Copyright Hartford Courant
The resounding answers from the Supreme Court and Congress should be, Mr. President – Hell no! You cannot break all the dishes and glasses in the house. You are no longer “Home alone” as in the classic movie. Thank God, the adults have come home. Your “parents/guardians” have returned. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts have every reason to stop President Donald Trump from severely harming America. Thune knows that the political “nuclear option” of removing the filibuster will destroy our country as it would close any hope of bipartisanship and would allow the radicals from the left and right to rule. And the Supreme Court seems to get it on the tariffs, a hidden tax on all Americans, as they listened to oral arguments this week from both sides – the Trump administration and a host of state attorney generals. Even though the votes of the justices are not in – Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito – who I wrote about in the past – have accepted major gifts. In the case of Thomas, these gifts have totaled into the millions, from far-right wing supporters. Both justices have been reliable far right-wing advocates. Trump cannot be allowed to play the tariff game with the lives of Americans. It is far riskier than even Trump venturing in the casino business. Unwieldy tariffs could lead to catastrophe as economically desperate people and countries can do erratic things in response. The trade embargo against Japan just prior to World War II was a contributing factor in pushing the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor. Congress must play a role in such delicate matters as clearly stated in the Constitution. For both the filibuster and tariffs, the rules have been established, and Trump must learn to abide by them, and not lean on the force of his will to change the rules. That would be “the way” a banana republic gains legitimacy. Thank you, Senator Thune. Now, if you can just talk to the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and persuade him to stop being Trump’s ultimate sycophant, that would be great. The House will not be in “the control” of the GOP after the 2028 elections if it continues down its current path. This is not a prediction, it is reality. And it starts with Johnson who has created the most impotent Congress in modern history. We’re in the longest shutdown in US history. CT Democrats don’t want to give up on health care Members of Congress do nothing, want to do nothing, and have achieved their goal of doing nothing. They give “do-nothing Congresses” a bad name. They act like a bunch of scaredy cats. They run out of town over the threat of releasing the Epstein files. The speaker prevents a duly elected member of Congress from being sworn-in after six weeks. He also claims Congress is close to completing the appropriation bills under regular order yet he refuses to call the chamber in session to complete these bills under regular order. It all seems disingenuous. Trump’s job approval rating in a recent CNN poll has dropped to 36 percent. So, there is no reason why anyone should be surprised by the recent election results. Trump was wrong but partially correct when he said the GOP lost because he was not running. The American people saw Trump’s face when they pulled the voter levers or checked the candidates of their choice. Voting is the only way to send a clear message to a wanna-be king. For the GOP, the loss was huge and broad based. The following are just a few reasons for the slide: Black and brown people, our young people, and heck, all Americans. Household debt for Americans is at a record high, which speaks volumes about the state of our economy. People under the age of 30 gave Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani nearly 80% of the vote in New York City’s mayoral election. In governors’ races in Virginia and New Jersey the percentage was also high for the winners. Trump’s economy has resulted in an unusually elevated number of Gen Zers (60%) who recently graduated from college and are unable to find a job. Encouraging, if not forcing, large corporations to find and fire Black people for no reason related to job performance is very discouraging and is not what America is all about. And, telling federal agencies to not even interview qualified Black engineers at a job fair and intimidating some large corporations against even interviewing them was beyond reprehensible and so unfair. Then, thanks to Trump, we have witnessed apprehensions of Brown people by an organization emboldened much like what was seen during the 1940s in Europe for religious reasons, but based on race today. Hint to Trump and like-minded folks: Black people have learned to be silent until it is time to speak. And voting is their time to speak up. And I believe that Trump’s short-lived gains among Black and Brown people have now been erased. Just because you do not see smoke does not mean that there is no fire. The fire was “in the belly” of all those victims of Trump’s actions who showed their anger via their vote. Many are amazed as we have watched Trump take America in just months to a place unseen before. While the federal government has been shut down, the leader of the free world has been “busy” tearing down the East Wing of the White House per his effort to build a large ballroom for parties. He is off taking trips to foreign countries, remodeling the Lincoln Bedroom, and having a Great Gatsby-style Halloween party on the same day that 42 million Americans lost their food subsidies. It all seems reminiscent of the legendary story of how Roman Emperor Nero, just prior to the fall of empire, played his violin while Rome burned. As our founding fathers via the Constitution have dictated, it is high time for Congress and the Supreme Court to step up and truly do their jobs, and finally act like the parents/guardians of our democracy.
