Making Progress on Heading Out for Next Five Days Through Christmas 🎄

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I went to the store at lunch time and got propane and some other food supplies, like walnuts for roasting over the fire and cranberries and grapes to snack on along with a case of beer. My truck is mostly packed, though I’ll have to do some more in the morning. Kneading some bread to rise over night to bring along, with baking a butternut squash. Then it’s off to bed early with plans to rise around 5 AM, get packed and be on the road by around 8 AM.

Looking forward to a very special Christmas Eve up in the wilderness away from all the craziness of the holiday season, roasting those walnuts over the fire, enjoying some freshly made cranberries and fruit, cooking up some good soups and other things to eat. Plan to ride some trails and roads, do some hiking, and enjoy the long evenings by the fire with some Christmas lights hung around camp.

Then heading home on Christmas Day to have Christmas dinner with the family. Tuesday is a holiday in the office, so it will give me time to unpack and unwind, maybe make some more bread and soup up and get ready for a short work week on Wednesday through Friday, though I might work remote the following Friday so I can pack and head out of town directly from home for New Years Eve Weekend.

Put up or shut up

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That is probably the golden rule of politics.

I am not worried about Donald Trump being re-elected with his anti-Democratic tendencies. He’s a politician and he either will deliver results to his constituencies or quickly become irrelevant.

Part of the reason why Donald Trump is doing so well politically currently is his first term was quite successful in the eyes of conservatives. Behind all the noise, he succeeded in delivering tax relief, and a Supreme Court that is reworking America in a more conservative image especially on social issues like guns and abortion. The conservative rights revolution seems to be well underway.

A self pardon of Donald Trump is likely to be wildly unpopular. Likewise using the government’s prosecuting powers under law to go after political enemies is likely to lead to significant drop in the president’s support. But on the other hand, bringing the justice department to heel and focusing them on conservative priorities is likely to score him points both with the Republican base and his fellow conservative legislators. Using unconventional methods may be unpopular with Democrats but in recent years executive power has been expanding as politics has become more contentious. But the moment that Trump stops delivering for the nation and particular his base, he’s likely to fall out of power.

Using the levers of power isn’t anti-democratic. It is effective. Levers of power aren’t limited to only one party or ideology. If Trump discovers a new lever of power, then the next Democratic candidate to be elected into the White House is also likely to use it too. Or it’s possible that if the public, especially those in the opposing party will find the power grab to be so morally repugnant that they remove that power from the executive by passing new laws reining in the President.

Don’t like Trump? I don’t like him much either. So don’t vote for him. And know he will be gone in four years, and you’ll have yet another candidate better to your liking in the White House. Or Congress in two years.