State of the Biden

I thought President Biden's State of the Union address was going to be a rote recitation of his accomplishments and his wish list for the new Congress, and for the most part it was.  Then it became a riot - and I don't mean on like the one that took place in the Capitol two years ago this past January 6. 

Biden referred to a plan proposed by Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida, a man Mitch McConnell despises.  The plan that seeks to have all federal legislation, including Medicare and Social Security, sunset after five years so Congress can decide whether to renew it as a way of reforming "entitlements" (they're called entitlements because we pay into it and so we're entitled to them!).  When Biden noted in his speech that only a handful of Republicans, not all of them, support Scott's plan, a gaggle of MAGAs - including the insufferable Marjorie Taylor Greene - booed and heckled the President, much to the chagrin of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who tried unsuccessfully to silence them. 

And with that, the President showed just how vicious Republicans can be when they're confronted with the evidence of how callous and uncaring they can be . . .  when they're confronted with the truth.  He may have ended Scott's political career, a political career that should never have made it past the 2010 Florida gubernatorial election.  And he boxed the GOP into trying to find ways to cut the budget and approve a debt ceiling increase without cutting Medicare or Social Security - all while Speaker McCarthy sat silently without applauding Biden Administration initiatives that poll well with the voters.  

Well played, Mr. President, well played.

Alas, Biden's age will still be a factor in the 2024 election.  If the 2024 Republican presidential nominee is younger than even Hunter Biden (like Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who turns 45 in 2024), the President is likely to face a grueling campaign with an opponent with much more energy then either he or Hunter has.  Which is precisely why Democrats are still a little skittish about renomainting Biden.  

Well, Democrats, you might not have had to worry about having to go with Biden without any obvious Democratic presidential possibility for him to pass the torch to after you let so many Democratic rising stars flare out and burn out or you ignored up-and-coming Democrats promising new leadership (*cough cough. Martin O'Malley, *cough cough*).   Just remember, you offered up 26 presidential candidates for 2020 and Biden was the only one who had any chance of defeating Trump.  You gotta dance with he what brung ya.

The New McCarthyism

The new McCarthyism is defined by the new McCarthy - Kevin McCarthy.

The philosophy of Kevin McCarthy, U.S. House Republican leader from California, is simple.  Do what it takes to attain power.  Use your power to satisfy your political base according to their demands, no mater how foolish or inconsistent they may be.  Punish your opponents.  If they maligned your political benefactor or are simply women of color (like the Squad), that last point goes double. And when you get the chance, demoralize your opposition by bestowing power onto the scariest person in your inner circle.

A Republican House under Speaker Kevin McCarthy, like a Hillary Clinton Presidency has been called inevitable.  With one key difference; McCarthy's speakership actually is inevitable.  The Greedy Old Potentates have at least a 70 percent chance of winning the House, and Kev Mac has already put out his policy list for 2023. One is that there will be no blank check for aid to Ukraine anymore; given that the U.S. House of Representatives had the power of the purse, the Ukrainians will have to rely on someone else to supply them arms, like France, a country not known for political instability in this century.   McCarthy also plans to cut speeding domestically and he has not said he will rule out drastic cuts to or five-year reauthorizations for Medicare and Social Security, although Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) has already ruled them in if the GOP takes over the Senate.  And the California Kid has one other task on his mind - throw Democratic members of the soon-to-disband January 6 select committee off their regular committees for investigating Trump with no hope of being reassigned to other committees.  Folks like Adam Schiff will have nothing to do in the House unless they substitute once in awhile for the sergeant-at-arms.  

And once McCarthy is Speaker, he will most likely to delegate authority to the one Republican House member who can push for the passage of the Trump agenda in order to "Save America" (or SA, which also stands for Sturmabteilung, i.e., Storm Troopers) and pave the way for Trump's triumphant return to the Presidency in January 2025.

That would be Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Prepare for the fateful moment when you hear the click of goose-stepping boots down Pennsylvania Avenue.

It's inevitable.