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TO TWEET OR NOT TO TWEET

President Trump's Tweets

Townhall columnist Kurt Schlichter wrote a provocative and amusing piece last week in which he took the position that he really did not care about President Trump's tweets and no one else should either:

And do I love seeing the frustration of the hapless establishment when Trump just ignores its tantrums and keeps firing off tweets long after they've been decreed unacceptable. Trump galls them because he refuses to submit to the moral authority of the immoral. It's beautiful. I think a lot of his voters feel that way …

My own views of the 'Trump Tweet Phenomenon' have changed over the months. Initially, I believed the President should cease and desist all tweeting. Then I realized the tweets were his method of combating the barrier of the mass media. The media are not reporters but propagandists. They suppress or distort information that does not advance their agenda

The tweets enabled the President to reach the people in spite of the media's efforts to keep the facts from them.

See THE MASS MEDIA - ANYTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Understanding that, I advocated that the President should restrict his tweets to matters of substantive policy, arguing that his knee-jerk strike-backs at irrelevant insults were a distraction from his message.

I was wrong. I now believe that there is definitely a method to his madness. Those strike-back tweets take him a minute and he moves on. But they send his political opponents and the media into a frenzy. They spend hours, days, weeks, attacking him for his strike-backs, not focusing on real issues. It's a distraction for them!

Glen McCoy's astute, as usual, depiction:

What's more, their obsession brings the President's tweets to the attention of the people, who then go to the tweets to see for themselves and there learn about the President's substantive agenda.

"Crazy" - like a fox!

Few accomplishments?

I recently received an email lamenting the tweets and stating that Trump had “few accomplishments” and that “Almost no one in DC positions of power will follow him now.”

I agree with the latter and go further: the Beltway Bandits will do everything in their power to block him.

However, that is not due to the tweets, but to the selfish interests of the political parasites known as US Senators. https://www.ireallymissreagan.com/single-post/2017/06/22/THE-SELFISH-77---DEFINITELY-NOT-MAGNIFICENT

Politicians will not act to take away freebies because they want the votes that freebies bring and they will continue to increase the freebies for the same reason. Self interest governs, not the Constituiion they swore to support and defend.

And it is self interest that drives the Never Trump Republicans. The President has overturned the status quo which guaranteed them places and perks in the party hierarchy. I think they actually would prefer Hillary since it would allow them to keep their prestige positions. What is it about the Beltway atmosphere that is hostile to integrity?

As for "few accomplishments"? – that is definitely the 24/7 message of the mass media, but I submit it is wrong.

NEVER FORGET one accomplishment prior to January 20, 2017: - HE STOPPED HILLARY from running things - HUGE!

The President's Accomplishments since January 20

[in no particular order]

He gave us back the Supreme Court – if he did nothing else, his presidency is successful. He has given the country a chance going forward; his first appointment was a good one and, from what I have read, he has nominated other good ones who are in the pipeline now.

FINALLY – RESPECT RETURNS FOR THE CONSTITUTION!

Illegal immigration

The wall has not yet been built but his actions and words have led to a dramatic decrease of illegals. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/8/illegal-immigration-plummets-trump-inauguration/

Kate’s Law [increases penalties for illegal immigrants who illegally crossed our border after already being deported] and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act - The House has passed these two common sense bills despite the opposition of most democrats.

Obama's harassing regulation proliferation targeted: If there’s a new regulation, they have to knock out two. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/01/trumps-regulation-eo/515007/

Imposed A Five Year Ban On Lobbying The Government By Former White House Officials And A Lifetime Ban On Lobbying For Foreign Governments By Former White House Officials http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/29/trump-imposes-lifetime-ban-on-some-lobbying-five-years-for-others.html

After years of Obama's ever retreating red line rhetoric to Syria, the President took action and responded to Syria chemical warfare with MOAB http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-07/trump-receives-both-praise-and-condemnation-after-syria-strike/8425662

Trump trip to Saudi followed by Arab nations actions to shut down Qatar’s support of terrorism. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/06/07/what-you-should-know-about-qatar-now/?utm_term=.65b7e6903f9c

Prioritized the hiring of veterans in law enforcement and provided survivor benefits to family members of public safety officers that are killed in the line duty. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/06/02/trump-signs-bills-to-help-police-officers-veterans.html

Both the Paris Accord and the TPT were Obama dictates – no congressional ratification – both undermined US sovereignty – a goal of BO’s since day one, 2009.

Rescinded Obama anti pro-life mandate that forced states to fund Planned Parenthood; reinstated the Mexico City Policy funding International NGOs that promote abortion. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-administration-broadens-mexico-city-policy-against-abortion/article/2623143

Began vote reform, exposing voter fraud, http://fortune.com/2017/07/01/donald-trump-states-voter-fraud-panel/ a big problem the democrats claim is non existent despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/tag/voter-fraud/

Travel ban instituted despite unconstitutional democrat opposition by judges appointed by Clinton/Obama,

No doubt, I am missing many. But, all this in less than 6 months? I cannot remember another president accomplishing as much in that time period. You?

The President's failures

The President has failed miserably when he has listened to the RINO’s - Mc Connell, Ryan et al ; e.g., the omnibus spending bill, the Mueller “investigation” and the Obama-lite health plan.

The last cite suggests a 12 Step program of free market strategies to cure Obamacare addiction. I missed an important step: full dollar for dollar deductions for charitable contributions. That would meet the "hard cases" situation used to justify government involvement - people struck by catastrophe and unable to provide for themselves.

Traditionally, they have been taken care of by charities. Americans are the most charitable people on earth and private charities always step up. The Libs don’t recognize this fact because they don’t step up personally; they demonstrate their “compassion” by using taxpayer monies for grossly inefficient government "aid" where "overhead" and "administrative" expenses leave little net.

Did the Founding Fathers, under Article I, Section 8, grant the federal government the power and duty to ensure "universal health care coverage"? The answer is no Life is not fair. But it is unfair to assume that an America without a government-provided safety net would turn its backs on the less fortunate. Charity is in America's DNA. https://www.creators.com/read/larry-elder/03/17/what-to-do-about-obamacare-and-the-uninsurable-free-markets-and-charity

The President realized that he missed on healthcare and he had the courage to reverse his position. He correctly stepped back from Obamacare-Lite and urged repeal first and replace later. To pursue Obamacare-Lite is a no-win strategy. It gets the Democrats off the hook for the mess they created and results in the Republicans taking ownership of the problems.

Senator Rand Paul, a medical doctor, properly envisions “replace” as using free market solutions to get government out of the way. He explained:

Proponents of taxing what they consider 'excessive' insurance somehow believe they know better than you do how much insurance you need. . Curious and disappointing it is to so quickly forget what was promised the voter...I ran at the height of the rising Tea Party movement, and I promised to vote to repeal Obamacare. I didn’t promise to replace it with slightly less Obamacare. I promised to repeal it. …. I pledged to replace Obamacare with the freedom to buy inexpensive insurance, to save tax free to help purchase healthcare, and to be free to join a group to get discounted health insurance. I most assuredly did not run on replacing Obamacare with Obamacare-lite…. …Republicans get trapped into believing the federal government must 'fix' the insurance markets instead of championing the proposition that free minds and free markets are the surest path to supplying the most goods to the most people....The history of government intervention in the marketplace … is a history of failure … [Emphasis added.] http://gingpac.org/rand-paul-we-should-repeal-obamacare-like-republicans-promised-not-just-fix-it/

The President's Scorecard

A lot more hits than misses!

While putting healthcare replacement on the back burner, there is a game changer that

can be accomplished. Have McConnell, Ryan et al work on a reconciliation bill, lowering the corporate income tax to 15%, making the US competitive globally. That is a winner even the mass media will not be able to ignore or distort.

The big inning needed to win the game is rescinding the phony filibuster as to legislative measures. That will not be easy but it is something the public can get behind.

We celebrated our nation's birthday this week. God bless America.

It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.

The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away.

There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.

Ronald Reagan


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