The Administration That Couldn't Shoot Straight

The privilege of being President of the United States comes with the burden of near-constant, unrelenting scrutiny. Even though full transparency cannot be truly attained (at least one former POTUS had promised) the exhaustive analysis of everything POTUS has been augmented by the advent of social media 10-15 years ago. Even though President Trump adores Twitter, the frankness of his tweets and the microscope he put himself under (intentional or not) are working against him.

In light of two news stories in the past week, the Parkland school shooting and the indictment of 13 Russian hackers, President Trump’s ability to demonstrate authority was yet again undercut by his aloofness, ego, and thirst for gratification. Robert Mueller’s indictment of hackers may have been dismissed with an all caps “NO COLLUSION” tweet, but it’s hard to believe the infringement of the 2016 election was one-sided. It is very much possible that the President will survive this, and like so many in his inner circle, someone else will get thrown under the bus, guilty of conspiracy or not.

As for Florida... no, no, no. And this doesn't help.

There is little doubt in my mind that if our president was more self-aware, he would concede to the criticism and resign. Then again, if Trump were self-aware he would have put the kibosh on Russian communication the moment it was first suggested or implied. Better yet, there are many avenues of logic where none of this should have ever happened. The bafflement continues.

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Follow the Bouncing Ballot

I'm going to keep this week's blog short.  I spent most of last week in Kansas City with my dad, my first trip back "home" in over a decade, and I'm still catching up on things back in Illinois.  Rest assured, I'll be much more chatty next week.

"This will be Florida 2000 all over again!" cry the left-leaning activists. There is growing speculation --some legit, some unfounded-- that voter fraud and dirty tricks may play a part in the presidential election. The election is already fairly contested, with neither candidate running away from the other, but do we have to resort to fearmongering? Is paranoia getting in the way of the democratic process? Are we heading to the most staunchly partisan election in American history? The answer to all three questions is... maybe.

Florida's recent decision to outlaw early voting and add impediments to registering to vote has become a testy issue in a notorious swing state. On one hand, these new laws are meant to prevent non-US citizens and other undocumented residents to vote in November. On the other hand, a substantial percentage of the African-American population doesn't have IDs or registration.  Barring that some alterations are made, these new laws not only violate the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, but they evoke the old Jim Crow laws as well. Clearly, whoever wrote this law doesn't know their own state.

Speaking of elections, the movement to recall and usurp sitting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was an abject failure. I'm disappointed, but I will also admit that a lot had to happen to turn Walker into the midwestern Grey Davis. Ultimately, my neighbors to the north prefer fiscal responsibility and the illusion of a free market over basic civil liberties. Walker was elected to office less than two years ago by vanquishing a weak opponent, and here we stand today with Walker beating... that same also-ran. I don't think I need to reiterate how much I resent Walker's activist, against-the-people agenda, and with any luck the Wisconsin GOP will come to their senses sometime before 2014.