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Democrats felt they had the candidate(s), message, momentum and righteous indignation to succeed in 2024   “I thought we were gonna win” – anonymous cackling Kamala Harris campaign staffer in attempting to explain why the Democrat effort raised over a billion dollars in a few months’ time and still ended up with debt – and a lost election. If you’ve made contributions to various political campaigns and causes and perhaps never anticipated that, as a result of benevolent impulse and generosity, you’d end up on so many lists – email lists, phone/text lists, guest invite (to fundraisers) lists, mailing lists, etc. This election should’ve been revealing.   As my contributor father can attest, there seem to be an infinite number of political entities out there seeking money to bolster the chances of their causes or candidates. Most of the solicitations follow a certain pattern, with catchy headlines to grab attention and then supporting material/evidence to get the audience all riled up – and then hit with the big request, to “spare” anything you can come up with in denominations ranging from a dollar to, well, lots more dollars.   It must beat holding a “Will work for food” begging sign at an intersection in front of Costco or other high-traffic businesses, but the pestering fosters the same effect. The volume of solicitations has steadily increased as time and potential delivery methods has increased and I can’t help but feel each request to contribute runs up against the economic law of diminishing marginal returns.   Such certainly must be the case for 2024 Democrat presidential candidate loser Kamala Harris, a woman who must’ve been on top of the world when she suddenly inherited her party’s presidential nomination in late July, then slowly descended in shock and horror until now, when the hundreds of millions her campaign raised was appropriated and spent like so many drunken Democrat congresspeople on a bender that would make even the most earnest of Washington uni-party big spenders envious.   In an article titled, “Harris campaign’s spending comes under scrutiny”, Caroline Vakil and Julia Manchester reported at The Hill  earlier this week :   “Harris’s campaign blew through more than $1 billion in spending, and there have been reports that the campaign is $20 million in the red, though the campaign is denying that. …   “Recent reports have placed a greater spotlight on the Harris campaign’s spending and debt as the party reels from a decisive defeat in the presidential race. Some members of the party have questioned the campaign’s tactics, including spending money on production costs associated with celebrity-studded events with Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé and others.   “Democratic strategist Jon Reinish wondered if, instead of using the money on some of those events, ‘could that have been put into a podcast strategy? A Hispanic communication strategy focused on men, a much more effective series of outreach to Black men?’”   How does the old nursery rhyme go? “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put [Kamala Harris’s campaign] back together again.”   Reading The Hill  reporters’ interview subjects speculating and lamenting why the campaign came up short a couple weeks ago was nothing short of revealing – and nauseating. Democrats searching the heavens for answers as to why cackling Kamala didn’t win shouldn’t be kvetching and bellyaching about lack of time, misapplication of resources or a failed strategy in some respect.   The answers are obvious to us non-Democrats: it starts with a hopelessly broken party, lack of leadership, over-confidence in their core message and a stable full of old broken-down politician horses who wouldn’t know a winning strategy if it came up from behind and kicked them in the hindquarters. There’s so much blame to go ‘round you almost don’t know where to begin.   Visiting the restroom and staring at the reflection in the mirror is a good place to start for them.   Candidates trump money and get out the vote efforts when elections are close   Democrats seem to be blaming the fact they ran out of time because of senile Joe Biden waiting until roughly a month after the disastrous June presidential debate (with Donald Trump) to finally decide (or be pressured) to step down and clear the way for his air-brained vice president to assume the party nomination.   By that time, of course, there simply wasn’t leeway to put together a makeshift primary where someone other than an inarticulate, qualification-less idiot like Kamala Harris could plausibly run – and win – in a voter affirmed candidacy that could possibly stand up to Trump. Democrats counted on their perpetual fundraising advantages and screeching hags/wussy boy “White dudes for Harris” enthusiasm to make up for what they lacked in a good standard-bearer and acceptable campaign message. Voters gave cackling Kamala a good look and discovered that what they always knew about her turned out to be correct. She wasn’t popular before and a sudden jolt into the candidate’s seat wasn’t about to turn her into someone viable and capable. Add the utterly incompetent unlikable “Tampon Tim” Walz to the mix and it was just that much more off-putting to American voters.   The Democrats’ relentless assault on masculinity in the age of “woke” was the last straw. It was like trying to convince manly men that reversing traditional gender roles was what people wanted or desired from their political leaders:  Relax. I know stay-at-home dads who aren’t Democrats. They voted for Trump, too.   The fact is, more time to get cackling Kamala up to speed would not have helped her. The more she was “exposed” to the public, the worse she became. Like blue blood turning bright red when subjected to open air, senile Joe’s awful vice president transformed into herself whenever she was forced to face an interviewer or townhall audience and try to explain what she was for.   Kamala’s “I grew up in a middle-class family” retort to the inevitable questions on her plans for the economy exhausted its shelf life after the second or third repetition. She was “fresh” for her September 10 debate with Trump because no one had heard her canned responses before. On first glance, the woman is capable of spouting politician-speak. Then she goes downhill quickly, gaining speed with each passing inch.   In probably Trump’s poorest campaign performance of 2024, he didn’t help his own cause that night. But the campaign still had two months to go after that – and voters quickly forgot about illegal immigrants’ eating pets and the Republican’s petty obsession with the size of his rally crowds.   But no celebrity appearance, performance or production could turn Kamala into someone the voters wanted. And a billion bucks’ worth of contrived sell-jobs and turnout tricks didn’t produce much of a return on investment for the donors. They must feel like suckers.   The Trump train ran on renewable fuels – the MAGA agenda and voter enthusiasm   Meanwhile, if the Trump camp had a dollar for every time the establishment media made hay over the so-called fundraising gap between the Democrats and Republicans, they wouldn’t have had to do any work at all.   According to the elites, the difference between the parties purportedly signaled doom for Trump’s chances of returning to the Oval Office because Democrats hated the former president so passionately that they didn’t care how much it cost them to beat him. They surmised the cash imbalance alone was enough to overcome cackling Kamala’s enormous message flaws and personal distaste.   But Trump never seemed concerned about playing from behind. He wasn’t worried about the polls and he understood the intangibles – and talent – were on his side.   Trump could probably also see how much Harris was blowing the money on frivolous things. Democrats always go overboard. This time, it cost them more than just dollars and cents. Joe Biden economy inflation Biden cognitive decline gas prices, Nancy Pelosi Biden senile Kamala Harris candidacy Donald Trump campaign Harris Trump debates J.D. Vance Kamala vice president Speaker Mike Johnson Donald Trump assassination Donald Trump 2024 presidential election Tim Walz

The announcement this week that the Biden administration has reversed course and given Ukraine permission to use American ATACMS missiles to attack target inside Russia and is supplying anti-personnel mines to the beleaguered state is an astonishing course reversal, intended, it would appear, to cynically mire the incoming Trump administration in the morass Democrats have created in Eastern Europe. Rather than helping the Ukrainians win, having committed the United States, and our NATO allies, to supporting Ukraine from the beginning of the war, Biden has arbitrarily and capriciously limited the supply of American weapons to Ukraine and the rules of engagement for their use. The result of Biden’s unconscionable policies has been to withhold or limit the use of American weapons at key points in the war where they could have been decisive for the Ukrainians, and then to relent and allow them once Ukraine has suffered enormous casualties holding its lines.   The first example of this inhumane policy was Biden’s refusal to provide Ukraine American aircraft or to allow our NATO allies to provide aircraft from their stocks. The result was that in the early days of the war the Russians ruled the skies over Ukraine and attacked civilian targets with regularity and devastating effect. Then, after Russia had savaged Ukrainian population centers for over two years, Biden relented and agreed to the transfer of 19 F-16 fighters to Ukraine. Out of the 19 aircraft promised, only six of the 1970s era aircraft have been delivered, two of them arriving from Denmark on the 1,000th day of the war. As our friend Maya Carlin reported in an article  for The National Interest , although Kyiv had requested F-16s for some time, a senior military official subsequently declared that the fighters were “no longer relevant” to the country’s war efforts. As detailed by The Defense Post , a high-ranking Ukrainian official said the arrival of these fighter jets was too little, too late. “Often, we just don’t get the weapons systems at the time we need them – they come when they’re no longer relevant,” he said. “F-16s were needed in 2023; they won’t be right for 2024.” Biden similarly waffled on supplying Ukraine with modern NATO tanks, such as the American Abrams, German Leopard and British Challenger. In January 2023 the BBC reported Biden’s decision to supply the western tanks “is an abrupt reversal after longstanding Pentagon arguments that they are a poor fit for the Ukrainian battlefield.” From the beginning of the war, the BBC reported, “the Biden administration and its allies have carefully calibrated their weapons deliveries to avoid provoking a Russian escalation.” Except the Russians didn’t need any provocation to “escalate” their goal was to win. Ultimately, the American tanks were purchased from private contractors, not sent from Pentagon stocks, so it took many months - nearly a year in fact - before they got to Ukraine. During that time thousands of Ukrainian soldiers died as the Russians pushed deeper into their country in grinding attacks reminiscent of World War I’s bloodiest battles. Russian forces, which have been on the offensive for more than a year, have been advancing at their fastest rate since 2022 in eastern Ukraine and exerting pressure in the northeast and southeast. Ukraine has lobbied for the change for months, arguing its inability to hit areas inside Russia, and in particular military airbases hosting warplanes involved in strikes on Ukraine, was a major handicap to Ukrainian operations, Reuters reported. Now, two months before leaving office, President Joe Biden lifted some restrictions that have blocked Kyiv from using U.S.-supplied weapons for strikes deeper into Russian territory, in a major policy change, Reuters reported on Sunday. Biden’s reversal and authorization of long-range Ukrainian strikes with American ATACMS missiles could help Kyiv defend the foothold in Russia's Kursk region that it seized as leverage in any war talks, but the decision may come too late to change the course of the war, analysts told Reuters. "The decision comes late, and like other decisions in this vein, it may be too late to substantially change the course of the fighting," said Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. On the streets of Kyiv on Monday, the general feeling was that the decision would help, but that it had come far too late. "This should have been used either as a preventative measure, or as a sharp reaction in February or March 2022. Now it does not play a big role," Reuters reported. Last month The Wall Street Journal,  citing intelligence and undisclosed sources, reported a grim milestone: about one million Ukrainians and Russians have been killed or wounded since the war began. The majority of dead are soldiers on both sides, followed by Ukrainian civilians. One would have to go back to the day when the United States left the freedom fighters of the Bay of Pigs force to die on the beach at the hands of Fidel Castro’s Communist army to find crueler, more cynical and inhumane decisions than those by which the Biden administration has instructed Ukraine in its war to repel the Russian invasion. President-elect Trump has vowed to bring the war Russia brought to Ukraine to a quick conclusion, which one can only hope means that Joe Biden’s strategy of fighting Russia to the last drop of Ukrainian blood will soon end. George Rasley  is editor of Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com and is a veteran of over 300 political campaigns. A member of American MENSA, he served on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle, as Director of Policy and Communication for former Congressman Adam Putnam (FL-12) then Vice Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, and as spokesman for retired Rep. Mac Thornberry, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and former Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. 2024 Election ATACMS missiles DC War Party Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy SWIFT banking system Ukraine Russia Joe Biden send troops to Ukraine NATO Vladimir Putin victory in Ukraine America First foreign policy 2024 platform DC war hawks America First Mitt Romney Center for Security Policy (CSP)

Conservatives should exercise caution – in fretting about what Democrats and the media think   It’s not the place of anyone not named president elect Donald J. Trump to be telling the incoming commander in chief what to do or how to handle his enemies’ criticism or how to deal with the non-stop attacks from certain entities in the American political system, but nevertheless, it still should be reiterated that Trump must not permit the naysayers to get to him.   What was Trump’s first thought on Election Night when it became certain he’d been (re) elected?   It probably didn’t have anything to do with worry or fear or glee from being granted the opportunity to go back to Washington to exact revenge on all of the people who so richly deserve it. Trump occupies a unique position in history. Not only will he be just the second president to serve two non-consecutive terms, he’ll be the lone former White House occupant who’s been privileged to observe the intervening events between term one and term two in virtual real time. Trump has had the ability to shape events since he left office, and he’s taken advantage of the chance to do so.   Yet, for all of his attributes and abilities, Trump sometimes takes criticism too personally and seeks to respond to everything he’s accused of whether the smear-job merits a reply or not (Trump’s crowd sizes weren’t large?). And he’ll give his critics opportunity to do the pecking, too. Will his approach change in term two?   In an article titled “ Trump vows to be ‘open and available’ to press ” Dominick Mastrangelo reported at The Hill  the other day :   “President-elect Trump is promising to make himself available to the press and keep an open mind when dealing with journalists when he takes office next year. ‘In order to Make America Great Again, it is very important, if not vital, to have a free, fair and open media or press,’ Trump … said as part of an extensive interview given to Fox News Digital.   “Trump confirmed a Mar-a-Lago meeting he hosted late last week with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, co-hosts of MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe,’ during which the three re-opened communication ahead of his second term in the White House, saying, ‘in many ways, it’s too bad that it wasn’t done long ago.’   “’I expect this will take place with others in the media, even those that have been extremely hostile,’ Trump told Fox News, noting he has ‘an obligation to the American public, and to our country itself, to be open and available to the press. … ‘If not treated fairly, however, that will end,’ the president-elect added. ‘The media is very important to the long-term success of the United States of America.’”   If you didn’t know who’d uttered the quote and were simply limited to “someone in the American political system,” chances are you’d never guess Donald Trump would say such a thing. Criticism of the media is part of Trump’s overall public persona. It’s almost as though playing off against the journos, pundits and cable TV talk show hosts is what Trump enjoys and uses to gain momentum for his arguments.   There are more than there used to be, and I wouldn’t claim there are a lot, even still, but there’s a growing contingent of Trump friendly media outlets that the president-elect employs to bolster his moves as leader of the nation. Think about it – in the infancy of his political career there weren’t many podcasters out there. Rush Limbaugh was still alive and well and most people were getting their news from so-called traditional media and cable TV, both establishment/corporate and new media.   Trump had to pay attention to these time-honored (dishonored?) sources to spread the word. It’s one of the reasons why he had so much difficulty in the first years of his presidency, because there just wasn’t the foundation in place to bypass the usual suspects in print and electronic media and maintain personal popularity.   The game is completely different now thanks in part to Elon Musk’s purchase of “X” (formerly Twitter) and the advent of podcasting, which provides the speaker access to large audiences for a much smaller investment. I don’t know his own history, but had anyone even heard of Joe Rogan in 2017? I’m guessing no. So it was up to individuals to keep griping about bias in media without doing much about it.   That was the world Trump encountered in term number one. It’s understandable, therefore, why Trump might want to make friends with “Morning Joe” and grant them another chance, having a “what can it hurt?” attitude towards hosting the “enemy” on his own terms. Trump is a very forgiving person, indeed, primarily because he appears to have the philosophy that everyone would like him if he could only deal with them one on one.   But I also think it’s pretty unlikely he’d agree to hosting the hags from “The View” anytime soon, and it’s also low probability Trump would savor sitting down with CBS’s Stephen Colbert or ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel. But his willingness to go into the “Belly of the Beast” conveys a sense of optimism that draws people to him. Trump did have what I considered a pretty positive sit-down with Jimmy Fallon once upon a time, but those days are long gone.  And it was funny, too. In addition to governing, Trump will do well to occasionally throw a bone to the establishment media networks and allow them to meet with him. But he also shouldn’t care what they think or try hard to change who he is in order to be amiable for the likes of the “Morning Joe” hosts or any of the others on MSNBC. That’s a lose-lose proposition, for sure.   Besides, Democrats have enough to concentrate on these days as they attempt to pin down what went wrong and hammer out a new way forward . Pardon the borrowing of Kamala’s campaign theme.   Democrats conducting post-election autopsy in full view   One of those establishment media personalities who will be directing more than her share of fire at Trump is Jen Psaki, former senile Joe Biden press secretary who left the White House to assume management of her own (liberal) media squawker show. Psaki recently decried the Democrats’ leadership void :   “You seize the mantle or you don’t. Are you going to be the person who decides who’s the right person to stand up against Trump? Or are you going to be the person who brings the country together? Are you going to be the person who talks about the economy and in ways that people understand? There are lots of ways to do it. I don’t know who’s going to emerge, but that’s the moment we’re in right now.”   While Trump openly talks about going to meet the establishment media on equal terms, liberals are busy pointing fingers and seemingly waiting for the time when senile Joe ‘n cackling Kamala have packed up and moved out of town, finally clearing the way for the real battle to come – Democrat on Democrat to determine who gets to speak for the poor losers as they wander the “wilderness” in search of sustenance and food and water and voters.   In the meantime, soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader “Chucky” Schumer issued a warning for Republicans last week, suggesting they not go overboard to further their agenda and completely ignore “bipartisan” input in the country’s new direction. In other words, “Chucky” admonished the new majority (in the White House and House as well) to not do what they  (Democrats) did the previous years .   Well, thanks for the advice, Chucky!   As Trump will find with the media, there’s only so much cooperation (translation: none) Republicans can expect from Democrats in 2025 and beyond. The establishment talkers – and Congressional Democrats – only seek “bipartisan” togetherness on their own terms. Get ready for plenty of consternation. Only care so much about what they think. Joe Biden economy inflation Biden cognitive decline gas prices, Nancy Pelosi Biden senile Kamala Harris candidacy Donald Trump campaign Harris Trump debates J.D. Vance Kamala vice president Speaker Mike Johnson Donald Trump assassination Donald Trump 2024 presidential election Tim Walz

The Democrat Party has moved so far Left that in recent years they’ve been adopting some of the policies, programs, practices of the Communist Party. The Democrat’s presidential ticket in 2024 of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz was especially heavy with Soviet Union style politics.   Now we are experiencing other Democrat Party leaders bringing in an old Soviet Union idea to American politics.   In the 1980s one of the numerous Soviet Union leaders, Leonid Brezhnev, developed the concept that became known as the Brezhnev Doctrine.   The simple translation was whichever countries the Soviet Union controlled were off limits to the West, but whichever countries were in the West’s orbit was negotiable.   In other words, the Soviets got to keep their conquests, and they had the right to try and take from the West whatever they could capture.   Fortunately, President Ronald Reagan had a different idea and policy, which was massively successful, and it led directly to the collapse of the Soviet Union.   Since President Donald Trump’s victory this past November 5th, Democrat leaders are saying things like, “Let’s set aside partisan politics and let’s all work together for the good of the country.”  “Let’s all be civil, no more partisan fights/battles.”   In other words, the Democrats are saying all the legislation, policies, and programs we put into effect should stay—no more fighting over them—and we’ll all get along for four years.  Meaning you won’t try to implement your promises, which will anger and disappoint your voters.  So, you’ll be thrown out of office in four years, and we’ll come back with our socialist/Marxist policies still in place and move forward to put more socialist/Marxist policies in place.   Fortunately, President-elect Donald Trump has no intention of staying the course.  It’s clear he plans to fight, fight, fight!   Trump campaigned on disrupting the status quo and his appointments so far reflect a politician who’s keeping his promises.  I urge him to school weak, wobbly Establishment Republicans who want to compromise with the Democrats’ Soviet/Marxist policies.   Here’s a message to Democrats that Ronald Reagan was fond of saying.   “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”   In the coming years, Donald Trump and his appointees, as well as the entire Conservative Movement, will be about the business of returning America to a Constitutional Republic with Judeo-Christian values as our North Star. 2024 Election Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought GOP senate majority Trump cabinet nominations Matt Gaetz Pete Hegseth Tulsi Gabbard Kristi Noem senate confirmation DEI recruiting Senate Majority Leader Senate Republican Conference President Donald Trump Christopher Wray FISA Court FBI ATF

The conservative leaders who participate in the Conservative Action Project just released a Memo for the Movement entitled "Conservatives Support the Confirmation of Rep. Matt Gaetz to Attorney General." We urge all CHQ readers and friends to share this important information widely. The Capitol Switchboard is (202-224-3121), we urge CHQ readers and friends to call their Senators TODAY to demand they vote to confirm Matt Gaetz and each and every one of President Trumps nominees. Conservatives strongly support the nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz to the position of Attorney General and urge his swift confirmation. Under the tenure of Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has become a rabidly partisan, politically weaponized agency used by the president to wage lawfare against his political opponents. The agency is urgently in need of reform. We believe Matt Gaetz can and will do a superb job of returning the agency to its proper role of impartially representing the American justice system. A graduate of William and Mary law school, Gaetz has routinely been aggressive and prepared for his constitutional role in Congress, overseeing the Department of Justice from his seat on the House Judiciary Committee. Any cursory review of his numerous times questioning Department officials, including FBI officials, demonstrates that the former representative has been thoughtful, demanding answers “without fear or favor.” And he has not been partisan, praising top Biden Department officials when they have pursued impartial judicial or policy aims. Moreover, Rep. Gaetz has been the most active member of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, appearing at more depositions and transcribed interviews, and in more hearings, than any other member. His work on that critical committee has helped shine a light on the political retaliation and abuses by our nation’s law enforcement agencies and helped prepare him to address many of these issues at DOJ. Matt Gaetz has demonstrated the tenacity, courage, and intellect required to manage the DOJ competently and effectively– and most importantly, he has the trust of President-elect Trump to carry out this task. We firmly support him in this mission. The Senate must confirm him without delay. (All organizations listed for IDENTIFICATION purposes only)   Ed Corrigan Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project and President & CEO, Conservative Partnership Institute   The Honorable Jim DeMint Chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute Member, US Senate (SC 2005-2013)   Rebecca Weber CEO, Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC)   Jenny Beth Martin Chairman Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund   The Honorable Brooke Rollins President and CEO America First Policy Institute (AFPI)   Cleta Mitchell, Esq. Senior Legal Fellow Conservative Partnership Institute   Scott T. Parkinson   Chad Connelly Founder and President Faith Wins   Terry Schilling President American Principles Project   Bob Carlstrom President AMAC Action   Eric Teetsel Executive Vice President Center for Renewing America   Christina Murphy, Esq. President The Martin Foundation   Lourdes Cosio Campaign for the American Future   Seton Motley President Less Government   Shea Bradley-Farrell, Ph.D. President, Counterpoint Institute for Policy, Research & Education   The Honorable Ken Cuccinelli II Sr. Fellow Center for Renewing America   John Yep President and CEO Catholics for Catholics   Melvin Adams Founder and President Noah Webster Educational Foundation   Joan Holt Lindsey President Lindsey Communications   Nancy Schulze Chief of Political Strategy Physicians for Reform   William Shaker CEO WMG   The Honorable Gary L. Bauer President American Values   Richard D. Hayes Texas HD 57 State Representative State of Texas   Kay R. Daly President Coalition for a Fair Judiciary   Willes K. Lee Board of Directors National Rifle Association of America   Eric Georgatos Executive Producer America Can We Talk?   Kimberly Fletcher Founder & President Moms for America   Ralph A. Rebandt II President Michigan Lighthouse Ministries   The Honorable Stephen Stockman Former Congressman US Congressman   Glenn Story Founder and CEO Patriot Mobile   David N. Bossie President Citizens United   L. Brent Bozell III Founder and President Media Research Center   Kevin Roberts, Ph.D. President The Heritage Foundation   David Bozell President ForAmerica   The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop White House Advisor President Ronald Reagan (1981-1985)   The Honorable Bob McEwen U.S. House of Representatives Former Member, Ohio   William L. Walton The Bill Walton Show Resolute Protector Foundation   Thomas H. Jones Founder American Accountability Foundation   Wesley Denton Chief Operating Officer Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI)   Jon Schweppe Policy Director American Principles Project   Rod D. Martin Founder & CEO Martin Capital, Inc.   Guillermo J. Aragon Chief Strategy Officer Martin Capital, Inc.   Craig Shirley Reagan Biographer Presidential Historian   Ben King CEO Quarry View Building Group   Tom DeWeese President American Policy Center   Judson Phillips Founder Tea Party Nation   Dr. William B. Brock Professor Colorado Christian University   The Honorable George K. Rasley Jr. Managing Editor ConservativeHQ.com    The Honorable Jake Hoffman Senator Arizona Senate   Allen Hebert Chairman American-Chinese Fellowship   Richard Scurry Co-Founder Bible Literacy Project   Elaine Donnelly President Center for Military Readiness   Kielle Lindsey President The Lindsey Foundation   Jerry Maston Sr. Pastor River of Life Church. Leadership Always   Lee Beaman CEO Beaman Ventures   Sandy Rios Senior Policy Advisor American Family Association   Penna Dexter Co-Host Point Point of View Radio   Dr. Erika L. LeBaron Physician Vitality Integrative Medicine   Jerry A. Johnson, PhD President (2013-2019) National Religious Broadcasters 2024 Election Matt Gaetz Attorney General House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government GOP senate majority Trump cabinet nominations Matt Gaetz Pete Hegseth Tulsi Gabbard Kristi Noem senate confirmation DEI recruiting Senate Majority Leader Senate Republican Conference President Donald Trump Christopher Wray FISA Court FBI ATF

Biden birthday, Inauguration Day in two months and the wisdom of choosing Matt Gaetz   Happy Birthday senile Joe Biden! Eighty-two years ago today the nation’s forty-sixth president was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The details of Joe’s youth are inconsequential and will be passed over in this space. Realize that Biden will most likely mark today’s anniversary of his appearance in the world as bittersweet and worthy of skipping, seeing as his numerical tally was the primary cause of his political downfall – that and hapless mismanagement of the duties of his lofty position.   But it wouldn’t be polite not to wish the man a Happy birthday, would it?   Today is also the two-month point until Inauguration Day, the time when hundreds of thousands of celebratory Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters will assemble in Washington to listen to the festivities on enormous speakers and view them on gigantic big screens placed so that something other than the building itself is visible in the distance to the folks in the “cheap seats”, which is standing room only.   Distance from Trump and the rest of the newsmakers won’t matter a darn to the attendees, many of who traveled great distances to commemorate the occasion and witness history as Donald J. Trump repeats the oath of office he recited in 2017 in the same exact spot. Here’s hoping the authorities are able to keep the troublemaking leftist miscreants who are bound to be present from ruining the ceremony.   Time is passing quickly for the president-elect, and he’s taken advantage of his limited hours (thus far) to begin the task of staffing his administration. It’s safe to say conservatives have been thrilled with nearly all of Trump’s selections to this point, the individuals tapped being both knowledgeable and unquestionably dedicated to the 47th president’s success. For if Trump succeeds, so will the country. It’s what we pray for all the time.   That being said, Trump’s elevation of former (he already resigned from Congress) Florida congressman Matt Gaetz to fill what is likely seen as the highest profile cabinet position (or maybe tied with Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense) has not only raised eyebrows, it’s elicited cries of foul from some circles. No one said we had to like or appreciate everything  Trump does, and the president’s opting for Gaetz has gotten official Washington folks riled up.   In a column titled “Trump’s Matt Gaetz Fugue -- With his nomination for attorney general, the president-elect crosses the thin line that separates bravery from foolhardiness.”, the Wall Street Journal ’s Kimberley A. Strassel summed it up nicely last week , writing:   “The nomination was bad enough to make many Republicans wonder if Mr. Gaetz is this cycle’s sacrifice. Put up a lightning rod, make the base happy, draw fire away from other controversial picks— then pull him when it’s clear he’s sunk and guilt the Senate into a second choice. A Machiavellian might even wonder if this was designed to reward all of Washington by shuffling Mr. Gaetz out of politics entirely.   “The more troubling likelihood is that Mr. Gaetz was whom the president-elect had in mind when he made his recent demand that Congress bow to recess appointments. Yet it’s one thing for the Senate— a separate branch of government—to work with a president to speed a nominee bottled up by the opposition. It’s another for that body to abdicate its advice-and-consent duties to aid a nominee too insufferable to pass a 53seat GOP Senate. Also, Democrats would love that precedent.”   I agreed with some of Strassel’s analysis, for the most part, except for her final observation. “Picking off” one of Trump’s nominees will have little or no bearing on the confirmation-worthiness of the rest of Trump’s designated secretaries and undersecretaries, or his judicial appointments – or anyone else he chooses to put in charge of that portion of the executive branch.   53 (GOP senators) is still 53 is still 53, regardless of Matt Gaetz’s fate. In fact, one or both of probable naysayer Senators Susan Collins (Maine) and/or Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) may even feel more compelled to pass through other controversial nominees on the theory they can go back to their states and say, “See, I told you I wasn’t a Trump rubberstamp. Matt Gaetz was a bridge too far.” And there’s always the possibility of getting Gaetz through via recess appointment. Brilliant, or politically dangerous ?   But Strassel’s point regarding Gaetz is well-taken nonetheless. I believe most conservatives’ initial reaction to hearing Gaetz’s name associated with “Attorney General” was one of shock and bewilderment along with wondering whether Trump had perhaps pushed the equilibrium just a little too earnestly to demonstrate his desire for a shakeup in Washington and draining of the swamp.   The fact that Gaetz isn’t well-liked in Washington probably served as an enticement for the outsider president-to-be to choose him, Trump’s memory still fresh from the disaster that was appointing the all-around grandfatherly great guy Jeff Sessions to oversee Justice in the early part of his first term. Gaetz is about as far away from Sessions as one could possibly get in terms of likability.   I’m also not so worried about whether Gaetz could actually do the job of enforcing the laws and keeping track of the various deep state agencies that the DOJ manages. It seems to me the new Attorney General’s greatest need is to be willing and able to utter “You’re fired!” when the occasion calls for it as well as non-independently adhering to the wishes of the president.   You know, just like Merrick Garland’s done all this time for senile Joe Biden, right?   What could concern conservatives is Strassel’s other argument, that nobody is wild about Gaetz, least of all many of his own House colleagues. Gaetz has burned an awful lot of bridges in his days as a congressman and refused to take a “team” approach to actually accomplishing the possible in the House. Having principles is fine – and good in most cases – but constantly and haphazardly waging suicide grandstanding missions is also counterproductive.   You gotta know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. Does Gaetz understand this?   Will it matter? Scott McKay at The American Spectator  argues that Trump put Gaetz in for a reason  – to bypass the need for 50 Senate votes and be confirmed via recess appointment, to then take a Bull-in-the-China-shop attitude towards liquidating the deep state players in the agencies’ leadership and then resign and make way for a more “respectable” AG candidate to come in and govern.   Flawless reasoning.   At any rate, it will be fascinating to see how it plays out. We’ll all be watching intently – and so will Donald J. Trump.   2024 Election a one-off Trumpian performance, or permanent realignment?   “Nothin’ lasts forever, even cold November rain” – Guns n’ Roses’ Axl Rose, in “November Rain.”   Conservatives overly encouraged by the soundness of the Democrats’ defeat at the hands of Donald Trump had best remember the concept. A good many observers have suggested the 2024 election signals semi-permanent good times for Republicans and perhaps a new voter coalition and realignment for GOP candidates from this point forward.   Kurt Schlichter urged caution on this way of thinking, suggesting that Trump – and Republicans – will hold voters’ support only as long as they improve economic conditions and return the country to the types of good feelings from the 1980s . In other words, GOPers, you can keep your majorities as long as you produce the goods. Or show me the money. Whatever. It still works.   I’d insist that nothing is permanent in American politics and the public will sway back and forth with the fortunes of themselves and their families. Can Trump and his cabinet keep people happy? It’s the operative question. Joe Biden economy inflation Biden cognitive decline gas prices, Nancy Pelosi Biden senile Kamala Harris candidacy Donald Trump campaign Harris Trump debates J.D. Vance Kamala vice president Speaker Mike Johnson Donald Trump assassination Donald Trump 2024 presidential election Tim Walz

In America religious imagery regularly figures in the campaign rhetoric of conservative and Republican candidates. However, Democrats typically eschew religion, except, in the case of Kamala Harris when she told two Christian students who shouted, “Christ is King!” and “Jesus is Lord!” at one of rallies that they were at the wrong rally, leading Christian observers to wonder who exactly is Lord at her rallies, if not Jesus?   During President Trump’s history making rally at Madison Square Garden pastor Robert Henderson said of Kamala Harris and the Democrats, "The Antichrist spirit says the kings, the rulers, the politicians—they want to do one thing, that are driven by this Antichrist spirit. The Bible says they want to break the bonds of the Lord in pieces and cast away their cords," Henderson said. "In other words, they want to become freed from the influence of who God is."   He added, "This is what is happening in our nation today."   David Rem, another speaker at the rally, said "She [Kamala Harris] is the devil ... She is the Antichrist. At her rally last week, she said that Jesus Christ's followers are not welcomed at her rallies," Rem said while holding a cross aloft reported the New York Post . Prior to Pastor Henderson and Mr. Rem’s remarks our two most likely contemporary candidates for the position of Antichrist were Barack Obama and George Soros, so the charges the speakers levelled against Vice President Harris prompted us to investigate how the Bible describes the Antichrist to see if Henderson and Rem’s charges could be true. It turns out that while the books of Daniel and Revelation make a number of allusions to an Antichrist-like figure there are only four specific references in the Bible to the Antichrist, all in the Gospel of John. Dusting off our ancient Greek, the original language of the Gospel of John, (Yes, my formerly Christian liberal arts college, Hanover College, used to offer ancient Greek to undergraduates) it turns out that the word ἀντίχριστος is in the male gender. Likewise, the biblical text refers to the Antichrist as “he” meaning the Antichrist must be male, so Kamala Harris, as Antichristian as she is, appears to be out of contention. Now, here’s where it gets interesting – John tells us that MANY deceivers and Antichrists have gone out into the world, meaning that there have been and will be in the future more than one Antichrist.   Thus, according to John’s plain words, we needn’t limit ourselves to choosing between Barack Obama and George Soros as contemporary candidates to be the principal opponents of God’s rule on Earth – there can be more than one. Given that the Bible does not apparently limit us to identifying one Antichrist, we nominate Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to join Soros and Obama as one of a contemporary triumvirate of what John calls the “many deceivers” who have gone out into the world. If you have borne with us thus far, we hope you recognize that we are not suggesting that Obama, Soros and McConnell are literally the Antichrists who are about to usher in the end times, as foretold in Daniel and the Book of Revelation, although one must admit there are plenty of signs that could be interpreted that way. Our point is that the universal hallmark of evil earthly rulers is their penchant for deception. Certainly, few in contemporary politics have been more deceptive than Senator McConnell, who achieved one of the highest offices in our country running as a Republican, while at the same time doing everything in his considerable power to stymie the agenda upon which the Republican Party was founded and campaigns. Keep in mind Mitch McConnell is no longer Majority Leader of the Senate – he’s just another Republican Senator, albeit a very senior one. So, McConnell’s announcement that there would be no recess appointments of President Trump’s cabinet nominees was a supreme act of arrogance (another hallmark of evil rulers) that betrays his real purpose – which is to stymie the agenda that a majority of American voters just endorsed by electing Donald Trump and Republican majorities in the House and Senate. No doubt using the Antichrist as a metaphor for one’s political opponents will not be appreciated by some. However, as we check his actions against the signs of the Antichrist enumerated in the Bible, Mitch McConnell certainly seems to have many of the qualifications; deceit, arrogance, exalting himself above all others, and most of all, being a Son of Perdition. CHQ Editor George Rasley  is an ordained Elder of the Presbyterian Church and a member of Faith Leaders for America. The views expressed in this column are his own and not necessarily the views of any denomination, congregation or religious organization. 2024 Election Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought GOP senate majority Trump cabinet nominations Matt Gaetz Pete Hegseth Tulsi Gabbard Kristi Noem senate confirmation DEI recruiting Senate Majority Leader Senate Republican Conference President Donald Trump Christopher Wray FISA Court FBI ATF

The optics alone were worth the time, effort – and money – it took to reinstall Donald Trump   “I’ve never seen him so happy”, remarked Fox News’s Jesse Waters during the opening segment of his show last Wednesday night while reviewing media footage of president-elect Donald J. Trump sitting opposite president senile Joe Biden in the Oval Office last week. Several pictures showed Trump and Biden smiling broadly together and video taken from the occasion portrayed the bitter political rivals almost playful in their good-natured banter, the animosities of four years’ worth of strife and constant sniping during the most recent campaign temporarily pushed to the side while the well-past-retirement age politicians traded pleasantries.   The “he” Waters referred to wasn’t Trump, who looked positively thrilled while expressing perfunctory “It was a tough campaign” niceties to the current president and the horde of establishment media camera people there to record the historic bipartisan tête-à-tête. No, the “he” appearing happy beyond all measure was senile Joe Biden himself, who seemingly ditched his “Trump’s dangerous to democracy” and “Trump’s a fascist dictator” rhetoric in favor of let’s all-get-along-during-transition olive branch passing.   Yes, it’s true. The nearly 82-year-old (his birthday is tomorrow!) Delawarean is a different man recently. Gone is Biden’s former teeth gritting tension as well as his lashing out at the slightest hint of a challenge or outward signs of stress from the campaign-gone-bad. In its place was a calm and relaxed senile Joe who suddenly seemed capable of speaking in complete sentences and no longer shaking hands with phantom greeters, invisible to everyone except the Democrat himself.   Could it be that Biden’s burdens have been lifted by Trump? In an article titled “ Trump triumphantly returns to White House as Biden pledges ‘smooth transition’ ”, Jeff Mordock and Alex Miller reported at The Washington Times :   “One week after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris decisively in the election, Mr. Biden cordially welcomed Mr. Trump to the White House. The president had condemned Mr. Trump during the campaign as an authoritarian and existential threat to democracy. ‘I look forward … to having a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated what you need,’ a smiling Mr. Biden said as he congratulated a man who had relentlessly attacked his mental capacity and branded his administration as a ‘disaster.’   “Mr. Trump also pledged that the transition will be ‘as smooth as it can get.’ ‘Politics is tough, and in many cases, it’s not a nice world, but it’s a nice world today,’ Mr. Trump said. They shook hands in front of a roaring fire in the Oval Office.   “Mr. Biden smiled and generally appeared welcoming to the man he repeatedly said was his primary motivation for seeking the White House in 2020 and then running for reelection in 2024. Mr. Biden abandoned his bid for a second term after his disastrous June debate performance against Mr. Trump in which the president stared vacantly and struggled to finish his thoughts.”   None of it seemed to matter now, as though the previous five-plus years of revulsion didn’t mean a thing. Neither of them commented, “I was just kidding, pal”, but watching the two ancient rivals appearing plenty comfortable together surely lent the impression they’d not only buried the hatchet, but were also ready to move on from the rancor in the process.   Trump is notorious for being overtly congenial and gentlemanly in neutral public settings, only to resume his mixture of hardball politics and talent for inventing nicknames and tossing them out when he’s in front of friendly audiences. Biden, too. The old Democrat didn’t acquire a reputation as “Uncle Joe” and everyone’s best bipartisan friend in the senate for nothing.   It reminded me a little of when Sarah Palin met Biden in 2008 before their debate and the Alaska governor famously asked, “Can I call you Joe?”, an entreaty Biden appeared to appreciate for its tension-breaking plainness. No one’s suggesting Trump and Biden have laid the groundwork for a lasting friendship a la George W. Bush and Michelle Obama, but the optics of the congenial encounter can only help temporarily place the enmity on the backburner as America moves towards the holidays and Trump continues to tap personnel for his non-traditional (to say the least) upcoming administration.   Biden saves his true torment for those who brought his reelection effort to an end   Americans weren’t privileged to what Trump and senile Joe talked about during their two hours together, though here’s guessing there was very little discussion of the recently concluded campaign or the Democrat’s true thoughts on his overly ambitious vice president’s strategy to retain the White House.   Democrats are very skilled and practiced at presenting a united front in public whereby they appear to like and support each other so as to maintain the ruse of party unity.   But Biden’s demeanor since the election – and particularly during his time with Trump himself – can’t be faked. The Delawarean is still steamed over the way he was threatened with 25th Amendment removal by some of the higher-ups in his own party a few months ago, and his go-out-of-my-way welcoming of the arch-fiend Trump, was, in my opinion, meant to get back at his intra-party tormentors.   The always egotistical Biden still believes he has political viability left in his aging brain and likely will stay angry and resentful for a long, long time – if not until his dying day. Particularly chilly is the apparent relationship between senile Joe and cackling Kamala. At the Veteran’s Day commemoration at Arlington cemetery last week, for example, both Harris and Dr. Jill flashed “if looks could kill” glances as they could barely disguise their contempt for each other. None of this contains much relevance but it portends of trouble ahead for Democrats as the party sorts out who will fill its enormous leadership void left from the soon-to-be expired Barack Obama era.   And the hits just keep on coming for Trump’s Cabinet picks   It’s old news by now, but there’s a different kind of intra-party strife happening on the Republican side as president-elect Trump officially nominated Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz for Attorney General and former Democrat presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, also last week.   It goes without further elaboration or explanation just how shocking the news that the bomb-throwing Gaetz could possibly take over for ultra-corrupt Merrick Garland in a couple months’ time at the formerly vaunted United States Justice Department.   Everyone knows Trump enjoys publicity for publicity’s sake and he’s certainly making a splash in his new administration by selecting exactly the types of potential allies who will defend Trump’s mission and his agenda to the fullest – and not care what the boobirds are squawking about on cable news shows.   There aren’t any stealth picks here. Trump is throwing the high hard fastballs right down the middle daring the weak-kneed senators from his own party to defy the will of the tens of millions of conservatives who put him in office to Make America Great Again, not make friends and sustain the Washington swamp’s cocktail party circuit.   Will it work out for Trump? Time will tell. But the new leaders in the capital deserve the benefit of the doubt until they’re proven wrong. At the very least, they’ll keep the focus on the Trump personnel and not on the Democrats’ whining and complaining about how awful the new president is.   So far, Trump deserves a huge “A” for verve and creativity. Joe Biden economy inflation Biden cognitive decline gas prices, Nancy Pelosi Biden senile Kamala Harris candidacy Donald Trump campaign Harris Trump debates J.D. Vance Kamala vice president Speaker Mike Johnson Donald Trump assassination Donald Trump 2024 presidential election Tim Walz

This election showed us very important information – that America is, for the most part, conservative, that Americans want the government our forefathers fought for and so diligently and wisely put together for us. Trump won both the electoral vote and the popular vote, something not done since George Bush in 2004.  Trump can begin to clean up D.C.  But what needs to be done is cleaning up every level of government. Trump and staff can work on the federal level, but without having state, county, and local governments clean up, we just have a band-aided fix. We the people must bring our cities, counties, and states back to the republic and Constitutional government. And those require boots on the ground in our cities and counties. Only locals can do that.   A myriad of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) \ have been planted in our cities, counties, and states and are deeply embedded in just about every office of government. They aren’t going away. Thus, our local governments will continue to be led down the path of a Marxist/Socialist New World order. These people are paid Marxists; they have cushy salaries to take down the only country in the world that stands for individual freedom and rule.  With globalist policies in our governments, the states will be promoting enemies of our constitutional government for Congressional seats. Thus, we will still be in the same sinking boat we are in now and anything Trump achieves will be lost with the next election. Using the Activist Handbook and the tools in our Toolkit, you can find information on how to deal with the things that need to be fixed at each level. No, we haven’t written every document. We are doing what we suggest you do – connect to others who are working on a part of the problem you haven’t addressed yet and use their tools.   Starting on page 21, you will find Mary Baker’s Citizen Ninja Rules for Successful Activist. Use them. For example: “Rule #7 Shi$ Public Opinion Goal number one – change the debate. Make the case that the proposed policies create victims – not solutions. Show who the true victims are. Expose those pushing the bad policy. Most NGO groups have a record of similar actions they have taken in other communities. Research that information and present it to the community. Make them the outsider “carpetbagger.”   In Tennessee, the organization “Tennessee Citizens for State Sovereignty” has a petition circulating to set up a Nullification or State Sovereignty Caucus in their state. TNCSS “has legislation for 2025 to invoke a Nullification Process – HB2795/SB2775 – this is not legislation to legalize Nullification (it is already legal) it is legislation to create a process in which to invoke Nullification (Refusal to comply).”  If you live outside the state of Tennessee, you can duplicate this bill or create your own process legislation.  All states can (and should) do this.   These are just two of the many well-thought-out tools to begin taking America back. With the Trump team working on D.C., we need to be cleaning up our own territory.   Please join us being Citizen Ninjas fighting for our own sovereignty while we have such a great opportunity. The saying, “it’s now or never”, was never truer.   Slay the beast. Author Kathleen Marquardt  has been an advocate for property rights and freedom for decades. Today, she serves as Vice President of American Policy Center. To learn more about American Policy Center and its work, including its Freedom Pod program go to www.americanpolicy.org 2024 Election Freedom Pods Agenda 2030 Agenda 21 Stakeholder Capitalism Klaus Schwab Peter Vanham Global economy sustainability Global elite universal basic income corporate monopoly power climate change world government open borders abortion

As the names of key nominees to lead Team Trump 2.0 continue to trickle out one name has yet to surface – that of the next Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). We think Russell Vought is the obvious choice to fill that important position in the next Trump administration.   There are two reasons Mr. Vought is the best choice to head OMB in the second Trump administration: First, Russ Vought proved himself to be one of the most capable and loyal behind-the-scenes players in the first Trump administration by assembling three budgets that implemented the President’s priorities. Second, and even more importantly, he was one of the key players in developing and implementing the President’s pro-growth deregulation agenda – a key factor in the Trump economic boom.   But the third less obvious reason Mr. Vought’s nomination is so important is that he was one of the key conservative movement figures in the first Trump administration. Russell Vought is known and trusted by conservatives from Washington-based leaders and thinkers to the grassroots activists he worked with while serving on the House staff and working at the Heritage Foundation. We’ve known Russell Vought personally since we worked together on Capitol Hill and we can say with complete confidence, “he’s one of us.” And that is why nearly 100 conservative leaders signed a letter to the Senate urging Mr. Vought’s swift confirmation when he was previously nominated to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Russ Vought is both extremely capable and qualified to take the helm at OMB. Not only was he a member of the first Trump administration starting with the transition, but he also served as Deputy Director of OMB starting in 2017 and Acting Director beginning in 2019. Through it all, Russ showed himself to be accomplished and talented at managing OMB – the hub of executive activity -- as well as efficiently executing the president’s agenda.   Under his management during President Trump’s first term, OMB produced three presidential budgets that not only balanced in 10-15 years but included the largest spending reductions of any budget in U.S. history. Russ Vought also managed the implementation of sweeping pro-life policies, including the ban on the use of fetal tissue from aborted babies in federal research programs, and numerous conscience protections in programs throughout the government.   Under Russ’s leadership, OMB also undertook historic efforts to reduce the regulatory burden on Americans and their businesses. In 2019, OMB oversaw deregulatory efforts that resulted in the dismantling of four regulations for every new one – actions that saved the American people $13 billion in overall regulatory costs. Included in this effort were two Executive Orders to stop government bullying of small businesses and families.   The success of Russ Vought’s tenure at OMB speaks not only to the depth of his experience and expertise, but to his integrity. During his confirmation he withstood disgusting, religiously bigoted attacks from Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) – attacks that no American should ever face – and he did so with the class, professionalism, and grace that is the hallmark of his character.   Whether inside of government or out, Russ has gained the respect and trust of his colleagues, including those at OMB.   His vision and voice are needed more than ever as President Trump seeks to curtail the disastrous growth of federal spending during the Biden-Harris years. We give Russell Vought our strongest endorsement and are using the social media hash tag Russ4OMB to urge President Donald Trump to renominate him to the position he held so effectively in the first Trump administration. 2024 Election Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought GOP senate majority Trump cabinet nominations Matt Gaetz Pete Hegseth Tulsi Gabbard Kristi Noem senate confirmation DEI recruiting Senate Majority Leader Senate Republican Conference President Donald Trump Christopher Wray FISA Court FBI ATF

There’s been a lot of recent media speculation about whether the Senate’s new Republican majority will confirm President Trump’s outsider nominees. Let’s preface this examination of the confirmation environment by noting that so far, no Republican Senator has said definitively that he or she planned to vote against a Trump nominee – so far, it’s been all media speculation, or more properly media incitement to vote NO. But the record of Mitch McConnell’s leadership of the Republican Senate majority during President Trump’s first term was such that the anti-Trump media and Washington DC establishment have every reason to believe at least a few Republican Senators might defect. The question is, why would any Republican vote against confirming one of Trump’s more controversial “disruptor” nominees after they voted to confirm Joe Biden’s menagerie of lunatics and anti-American Marxists? As our friend Robert Romano of Americans for Limited Government pointed out in a recent column in ALG’s must-read Daily Torch:   …dozens of Senate Republicans voted to confirm the nominees who enacted the worst policies — the very policies Trump and Congressional Republicans campaigned against in 2024, and who after winning, Trump is now designating his nominees to undo and reform the broken federal leviathan that operates of its own accord in the administrative state when a Democratic President is not in the White House. Trump just won the popular vote and the Electoral College and Congressional Republicans singularly owe their majorities to him, but they are threatening to torpedo the men and women he has designated to carry out the housecleaning voters endorsed when they voted for him? Give us a break. As Mr. Romano noted, moderate Senate Republicans deferred to every single cabinet choice by Biden. Every single one of them. Sure, there were some conservative members who opposed this selection or that, and some votes were closer than others, but the very members who are now refusing to confirm Trump’s cabinet gave Biden free reign to staff every department and agency. They are protecting the Washington, D.C. establishment, just like they did in 2017 when they willingly went along with the Russiagate hoax in its early days. Here is list Mr. Romano compiled of Biden’s disastrous nominees and the vote counts that put them in charge of our Nation’s government: Avril Danica Haines was confirmed for Director of National Intelligence 84 to 10, with 34 Senate Republicans deferring to President Biden’s choice.   Lloyd Austin, who completely messed up the withdrawal from Afghanistan and degraded U.S. military readiness and service member morale, was confirmed to Defense Secretary on Jan. 22, 2021, 93 to 2 as 43 Senate Republicans deferred to the executive.   Janet Yellen was confirmed as Treasury Secretary 84 to 15, with 34 Senate Republicans deferring to Biden.   Anthony Blinken, whose tenure finds the U.S. on the brink of a potential nuclear war with Russia and the Middle East in flames and who greenlit the Iran nuclear deal (again), was confirmed 78 to 22, with 28 Senate Republicans deferring to Biden.   Pete Buttigieg was confirmed as Transportation Secretary 86 to 13, with 36 Senate Republicans deferring to Biden’s choice.   Miguel Cardona, who imposed DEI mandates and radical gender ideology into the nation’s school system as Secretary of Education, was confirmed 64 to 33, with 14 Senate Republicans deferring.   Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security, who ended up leaving the U.S. border wide open and censoring millions of Americans on social media, was only confirmed 56 to 43, but with 6 Senate Republicans deferring to the executive: Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.   Xavier Becerra, who oversaw the Biden-Harris unconstitutional and illegal vaccine mandates, was by far the most controversial pick as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, only getting confirmed 50 to 49, with only Susan Collins deferring to Biden.   Even Merrick Garland, who unleashed the Justice Department on Trump and his supporters even while Trump was running for president, sat on declassified Russiagate documents and also engaged in censorship, was confirmed 70 to 30, with 20 Senate Republicans deferring.   And it should not be forgotten that not one Democrat defected on any of those votes. The Capitol Switchboard is (202-224-3121), we urge CHQ readers and friends to call their Senators TODAY to demand they vote to confirm each and every one of President Trumps nominees. 2024 Election GOP senate majority Trump cabinet nominations Matt Gaetz Pete Hegseth Tulsi Gabbard Kristi Noem senate confirmation DEI recruiting Senate Majority Leader Senate Republican Conference President Donald Trump Christopher Wray FISA Court FBI ATF

Can DOGE succeed? What about Congress and the budget?   Buried under the blizzard of actual and potential new Trump administration cabinet appointments last week was news from the president-elect himself (Donald J. Trump) that he’d decided to appoint both Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk to a new federal entity ( the Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’) ) tasked with examining the entirety of the government and make recommendations on where the behemoth could begin to be cut.   Or trimmed, or reduced, or whatever nice sounding word you come up with to suggest that Washington and its hopelessly bloated bureaucracy is about to be placed on the diet of all diets starting next January 20th.   Trump’s announcement was the partial fulfillment of another campaign promise, one that included tapping the most talented of private industry titans to toil for the new government and do so for free (or at least this is what it sounds like). As most people know, Trump served the entirety of his first four-year term without being paid – or more accurately, he donated his salary to worthy charities of his choosing.   That’s what I call giving back.   At any rate, it sounds like Trump is planning to up the proverbial ante on government size and he’s isolated a couple brilliant minds to “fix” the federal government in areas where it badly needs fixing. In an article titled “Trump Names Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to Lead New Government Efficiency Department”, Caden Pearson reported at The Epoch Times :   “Trump suggested that the proposed department would create an entrepreneurial approach to government ‘never seen before’ and would send shockwaves through Washington. The department would have the edict of providing advice and guidance from outside the government, working in step with the White House and Office of Management and Budget ‘to drive large scale structural reform.’   “’I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans,’ Trump said.   “’Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending. They will work together to liberate our Economy, and make the U.S. Government accountable to ‘WE THE PEOPLE.’’”   Trump is certainly feeling it after his massive win. But it also should be remembered that he achieved such a significant margin by competing against a badly flawed Democrat party and awful, once-in-a-generation pathetic candidates. Who would be thought of as worse than cackling Kamala and “Tampon Tim” Walz, with bumbling idiot senile Joe Biden as the backdrop?   I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer here, or least of all, to rain on anyone’s parade, but someone should point out that Musk and Ramaswamy’s Government Efficiency Department won’t be able to accomplish their big goals without a compliant Congress to go along with it. The Constitution still places the power of the purse with the swamp lizards that inhabit the legislative branch, and most of the forked-tongued losers up on Capitol Hill have not exhibited much stomach for eliminating anything, much less making wholesale improvements just for the sake of fiscal health.   What was it that Ronald Reagan said about the permanency of government ?   “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!” ― Ronald Reagan   Truer words were never spoken, but Reagan had the matchless ability to conceptualize complex concepts into brief soundbites. He wasn’t called “The Great Communicator” for nothing. Trump is not in Reagan’s league in that respect, but where Trump probably exceeds Reagan’s abilities is in the area of political courage and getting things done. As just demonstrated, Reagan was terrific at advocating for the limited government/libertarian (small “l”) cause but fell far short of perfection when push came to shove.   Yes, Reagan submitted a balanced budget to Congress every year, and then proceeded to permit the representatives and senators to blow the lid off the Treasury can, often under the auspices of essential spending or the like. Reagan couldn’t have it both ways – he couldn’t just talk a good game and then fail to veto what Congress sent him.   Trump can’t have it both ways either, and in his first term, Trump was hardly a budget cutter or earnest advocate for reducing the size of government. And Trump’s 2024 campaign wasn’t centered on government efficiency of any kind. In fact, Trump was insistent that none of the gargantuan entitlement programs would be touched, much less targeted for reform. Trump’s answer to debt questions often included allusions to economic growth – it would create more taxpayers and hence, more revenue – and the use of tariffs to narrow the spending/borrowing gap.   Would it be enough? Reagan’s incredible economic growth doubled tax revenues in the eighties, but Congress essentially tripled the amount of spending in the same time frame. That’s why the deficits and debt grew so remarkably in good economic times.   Here it appears as though Trump is counting on Musk’s and Ramaswamy’s good names to purchase the goodwill necessary to do difficult things. Musk tossed out the figure of $2 trillion when asked how much waste and fraud that could be isolated from the overall federal budget and therefore eliminated.   Wow, that’s a hefty chunk. It got a lot of people excited, didn’t it?   But reality says Congress will meet in a couple weeks to wage the next funding battle where there will be serious strife over the size of the government, budgeting, continuing resolutions, “kicking the can down the road”, lifting the debt ceiling (if it’s up this time, not sure) and piling everything into omnibus spending packages that no one – and I mean NO ONE  – understands what’s in them.   In passing the job to Musk and Ramaswamy without getting into specifics in the areas that can be examined, politically, Trump is delegating authority in the usual way – basically assigning something with instructions to “get it done” and not worrying about the fallout before it even happens. This is Trump’s leadership style that has paid dividends for him throughout his life and occasionally has gotten him in trouble.   Here, however, you can’t promise large reforms without a buy-in from the legislative branch and the swamp creatures whose livelihoods depend on fattening the federal pig – and keeping it hungry. Trump can trim up the executive departments, but with baseline budgeting and a non-compliant civil service resisting him at every step, by how much? How about the special interests and the armies of lobbyists who want their cut? Is there a will in Congress to go along with Trump and crew?   Illegal immigration might be the most salient crisis to tackle as the new Trump government convenes next year, but Musk and Ramaswamy have their work cut out for them in their endeavor, for sure.   Expectations are extremely high for Trump. They’re right where he wants them.   In looking at president-elect Trump’s first round of cabinet selections (and non-cabinet picks, too, like Susie Wiles, Stephen Miller and Musk and Ramaswamy), it’s clear Trump is moving towards selecting people who are implementers, not ideologues.   With the senate elevating Mitch McConnell protégé John Thune to replace the elderly Kentuckian, there’s only so much cooperation the new Trump designees can expect from the Congress critters, too.   Donald Trump’s tapping of two of his favorite business people – Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy -- to take charge of his effort to bring efficiency to the government is a hopeful sign that something will be done to balance the federal budget before Trump leaves office. The question is, will he succeed? Is success even possible? As Ronald Reagan said, “eternal life”. Indeed. Joe Biden economy inflation Biden cognitive decline gas prices, Nancy Pelosi Biden senile Kamala Harris candidacy Donald Trump campaign Harris Trump debates J.D. Vance Kamala vice president Speaker Mike Johnson Donald Trump assassination Donald Trump 2024 presidential election Tim Walz