I think we’ve all noticed it – that Trump’s nominees are giving a full-throated endorsement of Trump policy. This is different from 2017 when it was pretty much “hey, approve me for this position and I’ll keep an eye on Trump for you!”. This now has the Democrats in quite a state of terror. They realize that what they’ve dished out for decades is about to be handed right back to them.
Our Democrats are now, as per usual, demanding bi-partisanship and that we make sure there isn’t any politicization of Justice. This is quite hilarious – that is, that they think we’d listen to them. We know what “bi-partisan” means: they get 90% of what they want, we get nothing. We also know what they mean by “politicization of Justice” means: for goodness sake, don’t do to us what we did to Trump! Of course, we don’t have to politicize Justice to go after Democrats…in what they did to Trump are a host of violations of federal law. This is why when Bondi said she would go wherever the law leads, Democrats got a sick feeling in their stomachs. All she has to do is follow the law and a lot of Democrats are going to jail.
Still, it remains to be seen: that is, if she’ll really follow the law. It is our hope, but nothing is for sure until it happens…and Trump is a deal maker: he might agree to turn a blind eye on this or that in order to get something he wants more. This would be ok as long as its something good for us. On the other hand, even if Trump would like to turn a blind eye, if Bondi gets the right people around her, it might not matter what deals Democrats want to strike…the hammer of Justice will drop on them.
The real problem the Democrats have is what Tallyrand said of the Bourbons after their restoration to the throne of France: they have learned nothing and forgotten nothing. Democrats are still voting against deporting illegal immigrants who commit sex crimes, and against banning men from women’s sports. Think about it: these are no brainer issues. Of course if you’re in country illegal and commit a sex crime you must be deported. Of course you can’t have boys competing with girls in sports. These are issues Americans are 70/30 in favor of. There is not a single vote to be garnered by opposing these measures…and plenty to be lost. But most Democrats are still committed to the flag they lost under in November.
The rule of thumb is that the party which won the White House will door poorly at the following midterms. The GOP should work from this assumption but there is an even money chance that it will go badly for the Democrats…and it’ll start leaning GOP if Trump has even moderate success over the next year. People carefully considered what the Democrats were offering and rejected it. The normal course of events for Democrats is to identify the issues they failed on and either jettison them, or at least modify them towards the political center. Nothing doing: the issues they failed on the worst are being held up as a litmus test for Democrats.
The ceasefire deal in Israel seems to me like a bad idea. I’m going to rely on Trump and Bibi to pull the fat out of the fire here but I can’t see an upside to allowing Hamas to live…let alone remain in charge of Gaza. It is clear, however, that the Israelis have lost some of the iron in the veins. The spirit of 1948 has atrophied. Time marches on. The Holocaust generation is nearly gone. A 25 year old Israeli has to ask great-grandpa about it, and great-grandpa is likely passed away by now. Sure, he learns about it in school and, by rote, honors the fallen…but he’s looking for a job and a girlfriend and there’s that weekend at the beach…suiting up to dig Hamas rats out of bunkers in Gaza lacks appeal. And lacks apparent immediate need: Israelis don’t feel like their backs are to the wall.
But their backs are to the wall. The Islamists take a very long view of this struggle. To them, survival after 10/7 is all the victory they need…they are now the he-men of the Islamist world who stood up to the Israelis and survived. Money and recruits will flow in. The world will rebuild Gaza for them. It might take ten years, but they will attack again. Sure, the Israelis will implement many new security protocols but human slackness always erodes these things over time…it is just the way things are. On 10/6 Hamas could easily get anything it wanted into Gaza – its why they had those thousands of rockets. The day after the ceasefire it’ll be almost impossible to get things in…but day by day it will get easier. Hamas’ goal is the total destruction of Israel and the murder of every single Jew on Earth. Unless and until Israel recognizes this and acts accordingly, there is always the possibility that Hamas can win.
UPDATE: Our Matt has an interesting look into the behind-the-scenes backstabbing that led to Biden’s withdrawal. Do read it: looks like they had knives out for a long time.
Blogs For Victory 
There was a great celebration at Khan Yhunis(sp?) hospital day before yesterday, I guess for the ceasefire, and of course the prospect of receiving the return of thousands of terrorist prisoners.
I would much rather have seen the total annihilation of Gaza residents after the release of Israeli and American hostages. At least that should have been the plan. Just like any firefighter knows that you have to kill the fire even down to the embers to keep it from spreading.
I think GOP goal should be to revert to a diplomatic plan with hammer in hand with regard to the Marxist commies on the other side of the isle.
I imagine when Schiff had his turn to question Bondi it was running through the back of his mind the fear of dropping the soap, his eyes got real big, and he stuck his neck out like a turkey. 😂
Watching Maisie Hirono continuing to make an utter fool of herself and stay in the running for Stupidest Senator (I think she is still in the lead, though she does have some stiff competition) made me expect casper to rush in to tell us how honored he is to be named as her intellectual equal. I’ll bet he is still adding and re-adding those Electoral College votes, trying to get Harris up to his predicted 350.
There is a lot wrong with Hirono. Who votes her into office is the question
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/01/17/mazie-hirono-has-a-sexual-assault-obsession-and-it-reared-its-ugly-head-at-the-burgum-hearing-n2650687
Which is exactly what we can say about Schiff and Schumer, et al. I understand why limp noodles like Bennett get reelected—it’s a Dem-controlled state with an impotent GOP that didn’t stand up for Cory Gardner and let the Dems roll right over him, and Bennett is usually mute, meekly standing back in a corner and not calling attention to himself. But the up-front, in-your-face lunatics like Schiff and Hirono call attention to the lunacy of their constituencies.
A helpful reminder from our outgoing Assistant Secretary of Health
You’re welcome.
”Joe Biden was the worst halftime show in history” – Greg Gutfield
Great line by Gutfield … and I think we owe a debt of gratitude to Democrats for producing that halftime show and, as a result, helping make MAGA and Trump stronger than ever before. Had Democrats not stolen the 2020 election, Trump would be leaving office on Monday as a twice impeached, embattled President who most likely would have been up against a Democrat Senate and House the entire time. As it is now, Trump is returning with a mandate from the American people to bring America back from the authoritarian clutches of a Deep State Oligarchy. Rejoice!
Democrats Senators are really embarrassing themselves and are being schooled by younger, more intelligent nominees. Hegseth, Biondi, and Radcliffe have performed extremely well and I look forward to Noem’s confirmation today. You also have to wonder, why is Adam Schiff so concerned about Liz Cheney?? Also, why are Democrats so adamant that nominees say that Biden won 2020? Democrat Senators are not asking questions to determine the qualifications of the nominee, they are asking questions to determine their culpability and what the nominee may do about that.
Had Democrats not stolen the 2020 election, Trump would be leaving office on Monday as a twice impeached, embattled President who most likely would have been up against a Democrat Senate and House the entire time.
I think that’s the most delicious irony of the entire election cycle.
100%
I’ve been thinking the same thing. The Left was so tickled at pulling of the big heist of 2020, but they didn’t think it through. They thought that this, combined with the lawfare and the gullibility of their base that would get the vapors over 34 FELONIES !!! would seal the deal and give them at least 8 years if not more. They probably even thought they would put Trump in jail and bankrupt him as well.
It never occurred to them to read the room, to realize how the nation was viewing their blatant abuses of power, and they certainly hadn’t learned much about Trump himself if they thought he would lie down and roll over in defeat.
Trump needed the time to absorb the lessons he had been taught, and to educate himself about how national politics work, and the nation needed to have its nose rubbed in the mess that Dem governance is to say “Not again”.
If it weren’t for the thousands who died, needlessly, in the process I would say it was worth it. As it is, at least we have the record of Dem malfeasance that will stand forever as an example of what you get when you vote for the Left. Between Joe Biden and the California wildfires, it’s been quite an object lesson in Dem competence and sacrifice of the common good in pursuit of silly Leftist agendas.
Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.
“why is Adam Schiff so concerned about Liz Cheney?? ” That’s a very funny question. These liars, miscreants and subversives are all so linked together that if one of them goes down (an unfortunate phrase, given our last VP) they all do.
Exactly
The 2025 version of “A conservative is a Liberal who has been mugged”. Funny how guns suddenly seem like a pretty good idea.
Armed LA Residents Patrol Neighborhoods In Violation Of Evacuation Orders
Also, if you leave, you won’t be able to come back – at least not for some significant period of time.
And now the other shoe has dropped on rebuilding: Gavin may be able to waive some of the Coastal Commission and South Coast Air Quality regs but what can’t be waived is building codes…now, to be sure, there is a bit of schadenfreude here. For decades the residents of California’s coastal communities have imposed ever more ridiculous building codes. This wasn’t really for safety or anything but just to make it increasingly difficult for anyone to change anything – especially to build or significantly alter properties. Of course, the residents there when these laws and such were enacted were essentially exempt…as long as they didn’t need to do anything major. Like rebuild their house after it burns down. The goal was to make sure someone didn’t convert their property into an apartment complex…the reality is that the cost of buidling to code is going to add in some case hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of rebuilding and a lot of people in these communities just won’t be able to carry the freight.
I admit that I do get a little bit of a chuckle here. A few years back, the Mrs and I were in a coastal community just walking down the sidewalk with nobody in proximity; smoking cigarettes as we went along. This one man got up from his seat inside a restaurant and chased us down the street to advise us that smoking outside was illegal in that community. That is the sort of person who has made life just impossible in America and especially in California. And that is just the sort of person who is now caught in a vise because of the fire.
However, the conspiracy theorists (who have so often proved to be merely prescient) are saying the fires are really just a way to clear out those pesky single family homes and change zoning laws so the entire area can be rebuilt as apartments and condos. While the kinds of people you describe are obnoxious, I still think the area is better as mostly single family homes instead of massive apartment and condo complexes.
Good government would rein in the overly restrictive ordinances and regulations but still focus on keeping the area primarily residential, as in single-family or maybe duplex houses. Of course, that pretty much rules out California government.
If the California GOP was on the ball they would be hammering the idea that this is the ideal time for SoCal residents to make the kinds of changes necessary to keep their area livable and functional. That is, elect people not by the letter after their names but by their commitment to government for the people and by the people, and not for elites by elites. The time to spend money on things like burying electrical lines, now that there aren’t houses in the way. The time to revise ordinances and regulations to make sense and contribute to the quality of life, and enable people to rebuild their lives. The time to reject Big Government as ineffective at best and incompetent as usual and corrupt at worst, and develop government that works.
We know they won’t but it is a great opportunity.
I definitely agree – the charming, little beach communities should remain charming, little beach communities. I wasn’t too concerned about keeping Lake Tahoe blue until I went to Lake Tahoe…as soon as you see it, you go, “whatever it takes to keep this lake looking like this, do it”. The trouble comes in with lack of a sensible balance between preservation and growth.
I started taking the Mrs to Del Mar a few years back and it has become our regular vacation spot…the strip of beach from La Jolla up to Torrey Pines. It is some of the most magnificent beach in the world. What was remarkable to me when I first took her there – and my first visit to the area in decades – is how it hadn’t changed…except to place restrictions on people accessing the beach (in this case, understandable especially around La Jolla where sea lion breeding areas were becoming overrun with tourists). But I’m really talking about the exact buildings – literally couldn’t perceive any change from the 1970s. I knew exactly where to go for parking because nothing had changed.
The average price of a house in Del Mar is 3.5 million dollars. This prices the community outside of all but the richest people. Its great for the super rich. Its great for the people who bought 40 years ago. But how is this good? We get that beach communities are always going to be pricey…the reason my parents bought in Clairmont in 1971 instead of Del Mar is that a 50 thousand dollar house in Del Mar was outside their price range, so off to 30 thousand dollar house in Clairmont. Meanwhile, as I said, nothing has changed…and that means this particular canyon in Del Mar has remained entirely undeveloped even though its like 3 blocks from I-5 and could fit, given the small size of Del Mar houses, at least a thousand family-sized structures. It isn’t developed not because its some unique California wilderness (there are scores of such places around southern California) but only because the residents of Del Mar won’t let it be developed…for fear of both lowering their own (grossly overinflated) home prices as well as having “those people” types move in close to them.
So it also is around La Jolla and Torrey Pines…mindless banning of new construction even in areas perfectly well suited for it and which would not in any way negatively impact the overall “feel” of the places. And all done for NIMBY reasons…which work great…until your place burns down.