Tag: 2026-midterm-elections

A REFERENDUM ON THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE

As always, the contents of this blog constitute a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my personal opinion, where indicated.

Okay. You hate President Donald Trump. I get it. He can be overbearing, brash, abrupt, embarrasing, and offensive on a personal level. However, we should not be assessing him as a friend; we’re not going out on a date together; we’re not seeking a personal relationship in any way, shape or form. What we want, or should want, is a strong leader who is respected (or feared) by all other nations, friends and enemies alike, who is not afraid to do what he believes is right even though it may not be popular, and who puts the interests of America and Americans first. That, my friends, is Donald Trump. You don’t have to agree with everything he does or says. I’ll bet there’s never been a politician with whom you agree 100%. Just recognize and respect his accomplishments. As I have delineated in previous blogs, they have been numerous.

Heretofore, the Dems have been very successful in putting him on the ballot, figuratively, but that is all misdirection, a ruse, a distraction. They want voters to focus on Trump, not their extreme, outlandish, inane, antisemitic, far left, communist policies. They know that if voters were aware, few of them would support their candidates. More on that below.

Various polls have reported Trump’s approval rating to be in the 30s. These historically low ratings are threatening to drag down Repub candidates in the midterm elections, as many voters are blaming him, unfairly, for a myriad of problems, principally high prices, inflation and the Iran War. The Dems are hoping that by focusing on his unpopularity voters will forget that they, themselves, laid the groundwork for these problems. Additionally, they have not offered any viable solutions, because they have none.

I would like to denote that Trump is not on the ballot in 2026, and he will never be on the ballot again. So, all you Trump-haters need to reassess your focus. Rid yourselves of your TDS. A vote for the Dems and against the Repubs will not hurt him on a personal level. He will be disappointed at the result, but he will merely complete the remaining 2 1/2 years of his second term and leave office to do whatever with the rest of his life. Meanwhile, a vote for the radical, far left, neo-communists who are running for office under the guise of the Dem Party will likely render severe damage to you and to all of America currently and prospectively.

Why? How? Read on for the answers.

  1. In case you haven’t noticed or have been getting your news from CNN, MSNBC, the NYT, WAPO, Tik Tok or various fringe podcasters, the radical left has taken control of the Dem Party. The Dem Party we all grew up with is gone. Schumer and Jeffries are leaders in name only. The real leaders, those who are speaking for the Party, those who are driving policy, are Bernie Sanders, AOC, Zohran Mamdani, and various and sundry of their cohorts. The moderate Dems have gone silent. They have refrained from standing up out of fear while the radicals have taken center stage. They don’t realize that that will not save them. Eventually, they too will be attacked.
  2. The “big tent” is a fallacy, a ruse. There is no “big tent.” The “camel” has taken over the entire “tent,” and the formerly moderate Dems, that is, those who remain, are out in the cold.
  3. The Dems have been accusing Trump of being Hitler, a Nazi. Ironically, it is many of them who are exhibiting elements of fascism as well as communism. Read your history. In my view, the parallels to Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia are obvious.
  4. Let’s analyze the Dems’ chief complaints which, other then hating Trump, are with respect to the Iran War and the economy.
  5. Regardless of what some pundits have said and written the war was an absolute necessity. No question! We had to take whatever action was necessary to prevent a nuclear-capable Iran. Trump had the gumption to do what no other president did or would have done. Like I said, he does what’s right, not what’s popular. Anyone who says otherwise is either brain-dead, partisan, or just plain ignorant. You may object to it now, but I predict future historians will applaud it. The evidence was incontrovertible that Iran was only weeks away from attaining nuclear capability. Even the Iranian negotiators admitted it openly. Once it had done so, does anyone think the crazy mullahs who control the country wouldn’t use it? Not just Israel, not just the ME, the entire world, including the US, would be living under the figurative “Sword of Damocles.” I maintain that depriving Iran of nuclear capabilty “trumps” any concerns regarding Trump’s conduct of the war.
  6. With respect to the economy yes, there are issues. Yes, many people are struggling with the high cost of food, fuel, shelter, and other necessities. Yes, we get a “gut punch” every time we gas up the car, buy food, or pay the rent or mortgage. However, it is misguided to place the entire blame on President Trump. We need some perspective. The rate of inflation for the 12-month period ending in August 2026 was 3.4%. For comparison, in 2021 Trump handed Biden an economy with an inflation rate of 1.2%. The Biden Administration’s spendthrift policies caused it to increase to 4/7% in 2021, 8/0% in 2022, and 4.1% in 2023. So, despite the disruptions in the oil supply chain caused by the Iran War, inflation is trending in the right direction. The Fed’s recent rate increase will likely moderate it further. As we learned in the 1970s inflation, once unleashed, is stubborn. It can take years to tamp it down. You oldies should remember; you youngsters should “look it up.” So, I ask you which Party has demonstrated a better ability to control inflation? Whom do you trust to accomplish it? Historically, the answer is the Repubs, hands down.
  7. Moreover, in my last blog I delineated the various signs that the economy is turning and will boom in 2027 and 2028. This is classic economics 101, and it can be tied directly to Trump’s various economic policies, notably last year’s huge tax cut.
  8. The far left radical DSA/communists have managed to obscure their true policies. Their platform includes some very scary and preposterous policies and opinions, such as eliminating the presidency, the Senate, the electoral college, ICE, the DHS and the Pentagon, sharply curtaining the power of the SC, opening the borders again to any and all immigrants, emtying the prisons, and providing universal healthcare cradle to grave to everyone, including illegal immigrants. Not only are these policies unrealistic, they will never work, and some of them are unconstitutional and illegal. Furthermore, they hate Jews and Israel and espouse terminating all aid to Israel, our only reliable ally in the volatile and strategically crucial ME. Basically, they want to shred the Constituion and remake America as a communist state. The DSA candidates for office are denying this, but in running under the DSA ticket they are expressing their tacit support for them. If you doubt me, research their prior quotes and postings.

CONCLUSION

This has been a very perplexing election cycle. As I have blogged before despite the foregoing, the radical, neo-communist candidates are leading or tied in most Congressional races. At the moment it appears likely that they will gain control of one or both of the Houses of Congress. If you had told me this one year ago I would have told you that you were out of your mind, but here we are.

I urge voters not to be gaslighted. In this election cycle you will not just be voting for a person; you will not just be voting for a political party. You will be voting for a way of life for you and future generations. Are you in favor of freedom of choice or government controls? Are you in favor of capitalism or communism? Do you want the government to control every aspect of your life such as your income and wealth, type of job, medical care, food distribution, and your children’s schooling, or do you want to retain control over the lives of you and your family? Do you want to retain the presidency, the Senate and the electoral college or not? Do you want to retain viable borders or open borders? Do you want to incarcerate criminals or let them roam free? These are some of the choices you will have to make on ED. Make the wise choices.

A vote for the Repubs will mean a continuation of the American way of life – capitalism, free enterprise and freedom of choice – that has stood for 250 years. We are not a perfect country, but we are the best. Why else are millions desperate to emigrate by any means, and few elect to leave? A vote for the radicals will be a vote to rip all that up and eventually remake America into a communist state.

As I said in the beginning, Trump is not on the ballot in 2026, but America and the American way of life are. It’s all up to you, the voter. Remember you get the governmnent you deserve.

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GOP PROSPECTS OF RETAINING CONTROL OF CONGRESS SLIPPING AWAY

As always, the contents of this blog constitute a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my personal opinion where indicated.

With little more than five weeks until Election Day according to various polls GOP prospects for retaining control of Congress appear bleak. As I have described in various recent blogs, incredibly, despite the fact that the Dems are running a conglomeration of far-left, neo-communist candidates who should have little appeal to mainstream voters, current polling indicates that they are tied or ahead in most of the key congressional races. How can this be? Glad you asked. Below please find my analysis of the reasons as well as my suggestions for turning the tide.

  1. According to multiple recent polls President Trump’s job approval has declined to record lows, between 35-39%. This is significant, because in the last ten years his popularity has provided a considerable boost to GOP candidates. Almost every candidate that he has endorsed has gone on to win the GOP primary and then the election.
  2. This decline has even been evident among his base. According to a recent poll conducted by the Marquette Law School his approval rating among “very conservative voters” declined from 84% in July to 76% in September. In addition, a recent poll in North Carolina exhibited signs of disaffection between some Republicans and President Trump as some races in which the GOP once had comfortable leads have become competitive or toss-ups.
  3. Putting aside the inane Trump haters the primary reasons are the economy and the Iran War. Only approximately 30% of the public approves of his handling of the economy, whereas approximately 63% have opined that his policies have made it worse. For example, they complain that the tariffis, the rate of inflation and the cost of food, energy, and other necessities are too high.
  4. This result is understandable since consumers are exposed to these items every day.
  5. On the other hand, in my view the criticism of his prosecution of the Iran War is unfounded, simplistic and short-sighted. Yes, it has dragged on longer than many of us had thought/hoped; yes, the end is not in sight; and yes it is the main reason for the high price of oil, which has impacted the entire US economy. However, let’s not forget that the main reason for the war was to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The evidence was overwhelming that it was very close to achieving that, perhaps only weeks away. Iran’s own peace negotiators even admitted it, bragged about it. I and many others maintain that a nuclear-capable Iran would have been disastrous for the safety and security of not just the ME but the entire world, because its crazy leaders would have no hesitation to use it. We destroyed most of their nuclear stockpile and buried the rest under so many tons of debris that cannot be excavated. In my view that accomplishment “trumps” any and all of the negatives. Unfortunately for Trump unlike the oil prices, that success is intangible. One cannnot see it, touch it, or feel it. Thus, it has begun to fade from the public’s memory. It will not help the GOP in this election, but future historians will undoubtedly recognize it as an existential triumph for world peace and security.
  6. As I have reported in recent blogs voters are either unaware of the DSA candidates’ extreme principle policies, beliefs and past statements or are choosing to ignore them. The more extreme candidates like El-Sayed, James Talarico and Sherrod Brown, among others, have repeatedly expressed their antisemitism, anti-Israel opinions, and anti-Americanism, although in order to win a general election recently they have been moderating their tone. Don’t be fooled. Use your common sense. Their lifelong attitudes and prejudices did not really just change abruptly. You can be sure that if they were to gain control they would quickly revert back to their true selves. They will seek to shred the Constitution (e.g. eliminate the presidency, the Senate, the Supreme Court, ICE and the Pentagon, reopen out borders, pass universal cradle-to-grave healthcare for all, and release all prisoners, among others) and remake the country as a communist state. I am not making this up. They have posted these intentions repeatedly (although they may have deleted or altered most of them by now).

Ironically, recently there has been some positive news with respect to the economy. Unfortunately, these positive developments will likely not manifest themselves until 2027 or 2028. As frequently happens the next administration will probably get the credit even though the seeds for recovery have been sown by the previous one. For example:

  1. Illegal border crossings, which were rampant under the previous administration, have shrunken dramatically. The Department of Homeland Security has reported 16 consecutive months of zero releases (“catch and release”) of individuals that had crossed illegally, been detained, and subsequently deported through September 2026. As I have discussed in previous blogs this has had and will continue to have significant and far-reaching positive impact on the US, politically, economically, and socially.
  2. According to the Council on Criminal Justice and the FBI violent crimes in major U.S. cities, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, are all at or near alltime lows..They declined by approximately 10% during the first half of 2026, the latest figures available. This is not a “one-year wonder.” It represents a continuation of the trend in recent years..
  3. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the average life expectancy at birth in the United States is 79, 81.4 for females aad 76.5 for males. These are all record highs.
  4. The economy is growing. The Atlanta Fed has forecast 5% growth for the current quarter. Unfortunately for the Repubs the actual numbers will not be released until after the election.
  5. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate for August 2026 was holding steady at 4.1%. At the peak of the pandemic it was 8.1%.
  6. According to the Consumer Price Index, which monitors changes in the cost of everyday items such as groceries, shelter, clothing, health care and transportation, the rate of inflation over the past year was 2.7%. This rate is not bad by historical standards, and it is line with the Fed’s target rate. Nevertheless, the public’s perception is that it onerous, and in this case perception has become reality. The public is blaming President Trump, which is unfair. Let’s not forget the spendthrift policies of the previous administtration, which pandered to voters and ignited inflation. In my experience inflation, once ignited takes years to bring under control.
  7. The financial markets are booming. As I write this, the Dow is at 51,683; the S&P 500 is at 7,651; and the Nasdaq Composite is at 21,523. Some 44% of US households, or 58 million persons, own at least one IRA. Some own 401k and/or 403b accounts as well. Remember, the financial markets are leading indicators, which augurs well for the future. Persons in all socio-economic categories, not just the wealthy, own these accounts. They are all sharing in this newfound wealth, which is being generated by President Trump’s record-breaking tax cuts and other elements of his economic plan. Furthermore, leading financier, Jamie Dimond, is forecasting a small business boom, a manufacturing boom, and an employment boom. So, I understand the frustration of consumers with prices, but criticisms of Trump’s handling of the economy are superficial, shortsided, unfair, and just plain wrong.
  8. Speaking of inflation the Dems have been advocating a new “Green New Deal.” As usual, it sounds teriffic, money, money money for everyone but it will not work. Moreover, be advised that recent studies estimate the cost to be $212 trillion over the next ten years. That’s trillion with a “T,” and that’s probably understated. Quite simply, if enacted the GND would bankrupt the country. There would be no way to pay for it without printing excessive amounts of money, as if the current deficit is not high enough.

CONCLUSION

In order to turn the tide Repubs need to step up voters’ cognizance of the foregoing. At least, make sure they are aware of what they are voting for. They should focus on outlets where the Dem and independent voters get their news, such as streaming services, Tik Tok, and the like.

Early voting and mail-in voting have already commenced in some states. Many observers expect it to be substantial and perhaps decisive. Historically, Dems have been more prone to vote early than Repubs. This has often put Repubs in “catch-up” mode on ED. Not good. Repubs need to improve their oranization and match the Dems’ early voting totals. On ED they need to be organized and get their supporters to the polls. As always, voter turnout will be crucial.

Repubs, take heed. In the immortal words of the late Yogi Berra, “it gets late early.”

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THE CAMEL’S NOSE

As always, the contents of this blog constitute a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my personal opinion, where indicated.

Either the mainstream Dems and their allies in the mainstream media are really stupid, or they think the voters are. Their latest spin that welcoming the neo-communists into their party is beneficial because it is creating a “Big Tent” in which all ideas are welcome is inane on its face. The neo-communists have no long-term desire or intention of collaborating with them. On the contrary they have reiterated time and again that they hate America and want to tear it down and remake it in their own image. In addition, they have made their irrational, unconditional hatred of Jews and America’s support of Israel very clear.  In my opinion it is obvious that they intend to use the establishment Dems as a tool to attain power.  Slowly and inexorably, they plan to take control. First, they will continue to primary Dems that are not sufficiently to the “left.” Ultimately, they will challenge Republican office holders for control of the country.

They are disguising their true program of creating a country controlled by the state à la Soviet Russia, Cuba and Venezuela by claiming to be socialists rather than communists. Socialism is more benign and more palatable to voters. They are hoping voters will be fooled. However, their desire to redistribute wealth from the rich to the “needy” and to have the government control all key facets of life are dead giveaways.

One of their central policies is the promise of “free stuff.” The allure of “free stuff” is very powerful.  Many people love it not realizing that, in actuality, there is no such thing. Somehow, somewhere, someone has to pay for it. Their plan is that the billionaires and other rich people will pay for it. This classic plan of income redistribution is one of the major tenants of communism. Of course, there are not enough rich people to pay for all of their programs. Sooner or later, they will run out of other people’s money, and then the system will self-destruct.

Moreover, most rich people have the ability to transfer their wealth to other jurisdictions that do not penalize the wealthy or, in extreme cases, to just emigrate to another country.  This has been occurring in many socialist and communist countries. Communism has NEVER been successful anywhere. Eventually the countries that tried it have all self-destructed. The most recent example is Venezuela, which in a short period of time has deteriorated from one of the wealthiest countries to one of the poorest.

And now for the central point of the blog, I will paraphrase for you the parable of the camel’s nose. A man sets out riding a camel on a trip through the desert. The first night he stops to make camp. He pitches a tent for himself to sleep in and beds the camel down outside in the cold. After a few hours the camel asks if he could put just his nose in the tent because it is so cold. The man acquiesces since he wants to keep the camel happy as he is relying on it to continue to transport him on his journey.

The next night the camel requests to stick his entire head into the tent. It’s a tight fit. The tent is barely big enough, but again the man agrees. This goes on for a few days. Soon, the camel is entirely in the tent, and the man is sleeping outside in the cold.

Folks, in this parable the tent represents the Dem Party; the man represents traditional Dems; and the camel represents the neo-commies. The moral is quite clear. The Dems’ mantra of a big tent in which a wide variety of views can co-exist is a fallacy. The tent is simply not big enough for the traditional Dems to co-exist with the neo-commies. Eventually, the neo-commies will take control of the party. They will keep pushing and pushing until they have either converted every Dem to their radical views or purged them from the party entirely.

It may take a few election cycles, but I fear it will come to pass eventually, unless the moderates nip the movement in the bud. The 2026 midterm elections would be a good time to start. Remember the lessons of communist Russia in 1917 and the Nazi movement in Germany in the 1930s, which I have described in previous blogs. Don’t delude yourself into thinking it can’t happen here, because it could.

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IRAN PEACE DEAL. THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS.

As always, the contents of this blog constitute a compendium of multiple media reports supplemented by my personal opinion where indicated.

Apparently, after several months of fighting and several weeks of on and off negotiations Iran and the US have agreed on a deal to end hostilities. (Sort of, maybe, kind of, perhaps.) Vice President J. D. Vance said the U.S. signed a peace agreement with Iran “digitally” on Sunday. He characterized it as a major step toward peace. He stated the deal “ensures that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened, and none of the frozen funds has been released to Iran yet. He added the deal would “change the Middle East” (predicated on Iran’s compliance with it). Major allies, including France, Germany, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom praised the announcement and agreed “to lift relevant sanctions in response to clear, verifiable steps by Iran on its nuclear program.”

At first blush, this is good news, however, given Iran’s negotiating history I wouldn’t get too excited yet. I, for one, am skeptical. Even after the final agreement has been signed as planned, I will remain skeptical. I just don’t trust Iran to live up to whatever agreement it signs. In my opinion it will lie, obfuscate and cheat. Moreover, I am not the only one who has expressed that opinion. Independent verification of compliance to the terms of any agreement will be crucial.

The initial reaction of the financial markets has been very positive. Both US and foreign markets have posted sizeable gains. The price of U.S. crude oil declined over 5% in early Monday trading to around $80 per barrel, while international Brent crude fell about 4.5% to $83 per barrel. For both benchmarks, these levels were the lowest since the first week of March, just days after the war with Iran commenced. Heating oil declined 3%, while wholesale gasoline prices dropped 4%. Natural gas futures fell 3%. This was in addition a 6% decrease in oil prices during last week in anticipation of an agreement. In addition, I have noticed a drop in the price of gas at the pump, which is very discernible to voters.

Not everyone is so ebullient. For example, various Israeli officials have criticized the deal. Israel has consistently been more aggressive toward Iran than the US and, given their hostile history, for good reason. Prime Minister Netanyahu has yet to comment on it (the word is he hasn’t been provided a copy yet, which is curious since Israel has been our principal ally in this war), but Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that IDF forces will not be withdrawing from Lebanon despite whatever the deal may say. That could be significant as discussed below.

Many news outlets are referring to the deal as “preliminary,” which is disquieting in and of itself. Even VP JD Vance, in an interview with CNBC, described the agreement as but “a major step towards peace,” not a “done deal.” In addition, he declined to divulge specific details of the deal. Again, the devil is in the details. The full text of the agreement has not been made available yet, which is suspicious in and of itself. But emerging details have suggested that some of the most difficult issues, including the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, have been deferred to future rounds of negotiations. Absent a resolution of the central issues how can the negotiators maintain that there is a deal?

In my view we are still a long way from a final agreement. There are a plethora of issues and details that still remain to be finalized. I will outline some of these below. As I said in the title, the devil is in the details. For instance:

  1. According to many analysts and commentators it is likely that negotiators on each side will interpret the vague language differently, either intentionally or unintentionally leading to misunderstandings and worse.
  2. It does not address, in sufficient detail, the US’s primary objectives of the war, namely eliminating Iran’s prospective nuclear capabilities, the surrender and disposal of its “nuclear dust,” and Iran’s terminating its support of “proxy” terrorist groups. Those were the main purposes of the war. Any deal that excludes acquiescence with respect to those issues would be worthless.
  3. The United States and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to cease hostilities for 60 days, but how will the cease fire be monitored, by whom, what will constitute a violation, and what will be the penalties for said violations? And what of the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon? Iran has continually insisted that that conflict must be included in any deal, in which case the cease fire would already have been violated, whereas the US has insisted it is a separate matter.
  4. Since its commencement on February 28, the war has not produced many of the results President Trump had vowed to achieve, such as overthrowing Iran’s autocratic, theocratic leadership and liberating its citizens, which are among the most oppressed in the world. Will those issues be included in any deal or not?
  5. The language regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is extremely vague. For example, when will it reopen? Who will ensure all the mines have been removed or destroyed? Who will govern the passage of ships through it? Will Iran be precluded from charging fees or not?
  6. There are questions regarding the US’s blockade of Iranian shipping. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Group, which acts as the chief point of contact for merchant ships liaising with military forces in the region, warned that the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports will remain in effect until the peace deal with Iran has been signed. The UKTMO then followed up with a memo warning all vessels not to attempt a crossing until “explicit direction is given” (presumably by them and presumably not until the cease fire is in effect).

Conclusion

President Trump has invested a considerable amount of military assets, time, money, materials, goodwill, prestige and political capital in this venture. His overriding objective that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon is a righteous one. However, apparently, we are still a long way from a final settlement that the US and its allies in this war can live with. It is crucial that we attain our objectives. This will likely be our one and only chance to resolve this issue. Trump will not be president forever, and there are no assurances that his successor(s) will have the nerve, the fortitude and the domestic and worldwide support that Trump presently has to see this through.

Due to the foregoing, I would characterize this as merely the first step toward a lasting peace agreement, nothing more. That’s fine as far as it goes, but there is still much to do. The situation is very fluid. By the time you read this it may very well have changed.

Due to the impending midterm elections, I believe these negotiations need to show tangible results quickly. I further believe that the short-term key is the reopening of the Hormuz Strait. That will lead to the free flow of energy and a reduction of the cost to businesses and consumers alike. The price of energy affects the cost of all goods and services. Remember history has demonstrated repeatedly that the number one issue for voters in every election is the economy.

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