Goals And Behinds

     For those who’ve never watched Australian Rules Football, the scoring differs somewhat from any other game that’s called football. I suppose that’s not much of a surprise, since the game itself differs greatly from any other game called football. Anyway, to propel the ball between the two tall middle goalposts at the other team’s end scores a goal, which earns 6 points, whereas to propel it over the end line between a middle goalpost and one of the outer posts (called “behind posts”) scores a behind, which earns 1 point. Needless to say, the higher-earning score is the one the players strive to achieve.

     What’s that you say? Why am I nattering about AFL football at this hour? Well, I’m not, really; I’m writing about the Trump Administration’s achievements and disappointments to date.

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     There’s a tendency toward self-congratulation among writers in the Right that isn’t entirely healthful. Consider, for example, this Kurt Schlichter column:

     In the first 100 days since Felonia von Pantsuit was not inaugurated, the goofy collection of commie traitors, coastal snobs, and crack-pot weirdoes that hilariously styles itself “#TheResistance” has only managed to successfully resist success. Oh sure, they and the catamite media tried their darnedest but, as Yoda said, “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.” And, as Yoda also said, “Chelsea Clinton is best Democrats can do, say you? Kidding me, you are.”

     Yeah, after 100 days President Trump has reintroduced the world to Alpha America after eight years of Barack’s fussy betaism, gutted a Schumer-ton of regulations, and broke the Senate Democrats’ spirit by suckering them into a loser play that resulted in Justice Gorsuch today and, I hope, Justice Crazy Conservative Caveman to replace Justice Kennedy this summer. Plus, of course, his two greatest achievements – not being Hillary, and surviving even after being subjected to every slander, lie, and fake news report the gyno-hat left could throw at him.

     Really, that #TheResistance could throw at us, because #TheResistance is not really resisting Trump as much as it is resisting us. The elite establishment is outraged that we normals have demanded to govern ourselves rather than begging for scraps from our betters in DC, NY and LA. It wasn’t just that horrible, sick old woman that we rejected; it was them. And by doing so, we “stole” what they see as their birthright to reign sovereign over us. They try to cover up their humiliation with tales of “Russians” and “hacking” because the truth is too painful to face. This election was about the people they sought to rule looking at them and their track record of failure and saying, “Nah, you suck.”

     Please read it all.

     I shan’t denigrate the Administration’s achievements at rolling back Obamunist regulations. Neither will I depreciate the elevation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, an eminently worthy addition to the Court. But three major tenets of Trump’s campaign:

• Build a wall along the border with Mexico;
• Repeal ObamaCare;
• Cut tax rates, especially on businesses;

     ...have not occurred. These were goals, big scores those who elected Trump were anxious to see. Apart from the elevation of Gorsuch, the Administration’s accomplishments to date, though beneficial, were relatively minor: behinds.

     Granted that Trump as president is greatly preferable to Hillary Clinton as president. Granted that we’re barely into his tenure, “one swallow doth not a summer make,” and so forth. But with the really big items still lagging, it’s not yet time to do a lot of gloating.

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     The Democrat caucuses in Congress, with prodigious assistance from their media annex and so-called “moderate Republicans,” have succeeded (so far) in thwarting the three goals mentioned above. The recently passed five-month federal budget is illustrative: apart from an increment to defense spending, it gives no support to any of Trump’s major goals. Indeed, the funds allocated for border security include the proviso that not $1.00 is to be spent on the construction of a border wall.

     Trump and his allies aren’t doing a victory dance over this. The very best that can be said about it is that the budget had already been negotiated during the final months of Obama’s presidency. Yet it makes plain that there’s still a large, intractable roadblock to major change in Washington. It’s composed of Democrats determined to defeat the Trump Administration and Establishmentarian Republicans who, while they might dislike the Democrats, are willing to collaborate with them to that end. Besides, what could anyone say positively about Senator Lindsay Graham’s (R, SC) proclamation that State Department funding would be cut “over my dead body” -- ?

     At this time, it appears that too few Congressional Republicans are willing to “go to the mattresses” for the Trump Administration’s major goals. Behinds, okay; they’ll sit quietly for those, especially as they provide both pitch points and cover with the constituents who voted for Trump for President. Note in contrast the glee of such as the Dishonorable Chuck Schumer (D, NY) and the Execrable Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) over the passage of the budget. Note how their triumph has been repeated and amplified through the media’s bullhorns. And note, by all means, the persistence of the media in negatively characterizing Trump initiatives and downplaying his successes.

     We the People didn’t elect Donald Trump to settle for a succession of behinds. Neither did we return so many Republicans to Capitol Hill to watch them go limp in the face of resistance and calumny from Democrat minorities. We want Trump’s campaign goals – the ones he promoted most passionately – and the big scoring increments that would come from them: the cessation of the flood of illegal aliens into our communities, the increases in industry, commerce, and general prosperity that sharply reduced taxes would bring, and the removal of the federal government from our decisions about medical care and medical insurance. Moreover, we want them in the first half – i.e., before the 2018 midterms – so we can be certain that allowing Republican control of Washington to continue is really in the nation’s best interest.