columbia University because you aren’t happy about some sort of policy and you’re taking over a university and you’re trashing it and preventing other students from learning, that that is unacceptable.’ But we’re so worried about alienating one or another cohort in our coalition that we don’t know what to say.”

    James Carville said the party had become enamored of “identitarianism” aka “woke”. “We could never wash off the stench of it,” he said, calling “defund the police” “the three stupidest words in the English language.”…“It’s like when you get smoke on your clothes and you have to wash them again and again. Now people are running away from it like the devil runs away from holy water.”

    Back to “the blame for losing” there is JOSH BARRO who wrote in a scathing OPINION piece in the NY TIMES:”After winning the nomination, Mr. Biden made his first big mistake that would set Democrats on a path with no route to win the 2024 election: He selected Ms. Harris as his running mate.” Barro suggest that if Amy Klobuchar or Gretchen Whitmer were vice president things might have been different as both women would not be  attacked as extreme and out of touch. He also feels that the Democrats should have asked BIDEN to step aside as early as the midterm election. Then there would have been time for “a primary campaign that could have produced a different nominee with less baggage, someone like Ms. Whitmer or Josh Shapiro.”…to be continued…

The opinions and observations are solely my own views, and I take full responsibility for any errors of fact, not to mention any predictions that prove to be wildly inaccurate.

THE TRANSITION DIARY: 71 Days until the Inauguration: November 9, 2024:

 THE TRANSITION DIARY: 71 Days until the Inauguration: November 9, 2024: 

   About two dozen (23) House races were uncalled as of Friday, and neither party has clinched a majority.To maintain control of the House, Republicans need to win just six of the two dozen House seats remaining to be called. Aside from a handful of very close races that have come down to the final ballots, most of the races are in Western states where counting is expected to continue for days.

   Meanwhile, THE DEMOCRATS are in a shambles, blaming each other or MILK TOAST JOE for losing the PRESIDENCY. There appears to be no direction for recovery. Considering that even when the DEMS won an (Senate/House/ State) election, the GOP numbers were substantially higher than previous years. HARRIS gave a “gracious”concession speech to her supporters, many seen crying. Joe continues to hide in the WHITE HOUSE preparing to leave. Where the party goes from here is anybody’s guess. WaPo stated “the party suddenly faces a vacuum at the top” and that “political parties rarely give a starring role to defeated White House aspirants” except for Donald TRUMP. That trend suggests HARRIS is a one and done candidate. Then, there is also the void at DNC Chair as Jaime Harris is not seeking a second term.  SHUMER (Chuck) will be the Senate “minority” leader come January 20th. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) could, if the House turns “blue” become “Speaker” but he will be focused on TRUMPISMS not the leadership of the party.

   So, Who could lead the party? To me it needs to be someone who can figure out what went wrong (autopsy), and modernize the party for a new era. That leader needs to find a policy, a platform which will normalize and be more relatable to the Democratic Party faithful.

   INCOMING PRESIDENT TRUMP (#47) has announced his CHIEF OF STAFF. Susie Wiles, 67, will be the first woman to hold the all-important role. Trump said on Thursday: “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected.” For you sports trivia fans Susie Wiles is the daughter of star placekicker and NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall, 

   #47 on an incoming congratulatory call from the UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT handed the conversation over to ELON MUSK. That’s an interesting/strange thing` to do.

   A peaceful transition has been announced by Biden/Harris. Step one after the concession/congratulatory phone calls will be when President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump will meet at the White House on Wednesday morning, in the Oval Office at 11 a.m. Remembering that Trump explicitly did not invite Biden to meet at the White House in 2020, forgoing a custom that Trump participated in with then-President Barack Obama in 2016…to be continued…

The opinions and observations are solely my own views, and I take full responsibility for any errors of fact, not to mention any predictions that prove to be wildly inaccurate.