Copy of AFF Sentinel V21 #46-Trump Trajectory Change

People Want Less Government, More Freedom, a Better Economy, Less Illegal Invasion & Less Crime

Steve Dittmer | AFF Sentinel

Colorado Springs, CO

Originally sent to subscribers 11/07/24

After what seemed like an absolutely eternal election campaign, a broad coalition of Americans voted for a major course correction, harkening back to President Donald Trump’s first term but with a broader backing coalition.

Thursday night after the election, California is still counting, with 30-40 percent of their vote not tallied. Yet it would appear that in one of the most hotly contested elections in history, many fewer millions of vote were cast than in 2020. Republicans are less likely to examine that math since they won: the presidency, a majority in the Senate and most likely, a majority in the House. Some of the Senate and House races, however, were very close.

One item on the agenda should be some election reform but not the federal government taking over the entire federal election process, as the Democrats have wanted to do. Our election is a series of state elections, as the Founding Fathers designed it, so as to make greasing the skids from Washington too hard to do. But some basic foundation, like paper ballots and voter ID, should be codified.

A 53-vote edge or more in the Senate means the battles over confirmation of agency heads, judicial appointments and any SCOTUS nominations should be much easier to accomplish. Also critical, is that the majority Republicans will select the committee chairs, have more members on committees and set the political agenda, in concert with President Trump.

Spending bills, which the Constitution says are to originate in the House, instead of Democrat maneuvers to start in the Senate, could actually start in the House. There may be room to maneuver, and motivation, to use reconciliation to start lopping off some of the spending the country just can’t afford. Re-purposing and recapture may be useful concepts.

If Republicans maintain control of the House, as it looks likely, they will have the added incentive of passing legislation that has a good chance of actually becoming law. The last few years, the House has too often sent bills just to die in the Senate. Sen. Schumer will not be able to make snide remarks about bills he has no intention of taking up. Sen. McConnell, who could be adroit when he wanted to and oblivious when he wanted to, will be gone. Sen. Rick Scott, John Cornyn and John Thune will be the leading contenders for Senate Majority leader next week.

McConnell, by the way, inexplicably gave no money from his political funds to support the campaigns of Sens. Cruz or Blackburn nor any for Kari Lake. Schumer threw some $100 million at defeating Cruz alone and Ohio’s senate race to unseat Sherrod Brown with Bernie Moreno turned into a $160+ million race.

There’s another key difference, as one observer pointed out, between not only the last four years but from Trump’s first term. This time, the voters have given Trump and the Republicans an obvious mandate to get things done. And unlike Kamala Harris, Trump has been much more vocal in spelling out his agenda, although exigencies and events will likely cause some course corrections. So Trump will have that political and psychological edge in cajoling Republicans to help him get things done. The voters have said kick butt and take names.

There is another nuance, in that there were more establishment Republicans who considered Trump an interloper and unworthy of their support in the first term. There are fewer of them still around this time. The ones still left will also feel the heat of voter support for Trump’s appeal and connection with voters.

Because Trump has strong support from some usual sectors but also made serious headway with not-so-traditional voting blocs, like blue-collar workers, some union members, younger male voters and cultural and racial groups, the political opposition will find it harder to play certain groups off against Trump.

Yet another key factor is preparation and experience. The old-line politicians and bureaucrats outmaneuvered Trump and his team at times in the first term. He knows the ropes and he’s also learned better how to pick his team this time. Picking people he knows he can trust, people with only one face and people more interested in serving the country than making political hay should be easier this time. As one wag said, don’t pick people who will fight you and betray you from within and then go write a book about it.

He will also have the advantage, we hope, of getting some folks who did great work the first time that he can bring back again.

Having had, really most of six years, to make his positions clear, his guts, his doggedness and proof of love of country obvious, should also give him more heft in Washington. He also has the advantage of knowing he’s not going to run again. That gives him freer rein to do what the country needs rather than what’s politically expedient. We’re hoping that once a few things are lined out, that last gives him what he needs to do what several decades of politicians have not been able or willing to do -- fix Social Security and Medicare before they go totally broke and require annual transfusions of general revenue to stay alive.

Republicans need to stop being afraid of the media. The media is never going to like Republicans anyway. Do what you need to do.

We can’t spell out what one wag said should be mounted on Mt. Rushmore -- it's something we measure the circumference of -- but it referred to Elon Musk’s guts in revealing the incredible stunt the leftist Biden regime did in bending Twitter’s social media might to their political will. Noted legal analyst Jonathan Turley said the American people will never be able to repay Musk for his defense of, and advancement of, free speech, in releasing the Twitter files.

By the way, Trump’s transition team started working in August and they’re hitting the ground running. Our greatest concern is the terrible hole -- politically, economically and diplomatically -- we’ve gotten into in just four years. It will take a mighty effort to right the wagon.

One economic note: the Fed cut another quarter point off the federal funds rate today. But bond traders don’t believe in supply-side economics and bonds went up after the half point cut. There is some educational work critical to the economy to be done there.

Some last things that struck us from Trump’s victory speech. He made it plain that this was the work of a movement, not something he won on his own. He also labeled it a movement of common sense. He added that he wants the movement to set the table for an American Golden Age. He believes God gave him some extra years to get it done.

Nothing like a little confidence boost sent from on High.

That’s just off the top of our head. We didn’t even open our notebook. That’s next time.

Our address: Agribusiness Freedom Foundation, P.O. Box 88179, Colorado Springs, CO. 80908.

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