The King of Executive Orders!

President Joe Biden had promised to write executive orders starting on his first day in office.  Well, you have to admit whether you like him or not, he has kept that promise.  As of this writing, Biden has signed forty-two Executive Orders in his first ten days.    January 30 will mark Biden's tenth day in office, so he technically has a little more time to expand on that record should he wish. 

In the age of social media and quick contempt, remarks, and criticism, it has taken little time for the world to notice the huge amount of executive orders coming out of the White House.  Biden is actually signing orders so fast that a website (https://www.federalregister.gov/presidential-documents/executive-orders) which keeps up with the executive orders of Presidents only had twenty-two listed as of this afternoon.  

To give a clear comparison and understanding of why Biden is taking criticism, you must look at the last few presidents and their executive orders.  Trump signed seven executive orders in his first ten days which was an expansion on Obama's six signed in his first ten days.  Bush only signed two in his first ten days.  For the most part, these other Presidents relied more on sending measures to Congress for review and consideration.  Biden seems to be flying to executive orders as if it might be his last day. 

Critics have noticed that Biden's orders have killed over 11,000 pipeline jobs, and angered our friends in Canada.  Biden stopped the border wall which also killed current jobs and left materials sitting on the round in New Mexico.  Those materials are already paid for by the government, and so they will likely sit there.  Consequently, New Mexico has reported the wall was working and helping to slow illegal entry into our country.  New Mexico also reported that Biden's order kills the project when it was almost complete.  Executive orders have also sent us back into the Paris Climate group, a questionable deal at best that will cost the American taxpayers more money.  The overriding common factor appears to be an effort to undo everything President Trump had set in motion.  Biden seems intent on stopping anything that had a "Trump" seal on it from pipelines to walls.  For a President who boasted of wanting unity in his inaugural address to the nation, Biden has spent his first ten days slapping the seventy-four million voters who voted for Trump and his policies.  Ironically, by slapping the pipeline down, Biden also hit some of his own supporters in the unions. 

Jim Moore wrote a book during the Clinton Presidential years called Clinton, Young Man in a Hurray.  Well, Clinton's actions of being in a hurry pale compared to Biden's.  Perhaps someone needs to write a new book regarding the Biden Administration.  A good title for the book might be Biden, Old Man in a Hurray because he seems to be on a mission to complete his presidency with executive orders only.  Saldy, Biden seems to take these actions as if he is taking revenge on Trump.  So far, the Biden revenge seems to know no bounds and he seems to care little if his executive orders hurt American workers, taxpayers, or the states which Biden promised to unify and represent as a President for everyone.  

So far on unifying the country, Biden has shut down two major job streams, put the safety of people in New Mexico at risk, opened the door for mass illegal immigration during a worldwide pandemic, and angered our neighbors to the north in Canada.  The only thing clear so far is that Biden, signing forty-two executive orders without Congressional oversight or approval, seems to be acting like a dictator who unifies everyone by simply saying, "My way or the highway," although you may end up walking on the highway since he is also shutting down oil and gas production on federal lands.  

Impeaching Trump 2.0

Regardless of how you feel about President Trump, there is a looming question that must be considered - Can Congress impeach a private citizen?  Only being a layperson reading the Constitution, I can not give a legal opinion; however, I certainly can give an opinion, and that opinion is...No.  

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution states: 

"The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for , and Conviction of , Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors"

Again, stressing this is my opinion, but looking at Donald J. Trump on February 9 in the Senate raises one major problem for all Senators....Trump is not the President, Vice President, or a civil office holder of the United States.  Simply put, Trump is a private citizen.  The Constitution did not and does not at any point provide a legal avenue to "Impeach" a private citizen.  

The fact that impeachment proceedings started while Trump was in office also has to be reviewed.  There might be a slim chance that someone could argue that the impeachment did start while Trump was President; however, the Articles of Impeachment were not sent to the Senate from the House until January 25...five days after Trump was a private citizen.  That effectively means the House did not deliver impeachment proceedings per the Constitution within the timeframe of his service as President.  

The new question becomes why impeach Trump at all?  Or perhaps more specifically, why spend millions of the taxpayer's dollars to impeach a private citizen who lost the election?  The answer is easy...2024.  Democrats in Washington fear the Trump political machine.  They know that if he returns in 2024, especially if they have a failed Democrat President, the election could suddenly go Trump's way for a second term as President.   From the very start with Trump's election victory in 2016 to now, Democrats have hated Trump with such a passion that they will do anything to "Get Trump."  Impeachment 2.0 is just the last-ditch effort to ensure Trump is never able to return to the office.  

Ultimately Democrats will waste millions of your tax dollars on the impeachment of a private citizen.  Trump's history is clear...he will fight the impeachment all the way to the SCOTUS.  If I was placing bets, simply based on the language of impeachment, I would put my money on Trump winning.  

Democrats on the hunt have failed to consider two important things.  First, if the impeachment is allowed to go through and becomes an accepted interpretation of the Constitution, then that opens the door to impeach Obama, Clinton, Carter, Bush, and anyone who has ever served in the capacity of a civil office of the United States.   Consequently, this would also include former Congressional members.  The House and Senate could simply impeach people based entirely on political views and based on which party has control, which is a hazardous prospect and akin to something you find in third world countries or in the past with such places as Nazi Germany.   

The second thing Democrats have failed to consider is a wise old saying.  When you grow up going into the woods and spending time in nature, you will sometimes hear neat little folk-type sayings.  One of those sayings is, "Never poke a bear."  The implication is that poking a bear will provoke it to strike back, and a bear's strike can be deadly.  Instead of letting Trump go into the sunset and plan his future, Democrats have decided to "Poke the bear."  Trump is a big bear with a huge following of supporters, and you can rest assured that since they have decided to poke him...he will be free to focus all his efforts on striking back politically. 

Part Three - Now What?

 (Note: Part One and Part Two are already published on this blog) 

Now we have looked at ways to slow down the Democrats in Washington by sharing our ideas, views, and providing input in a neutral way on the issues.  We have also looked at ways we can challenge the Democrat machine.  Now, we will look at education.  

It may surprise you to find out that a lot of people know little to nothing about the Republican Party.  For example, I was listening to one Republican telling a story about a discussion where he found highly educated men thought Abraham Lincoln was a Democrat.  He was shocked since all the men he was talking to were educated, politically involved, and overall intelligent people.  Not surprisingly, the men were astounded to learn that Lincoln was a Republican.  Stories like this are repeated over and over and it becomes shocking how little the public knows about the Republican Party.  

So, what does the public know about the party?  Well, here's a few things we have been told, heard, or seen promoted about the party: 

1.   Republicans are against women's rights
2.   Republicans are against labor and labor unions
3.   Republicans want to remove healthcare benefits from people
4.   Republicans only want tax breaks for the rich
5.   Republicans do not support African-American initiatives 
6.   Republicans are a bunch of old white, racist men

Should I go on?  I can, but I think you get the idea.  What a lot of people know about the party comes from...to be honest here...the lies of the Democrat Party, mainstream media, and many in the education system.  Want to know the truth regarding the above list?  Here it is:

1. Republicans have promoted women's rights since the right to vote, the right to advance in college and obtain law degrees, the right to own businesses and property, the right to run for office, and in fact more Republican women are running for office today more than ever in history. 
2. Republicans are found in labor unions, and labor groups across the country.  Republicans promote jobs such as the pipeline which was recently signed away by President Joe Biden (A Democrat in case you're confused here). 
3. Republicans want healthcare to benefit all, to be affordable, and to provide free choice in the market for your physician and the decisions you and your physician make.  
4. Tax breaks have been seen, especially in recent administrations, to have positive outcomes for poor, middle class, and upper-class Americans.  It's not about giving special tax breaks to the rich, it's about cutting taxes everywhere and using what tax dollars are needed in a responsible way. 
5. The NAACP was founded by Republican women, Republicans pushed for the right of African-Americans to vote, Republicans pushed for equality, and when that equality was challenged by Democrats as was the case in Little Rock, a Republican President sent the United States Marshalls and the Army to ensure desegregation happened whether Democrats wanted it or not.  Today more African-American businesses are supported by Republican initiatives than ever before and it's growing. 
6. You need to visit a Republican meeting.  You will see young women, young men, African-American men and women, Hispanic men and women, and in fact, you'll see people from all walks of life.  These Republican men and women represent today and will continue to represent the wave of Republicans to come tomorrow.  

Now, it's all well and good for us to share the lies and then clarify the truth in an article meant for Republicans, but how do you go beyond that?  It is really simple.  Here's a formula to use:

Fund Education + Present Education = Educated Public

You can do this on your own, or with the support of your local committee or party.  You need to have a Public Relations campaign in your area.  It does not have to be big, but it will take a little money.  How much you will spend will vary.  You will need to have your facts lined up from either the party platform, history, or some other source.  There are hundreds of sources out there with Republican information.  The Texarkana GOP (Texarkanagop.blogspot.com) has some information at the bottom of the main page.  Take that information, with the funding needed, and find an avenue to present it locally.  

Here are a few avenues for presenting your education - Facebook advertising, banners at sports event stadiums, advertising in yearbooks, advertising in-game brochures for local high school or college teams, advertising signs for yards, host special events such as "Meet the candidate" and provide brochures on the party.  Advertising or promoting can be simple.  A banner for example may say something like this:

Miller County Republican Committee

More women elected to office in your county than ever before!

Texarkana-millercountygop.com 

Get on the Public Relationsions committee, talk about ideas, take the one above and take it apart and develop your own.  Make it short, make it long.  Give the information to force the people to ask, "Wait, Democrats told me Republicans are against women...why are Republicans electing women to office?" and other questions.   Once people start asking questions, they will question what they have been told, what they have learned, and what they believe.  At that point, they will seek the truth and you need to provide that truth about the party. 

Education is the final key to working through the next few years in the "Now What?" aspect of our current political climate.  As a party, on the national level, we've been knocked down...but we have been down before and guess what?  We have always gotten back up....So, as the saying goes in a fight, "Get up because I ain't heard no bell yet and it ain't over."  

Part Two -Now What?

(Note: if you have not read Part One-Now What? you may access it just before this article by going to the main page (Texarkanagop.blogspot.com) and scrolling down to January 21, 2021.)

The next thing in our three-step process discussed previously in Part One-Now What? is to start challenging the Democrats in Washington.  Since we are currently two years away from mid-terms, this brings us to the question "How can we challenge Democrats in Washington?" 

The process will not be easy, but as you know the foundation of the Republican Party is not in Washington DC.  The foundation is not even in Little Rock, Arkansas.  The foundation of the Republican Party is simple...it is people.  The foundation of our Republican Party is you, me, your neighbor, your friends, your family members, and people you meet on the street.  Any party in the history of political movements has started with one person, one idea, and one movement.  The Republican Party, as you know, started when a group of Anti-Slavery people decided it was time to slow the growth of slavery in the United States and eventually stop slavery altogether.  These early Republicans were known as "Abolitionists" because of their desire to abolish slavery.   From a few people, a movement grew.  That movement grew not in Washington, but in the towns, cities, and counties across America.  Small groups, became county groups, county groups then contributed to state organizations, and state organizations, as well as county organizations, eventually pushed for a national candidate.  The push back against the Democrat machine in Washington starts with you. 

Your first step is going to be to learn about the party.  Look up information on the Republican Party, read the platform, read the rules, read the history.  Increase your knowledge not only so you can share it with others, but also so you will be prepared to discuss it if needed. 

After you have an idea or an improved idea of the party, reach out and find a local party or committee.  Almost every county or parish in the United States has a Republican group of some sort.  You may find a few people in the group, or you may find hundreds.  You may find a group with little direction, or you may find a group with webpages, Facebook pages, meetings, events, and so much more.  Whatever is in your area, find it and get involved.  

The final step after you have become involved in a committee or local party is to stay active and promote and push Republican candidates.  No, you will not be voting on a Washington candidate for two years, but you will be voting on other candidates.  Regardless of whether the race is a non-partisan race or not, you must seek out conservative and Republican-minded candidates.  From the local dog catcher to the city board, to the county governing body, to state representatives and Senators, up to Governor, you must find, promote, and support Republican candidates.  

Once elected, officials like state representatives or state senators will often have the ears of the people in Washington.   Those same elected officials will share their Republican views with school boards, county officials, city officials, and others.  

A few years ago a friend of mine ran for mayor of a small town.  He is a registered Republican and in fact a former chairman of a county committee.  When he ran for the office of mayor, he was running for a non-partisan position.  Because he was a Republican, Republicans in the area supported him.  Despite the fact that the position was non-partisan, one of the major questions he received during his campaign was "What party do you represent?"  He answered honestly, "Well, this is a non-partisan race; however, I am a Republican."  For many voters, that is all they needed to hear.  Some voted for him because he is Republican, and I am sure some voted against him because he is Republican...the bottom line, he won the election and served as mayor.  He was not a Republican mayor because the position was non-partisan...but the city had a Republican for mayor.  

Find, promote, and push your candidates to be Republican from dog catcher to Governor across your state.  The more Republicans we have in the office, even in non-partisan positions, the more our views, ideas, and beliefs will be promoted at the county, city, state, and ultimately federal level.  Remember, many of those representatives in Washington started out in state and local politics first. 

(In part three we will discuss teaching or educating the public about the party)

Part One - Now What?

After four years of controlling the White House and the Senate, Republicans are now left with little to no control in Washington...so now what?  Regardless of whether you believe the election was stolen, you believe President Trump hurt himself with comments, or you believe that McConnell sunk two Georgia races by not backing the $2000 stimulus, the fact is Republicans are on the out in Washington.  Across the country, Republicans are scratching their heads and wondering why.  Well, I could spend an entire article, possibly an entire thesis telling you why - at least my opinion as to why - but that does us little good now.  Now the party must consider what to do next. 

To simplify things, the party needs to enact a three-part plan.  If a plan is put in place, the party will have a chance of slowing down the Democrat machine, challenging it, and teaching the public about the Republican party.    

First, those Republicans in all states must maintain contact with federal representatives.  Even if your representative is a Democrat, you must let them know how you feel about issues, potential laws, changes, and especially the plans of President Biden.  This means you have to call, mail, and email your representative.  This is not the time to be running around going "Not my representative" or "Not my president."  Forget that- it looks great on a bumper sticker or as a campaign slogan, but sorry, no matter how much you chant it, say it, or show it, the bottom line is your representative may be a Democrat and your president certainly is a Democrat...get over it and get to work.  

When you call, email or mail your representatives, do not say such things as "I'm a Republican and I don't like 'XYZ'."   You need to stay completely out of party issues with your Democrat representatives.  If you start out with how you're such a "Fantastic Republican," your input will be regulated to the disgruntled constitute pile.  In other words, they will figure you're already set in your voting mindset, so why should they help you?  

Now, once you're past the "Proud Republican" moment, you need to be respectful and express your opinion or view on the matter.  Perhaps you can start out with something like, "Representative or Senator John, thank you for your service and dedication to our country.  I would like to discuss my views as your constitute on the issue..." By setting a respectful tone, you move your communication up the chain a bit - everyone likes to have their egos elevated and representatives and senators are no different.  

In the core of your communication, be direct and clear.   Let us say that the issue is gun control and they are considering a bill to raise taxes on ammunition from a federal point-of-view.  For this purpose, you need sound logic.  In your address, point out your concerns and make them the concerns of several people.  You might do something like this following the word "issue":

As you know bill 'XYZ' would raise taxes on ammunition across the board.  This increase in tax would be in addition to state and local taxes already in place.  By raising this tax, it will hurt local business leaders in pawn shops, sporting goods store, and even the local chain retailers.  While I understand the need to work and ensure these ammunitions do not fall into the hands of those intending to do illegal actions, this tax will ultimately hurt hunters, sportsmen, target ranges, high school shooting teams, and business owners all located in your district.  This issue certainly goes beyond the concepts of ensuring safe schools and public places.  If enacted, it will hurt your district from business, down to the regular consumer.  I would ask that you encourage debate, discussion, and if this bill goes through in its current form, then I would ask that you cast a vote on behalf of your district, your constituents and say "No".  

 While the letter above is just an example, please keep in mind that old saying - "You get more with sugar than you do spice."  At no point did I say, "You're hurting Republicans."  I kept it non-partisan in my approach and I was respectful.  Most importantly, I showed the representative that if he votes for this bill, he is not just hurting me, he is hurting a lot of other people.  Finally, I clearly showed him exactly who he will be hurting...his or her voters.  

Contact and active involvement, regardless of party, is the first step of the "Now What?" concept we are facing.  Look for Part Two coming soon and I will discuss "Challenging" the Democrat machine in Washington.  

The Final Days

 

As of this writing, President Trump has eight days of his presidency left.  Regardless of whether you believe the election was stolen or not, President Trump will walk out of the White House as an Ex-President, and Biden will become President of the United States.  All the "Not my President" stickers and chants in the world will not change the fact that Biden will be President.  But it seems a President who has been the Democrat Political machine's target since before he could even take the oath of office will not get out the door without one last battle to be fought. 

Democrats are now determined to ensure two things.  First, they want to squarely lay the blame for last week's Capitol intrusion and riot on Trump's shoulders.  They want to make him pay with the last few days of his presidency by removing him from office for inciting riots. Personally, I wish they had been this geared up to remove some mayors across the country when they encouraged riots, but hey, I guess that's not as important as having the riot at your own front door...whatever.  At any rate, they want to blame Trump 100%, remove him, and thereby add one final shame to his office.  The second thing they wish to do is ensure that he can not run again in four years.  Democrats are so afraid of the Trump political machine that they want to destroy it at its base and ensure that there is no chance Trump could return and sweep the nation like he once did.   After four years of spending our tax dollars chasing Trump, they want to ensure they never have to waste another tax dollar on him - you know, they have other things to waste your tax dollars on in mind.  

It's a sad day in American history.  Whether you support the President, think his actions were wrong, or outright dislike the man, he only has eight days left in office.  Most presidents slide out the door quietly, retire, write books about the great things they feel like they did, and build libraries so future generations can study and learn about the presidency.  Trump will likely settle in Florida, and let's face it, Florida has no presidential library and depending on what city he selects, it could be a boom for Florida's economy.  It only takes a drive down Clinton Avenue in Little Rock to realize that the Clinton Library helped revive a dying downtown Little Rock and make a boom - it's a fact that much like Trump, it doesn't matter whether you like Clinton or not, his library has helped tourism and business.  But, if Democrats pursue Trump, he will not simply go off quietly and build a library...no, he will become something the Democrat party should be fear more than an ex-president.  If they pursue him and get him out of office before he finishes his term, he will become an American Martyr.

By one definition, a Martyr is someone who "suffers greatly for an idea or a belief."  You can bet that if the Democrats succeed, Trump will have an entirely new set of cards to play in his post-presidency.   He will not only be just the President that helped Make America Great Again, but he will also be the President that had an election stolen from him and then was impeached to ensure he could never run again, all based on partisan politics.   The consequences for such actions and the martyr and political machine it could spawn might end up being one of the most powerful movements in recent American history.  

The bottom line...the Democrats should think long and hard about the next few days.  They must decide if upsetting roughly 74 million voters and making their chosen candidate a martyr is really what they want to face in two years at mid-terms in Congress.  The political battles they open may very well spawn an entirely new generation of "Trump-like" candidates running with the backing and support of not only an ex-president but an ex-president with a cause. 

When Does a Protest Become a Riot?

Most people would be hard-pressed to find anyone saying the riot, invasion, or illegal entry into the capitol last week was anything but wrong.  Even the most die-hard Trump supporters sat back in shock as people stormed through the halls of the capitol, took over offices, and went into the chambers where our laws are made. Local county committees, state parties, and the national party on both sides denounced the entry into the capitol as wrong.  Soon Governors, Congressional leaders, and President Trump denounced the illegal entry.  This is all well and good, and as it should be in our nation of laws, but it also presents a unique question that needs to be answered.  Exactly when does a "Protest" turn into a "Riot?"

During the last year, the country has seen its share of protest, as Democrat Congressional leaders often called them.  These protests resulted in businesses being burned to the ground, homes destroyed, people hurt or even killed, cars vandalized, and cities damaged.  During one of these protests, AOC of Congress commented that the people in New York were breaking into places because they were "hungry."  These protests took place in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, DesMoines, Memphis, Houston, Los Angeles, Detroit, and many other places.  Democrat Pelosi stated she did not know why there were not more uprisings across the country.  Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris stated, "Protesters should not let up."  

As citizens tried for the most part to avoid areas where the protest was taking place, most Democrats in Congress continued to shrug them off.  From Congressional Democrats down to city leaders, everyone acted like it was simply okay to burn police cars, destroy homes, and terrorize citizens.   But something happened last week.  A "Protest" came to the halls of Congress.  Protestors invaded those Congressional leaders' home space, and their safe zone was suddenly no longer safe.  

As many of the Congressional leaders were in hiding, ushered out of harm's way, protestor stole property, broke items, made threats, and even took up sitting at the head of the Senate chambers.  The result, as you might expect, was swift.  Congressional leaders on both sides condemned the rioters, complained about stolen property, and pushed for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.  

After last week, citizens of the United States should now know when a "protest becomes a riot."  It becomes a riot when it directly affects Congressional leaders in their home court.