Political Augury

The president-elect will be sworn into office on Jan. 20, and no one I know feels good about that: at least among those willing to discuss Trump’s second administration. I see some of the things he is doing and it augurs the death of democracy as we know it. To say I feel anxiety about the next four years is not wrong.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reported via his Threads account the president-elect was on Capitol Hill yesterday :

Where will this money come from? No one has said, with no indication the deal for this theft from the public is finalized. There is not enough money in the Social Security Trust Fund ($2.908 trillion) to pay for what has been proposed. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are all on the chopping block to butcher and give rich people more government money. This characterizes what we expect from Trump 2.0.

The totality of legislative proposals remains to be seen as bills are introduced to the Congress. Which ones will pass is also unknown. Clearing the U.S. House of Representatives with its two-member majority is the narrows through which Republican priorities must squeeze. 12 days before the inauguration, there is no confidence the president who sees Iowa as a state of farmers will understand and address what’s important to most of us.

As George Carlin once said, “It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it.” While the augury is bad, we’ll just have to wait and see what actually happens in real time. I plan to be ringside.