The Flight from Urban to Suburban


Armstrong Economics Blog/ECM Re-Posted Apr 12, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: Good morning Marty and team,
You’re still my first read in the mornings after many years and I can’t say that about any other blog or content creator to even take the number #2 or #3 position, well, maybe Zerohedge. Thank You!
Glad to see you referencing Cristian Westbrook …

Here in Western Colorado, things are quite a bit more normal than elsewhere from what I am seeing and hearing from travelers and through my general on-line exploits. My home is on the divide between the homesteaders world and the psychopathy in the next town over of the agenda followers and double maskers. The difference in a few miles of highway travel is stunning. Our poor county sheriff deals with both worlds and he’s more in-line with our Western Colorado beliefs. Our local cops and town officials that I have met are also sick of this and are not enforcing Governor Polis’s warped WEF ideologies.
I never travel East to buy anything any longer and support our local businesses that don’t embrace this insanity, the carnicerias and markaditos are awesome, I even trade my chickens eggs for salsa. It seems our local Mexican culture buys from US and Mexican distributors and USDA guidelines aren’t their biggest concern. Same with many local restaurants, they will buy direct from local gardeners and will barter and trade.
Many of us around here purchase 1/4 and half steer for the year, we know and purchase from local pig farmers and sheep farmers, I get raw whole milk from a local family, separate the real cream and make keifer daily and am expanding the garden this year. Thank god some people are normal, I don’t think the homesteading communities will fall without a fight, we care too much about our way of life and our neighbors.
Keep up the good fight brother!
SG

REPLY: I am hearing that from many people especially those vacating the urban centers seeking freedom in the suburbs. The taxes are rising dramatically in cities that have locked down. YourTube is acting like the New York Times did when they were supporting Stalin and attempted to push the United States into communism. Suicides are up, mass shootings are up, all because you cannot lock down people. Many incidents now are taking place when neighbors lose it because of noise or other nonsense. Nobody is attributing these things to lockdowns. You cannot do this to people. It is mentally destabilizing. They are calling it a “slutty summer” of casual sex as COVID-19 vaccinations rise because people have been locked down and over 3 million have dropped out of colleges because of virtual classes.

SARS CoV-2 Q & A


Armstrong Economics Blog/Q&A Re-Posted Apr 12, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Do you think Gates, Biden, Fauci, etc, ever really got vaccinated?

SK

ANSWER: Absolutely no way! The side-effects are serious and even the CDC has admitted there are more side-effects with Moderna than the other brands. Listen closely to how they qualify everything. Fauci said: “It’s very, very, very unlikely that you’re going to have an effect, 5 or 10 years down the pike.” Note he is saying “unlikely” but he then compares it to a normal vaccine. Fauci said in an interview on March 13. “The reason we say that is that we have decades of experience in the field of vaccinology and virtually all of the effects if they even occur, and they’re very rare, occur within 15 to 45 days following the dose.” There is absolutely no way any public figure took the vaccine for if they had a serious reaction, it would end the entire scheme. That was far too risky. The variants are also nullifying the vaccines because they are not traditional. The US military has even stated that social distancing, masks, and quartine failed to prevent the spread of COVID. In Michigan, 246 people who were vaccinated still got COVID and 3 even died! Now the CDC has reported that 1,637 Deaths have taken place AFTER COVID-19 Vaccinations were administered!

We cannot believe ANYTHING coming from the government at this point in time.

QUESTION: RE: Suing Universities. Are Employers subject to the same idea as universities when it comes to terms of employment (even if the employer is the Government)? If an employer wants to mandate vaccination, are they completely liable for the consequences? I know many people who are getting vaccinated because of the fear of retribution, even when an employer is saying vaccination is “voluntary”. If the employer decides to change their tune 4 months down the road, those who voluntarily “refused” the experimental treatment could be subject to job loss. So much for something being “voluntary”. Government loves us so much.
Seems like the issue is class action across all of society, not just one case at a time.

TE

ANSWER: If they say it is “voluntary” and someone takes the vaccine out of fear they might be discriminated against, they have no case. As long as they say it is “voluntary” and then they change that to “mandatory” or they deny you advancement because you were not vaccinated, then you have a legal case against them. But if you “volunteer” for the jap, it is on you and all the effects thereafter.

QUESTION: Discrimination: First let me thank you for all you do. I am a long-time follower and reader of Armstrong Economics.
You wrote today an article about discrimination and how it is illegal to discriminate against non-vaccinated people.
Here is what I do not understand is how people cannot see that a heavy graduated and progressive income tax is not illegal because it specifically discriminates against the wage earner.
How can government do this and no one says a word like it is okay to confiscate your earnings before you even receive them. I can think of no act that is more illegal and discriminatory than the third plank of the communist manifesto: A heavy graduated and progressive income tax.

Sincerely:
PP
P.S. We met briefly at the 2017 WEC.

ANSWER: Nobody has EVER challenged the income tax on the basis of discrimination. I would love to see such a case. However, keep in mind, that anyone who brings a case on that issue will be targeted and harassed by every agency the government can unleash. Back following the 1987 Crash, there was a movement in Congress to merge the CFTC and the SEC. At the time, the CFTC asked me if I would testify on their behalf because we had forecast the 1987 Crash and identified the cause being the G5. My lawyers were about to jump out the window. They begged me NOT to testify for every other agency would retaliate against me if I jumped into that mix. If you dare challenge a government agency, they retaliate viciously against you.

Even in my court case, I challenged Judge Owen for changing transcripts and altering what even took place in court. One time he erased upwards of an hour in court. because the government had to admit they were wrong and just made up stuff. They tried to deny me bail and lost claiming that I was going to flee to a mansion I had in London. I just raised my hand and asked the court if I could have that address. They immediately backed down and said they had that on “good information” when in fact I left London more than 10 years before. Nothing they ever say is true – NOTHING! When I tried to appear Judge Owen admitting changing court transcripts which is a federal crime, the court of appeals kept losing the appeal. The system is so rigged, there is no justice anymore in the United States. Si I am not hopeful that you will ever get a court to rule on the issue no different than the Supreme Court refusing to listen to any argument on the election.

Honestly, if I were President, I would close all the federal courts which are statutory. You can’t fire a judge even when he has dementia as Judge Owen in my case who would even forget who I was. You are denied Due Process of Law if the judge is biased. I could not even get a rational judge which amounts to the same thing. Good luck on ever getting a fair court or upholding the Constitution.

It is Illegal to Discriminate against Non-Vaccinated People


Armstrong Economics Blog/Rule of Law Re-Posted Apr 11, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

A lot of emails are coming in over suing universities and schools. Let me further explain, it is illegal under both federal and state laws to discriminate against an employee based on his or her medical condition with regard to employment decisions. These decisions include hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, training, and job assignments. Federal laws that protect against medical condition discrimination are the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Certainly, any company that demands an employee be vaccinated to get a job should be sued for what they are demanding is outright illegal. That same can be applied to schools.

Suing Universities & Schools


Armstrong Economics Blog/Rule of Law Re-Posted Apr 11, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

There is a class-action lawsuit against Rutgers University seeking a partial refund to tuition because they closed the campus due to COVID. This is one lawsuit that seeks to impose some damages upon the university. I have spoken to students who say their teachers changed with virtual classes and they have failed when they were honor students before. The cost of education by virtual should be minimal since they do not need an elaborate infrastructure.

However, it is still different than what I am suggesting. Mandatory vaccines impose risk and these universities are just jumping on the bandwagon in a me-too fashion without any due diligence on their part. By mandating vaccines, they should be held liable for all damages and you should be able to bring them to court for their lack of fiduciary duty to the students to verify that these vaccines pose no risk.

Moreover, any university which accepts grants from  Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation or Bloomberg should be subject to an audit to see if there is any mandate for vaccines linked to any grant. If that is true, then lawsuits against both the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as Bloomberg become viable.

The same is applicable to high schools, grade schools, and pre-school.

How to Stop Schools from Mandating Vaccines


Armstrong Economics Blog/Rule of Law R-Posted Apr 11, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

Blog/Rule of Law

Posted Apr 11, 2021 by Martin Armstrong

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Video Player00:1109:48

QUESTION: Greetings Martin

I hope all is well with you and your family.

I wanted to get your opinion/advice on forced vaccines for children

It appears the law is pretty clear cut with “experimental vaccines” cannot be forced by either private or public agencies.

That being said it also appears that govt will step back and let private businesses and both public and private universities mandate a vaccine to enter.

Who or what would be the best way to try and set precedent to not allow this to occur. Your gov has already come out and stated “no mandated vaccine” and yet Nova southeastern University in Florida had mandated It.

Here in New York, we have an even greater “lift”. As I have concern for my children.

Thank you
Regards,

Dr. JCL

ANSWER: The way to approach this is actually simple. It is true that Congress has granted total immunity to the drug companies so they really could care less if the impact of these drugs in altering your DNA is actually passed on to future children with unknown consequences.

We need a lawyer to file a suit against any school that has mandated vaccines where a student has had an adverse reaction, and since these vaccines are experimental and have NOT been given actual approval by the FDA, then we need a case to present to go after any school who would NOT have immunity and bring a suit for the damages involved. Moreover, you can bring a suit and compel them to PROVE that the future risks to humanity do not exist. This is the ONLY way to attack this problem. Someone has to do this ASAP. I would be glad to help any lawyer willing to take this on.

An Insiders Perspective on President Trump’s Claims of Election Fraud From Legal Counsel John Eastman


Posted originally on the conservative tree house April 10, 2021 | Sundance | 240 Comments

“What Really Happened? An Insider’s Perspective on Representing the President and Claims of Election Fraud” – an interview with Professor John Eastman, scholar of Constitutional law and Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute, moderated by Amber Athey, Washington Editor of Spectator USA and Tony Blankley Senior Fellow with Steamboat Institute:

Professor John Eastman was retained as legal counsel by President Trump following the 2020 election to examine possible fraudulent activities that could have influenced the outcome of the election. In this interview, Professor Eastman describes what it was like to be in the Oval Office with President Trump and Vice President Pence during those tense post-election weeks with the election outcome hanging in the balance.

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Professor Eastman also explains what he learned about possible election improprieties and what facts are available for the general public to know and to gain a better understanding of what really happened.

Steamboat Institute is proud to present this interview with the hope that it will lead to a better understanding of what really happened in the 2020 election and how we, as citizens responsible for defending our republic, can safeguard the integrity of our electoral process.

Narrow Victory, Supreme Court Blocks California COVID Compliance Ministry From Stopping In-Home Bible Study


Posted originally on the conservative tree house April 10, 2021 | Sundance | 148 Comments

In a narrow 5-4 ruling the Supreme Court has blocked California from stopping in-home bible study groups from their religious assembly.  Chief Justice Roberts joined the three leftist judges Kagan, Bryer and Sotomayor.   [pdf link here] Apparently the first amendment barely survived this visit by the high court.

♦ Amendment 1  – Freedom of Religion, Speech, and the Press:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

(SCOTUS BLOG) – […] In an unsigned opinion, the majority wrote that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit’s failure to put California’s COVID restrictions on hold was “erroneous.” The Supreme Court’s decisions in earlier challenges to COVID-related restrictions have, the justices wrote, “made several points clear.” Among other things, the majority stressed, government regulations are subject to heightened scrutiny whenever they treat any secular activity more favorably than religious activity; it doesn’t matter that the state also treats some secular businesses or activities poorly. Moreover, the majority added, a case may remain a live controversy even if the government changes the policy – particularly when, as here, “officials with a track record of ‘moving the goalposts’ retain authority to reinstate those heightened restrictions at any time.”

In her dissent, Kagan contended that the First Amendment “requires that a State treat religious conduct as well as the State treats comparable secular conduct.” That, she wrote, is what California has done, by adopting “a blanket restriction on at-home gatherings of all kinds.” (read more)

Another Tripwire Crossed – Pentagon Orders Updated Screening of Military to Identify “Extremist” Outlooks in Preparation for What is to Come…


Posted originally on the conservative tree house April 9, 2021 | Sundance | 84 Comments

Let me be clear…. I fully expect to see the standing U.S. military deployed against any state who stands up against unconstitutional federal demands. I have made this assertion since the jaw-dropping revelations about the Pentagon during the first impeachment effort in August 2019 and the lack of leadership from the military in removing Lt. Col Alexander Vindman from his compromised position.

♦ WHAT: As I look forward the likely origination point for military deployment will be federal COVID mandates, though it could also be state election issues.  ♦ HOW: The hardline leftists are weaponizing the military for political benefit.  ♦ WHEN: As a result of severe federal government intrusion it is only a matter of time before states start to rebel against federal COVID demands. That, in my opinion, will be the inflection point and posse comitatus will be suspended.

The majority of the U.S. military rank and file are patriots; America-first nationalists with a patriotic outlook toward the United States as a constitutional republic.  The majority of the military also come from red states.  This is an identified risk to the Obama objective of fundamental change.  Additionally, thanks in large part to a purge during the Obama era, the majority of the flag officers are not in alignment with the rank and file.   This sets the stage for a problem….

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday ordered new steps to tackle the threat posed by extremism in the ranks of the military, including updated screening questionnaires for recruits, a review of the department’s definition of extremism and efforts to prevent veterans from being drawn into violent movements.

The move follows a 60-day stand-down across the armed services that Austin ordered to allow commanders and troops in every unit to discuss how to confront the problem of white supremacist or other extremist ideology within the military. The Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump thrust the issue into the spotlight, as some of the mob were former or current members of the military with links to ultra-rightwing groups.

In a memo Friday to top officials and commanders, Austin said the department was still reviewing the results of the stand-down but he had decided to move ahead with “several immediate steps.”

Under Austin’s instruction, the Pentagon’s top lawyer and other officials will review and update the department’s definition of “prohibited extremist activities” for all service members. Critics have said the Pentagon needs to take into account how extremism has evolved in the digital era, and how some adherents engage in more loosely formed networks.

The secretary also called for updated screening questionnaires for potential recruits to gather information about current or previous extremist behavior ”to ensure that only the best qualified recruits are selected for the services,” according to the memo. (read more)

It is well known and accepted that most of the rank and file military come from Red States, and/or the Southern U.S. region.   This has been a reality in the military for as long as I can remember.   Again, this is a problem if the government is going to weaponize the military against the citizens.  Hence, they need to quantify the issue in advance.

[HISTORIC NOTE:  This is not the first time the Pentagon has undertaken such an assessment.  In the aftermath of the Chinese regular army refusing to turn their fire on the protesting students at Tienanmen Square (remember, the Mongolian divisions were called in); the world noticed.  The U.S. Pentagon did a similar internal assessment.]

♦ My prior warning with the examples and citations of data to back-up my prediction are HERE and repeated below:

Considering the specific examples over the past few years, I would argue the Democrats are positioning for use of the military in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act -or- by an expressed act of congress.

Following the evidence to its logical conclusion is simple.  The political apparatus of the DC state has framed a fraudulent narrative that “insurrection” against the federal government is an ongoing possibility.

Toward that end the U.S. military national guard troops have been sent to Washington DC indefinitely (current deployment extended through May).

If we consider there is a reasonable argument now surfacing about states choosing to nullify federal laws, it is not a stretch to see the insurrection narrative as a proactive assertion to support the deployment of active military against any state who would be non-compliant.

Would this violate the Posse Comitatus Act? Quite possibly, yes; it would depend on whether congress passed an expressed act authorizing military troops against specific state action.

When we consider that most of the constitutional checks and balances have been deconstructed or usurped by hardline leftist action; including the weaponization of the intelligence community, and specifically the FBI as a federal law enforcement agency; we are left to recognize that any Posse Comitatus violation would likely be supported by a leftist and aligned media arguing that the military is needed in order to stop a rebellion of states.

If my suspicions/predictions are correct, this would explain exactly why there has been a recent uptick in the visual politicization of the military; including empirical examples of emboldened U.S. military leadership openly engaged in domestic political advocacy against Tucker Carlson.

The marching of the U.S. military through the Capitol building to the offices of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene would be another orchestrated optic sending the same political message.

These are not examples of the military “woke” community advancing political correctness, instead these are examples of advanced politicization of the military (in an open context) in preparation for domestic political use.   The “insurrection narrative” is then considered a seed planted to blossom later in support of the overall agenda.

One of the data-points highlighting future intent was clearly visible and seemingly overlooked by almost all media.  It happened when Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman first became a political whistle-blower against the office of President Trump.

It was not the details of the Vindman accusation that stood out, though that was the aspect the media focused on.  What was more concerning was the lack of action by the Pentagon after Vindman compromised his position as an advisor to the commander in chief.

2019 – When we consider that Lt. Col. Vindman was carrying out what he believed to be his role; and when you overlay his military purpose; and when we accept Vindman was assisting CIA agent Eric Ciaramella in constructing his dossier to remove President Trump; and when we stand back and look at the aggregate interests involved, including Vindman’s divided loyalties toward a foreign power; and when we consider there was ZERO push-back from the ranks of military leadership, specifically the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and when you accept Vindman was simply allowed to return to his post inside the White House – where he remains today; well, the alarming aspect increases in direct proportion to the definition of the word: “coup”.

I would encourage all readers to think long and hard those factual data-points.

Despite his admitted usurpation of President Trump policy, Vindman was sent back to his post in the NSC with the full support of the United States Department of Defense.

The onus of action to remove Vindman from the NSC did not lay at the feet of the White House and National Security advisor Robert O’Brien; upon whose action the removal of Vindman could be positioned as political.  The necessary obligation to remove Lt. Col Vindman resides purposefully with the Dept. of Defense.

The Pentagon could easily withdraw Vindman from his position at the National Security Council; yet, it does not…. and it has not.   WHY?

There is a code within the military whereby you never put your leadership into a position of compromise; ie. “never compromise your leadership”.

In this example, President Trump cannot remove Vindman from the White House NSC advisory group due to political ramifications and appearances… The Joint Chiefs certainly recognize this issue; it is the very type of compromise they are trained to remove.  Yet they do nothing to remove the compromise.  They do nothing to assist.

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was the majority (#1) source for the material CIA operative Eric Ciaramella used in a collaborative effort to remove President Trump from office.  Let me make this implication crystal clear:

The United States Military appears to be collaborating with the CIA to remove a U.S. President from office.

The Pentagon has done nothing, absolutely nothing, to countermand this implication. The Secretary of Defense has done nothing to remove the conflict that Vindman represents within the National Security Council.  The Joint Chiefs of Staff have done nothing, absolutely nothing, to diminish the appearance of an agenda toward the removal of President Trump.

This is not a complex issue.

No-one in the foreign policy group is going to take any advice or opinion from Vindman.  No-one is going to allow him to engage in material of a sensitive or confidential nature.  Lt. Col. Vindman has compromised himself; and therefore eliminated any usefulness to his prior assignment.  Yet his command does nothing? (more)

That was the alarming lack of action from the Pentagon everyone seemed to overlook.  Why did senior military leadership not remove Vindman from his post at the White House once he clearly compromised his ability to carry out his duty?  Their lack of action was stunning when you consider their primary obligation.

Fast forward to 2021 and now a very political military officer, General Russel Honore’, is appointed by Nancy Pelosi to be in charge of the military deployment around Washington DC.  When you consider the political ramifications of the military supporting a false narrative, this is more than just another data-point.  Then the military openly attacked the position of Tucker Carlson based entirely on political ideology.

The increased frequency of the military being politicized is what leads me to believe this phase is all just a public relations pre-positioning.  I fully expect to see the standing U.S. military deployed against any state who stands up against unconstitutional federal demands… the likely origination point will be federal COVID mandates.

The leftists are weaponizing COVID mandates for a political agenda.  It is only a matter of time before states start to rebel against federal COVID demands.  That, in my opinion, will be the inflection point.  That will be when the U.S. military is held as a compliance activation against any rebellious state.  It could be another issue that activates this triggering of the military (ex. state election laws), but as it stands right now federal COVID compliance seems the most likely trigger.

Bottom line… The American electorate are being positioned to accept deployment of the U.S. military against U.S. citizens, under the guise of insurrection and/or a public threat.  That is why we are seeing so much willful politicization of the military.

If you live in a region or state that values individual liberty and/or freedom, you are likely in a location that leftists consider a risk to their ability to execute their agenda.  You are likely right now being defined as a ‘dissident’, or possibly a “domestic terrorist.”  As a result, get ready to see this type of activity in your neighborhood.

JoeBama Turns His Eye of Chaos Toward The Supreme Court


Posted originally on the conservative tree house April 9, 2021 | Sundance | 79 Comments

Leftist ideologues from the Chicago school have a typical playbook they pull from.  One of their strategies is to flood the zone of politics to create chaos that allows them to act under cover of the distracted nature of their plan.  JoeBama turning his eye toward the Supreme Court while pushing COVID crisis, the Border crisis, promoting infrastructure and simultaneously advancing on the filibuster rule is classic Chicago, aka Alinsky.

The deployment of a commission to study reform in the Supreme Court, while simultaneously having a plan to install Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson (50) to replace Justice Stephen Bryer, now 82-years-old, is all part of that chaos approach.

The existence of the commission -and the potential recommendation to pack the court with additional voices- has another benefit; it can be viewed by the existing court as a threat to retain the status quo…. or else.  The leftists will use the commission to mold the courts decisions. Chicago is often subtle as a brick through a window.

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Friday empaneling a commission to examine possible reforms to the Supreme Court and federal judiciary, making good on a campaign trail promise sparked by his predecessor’s tilting of the federal bench.

[…] The 36-member commission will be co-chaired by Bob Bauer — who led the Biden campaign’s legal strategy — and Cristina Rodríguez, a Yale Law School professor and former deputy assistant attorney general. (read more)

As customary, the far-left will pretend not to know this SCOTUS strategy, and the compliant media will ignore it as it rolls out; however, we can clearly see it and discuss it here.

President Trump Endorses Senator Marco Rubio


Posted originally on the conservative tree house April 9, 2021 | Sundance | 343 Comments

President Donald Trump has endorsed Florida Senator Marco Rubio for re-election.  This has angered many MAGA supporters who view Rubio, correctly, as a DeceptiCon establishment figure.  However, there is a pragmatic political approach evident that should be considered.

First, it must always be remembered that the Republican party is a private club.  The RNC is part of that private club.  Both the Democrat Party and the Republican Party are private clubs.  There are no federal, state or local election laws or rules that require club participation in order to run for elected office.  The clubs exist to facilitate the infrastructure of a process that is guided by inside rules made by club members.

Second, within the MAGA community there has been a recent argument about the Republican party that essentially boils down to this: (A) President Trump should start a new party; a new club; and/or (B) President Trump should reform the Republican club from within, removing the establishment elements.

Within the club President Trump can influence the rules and agenda, but the club itself must support them.  As we saw in 2016 there is a significant portion of the club who do not want Donald Trump within it.  Thus all moves to influence the club should be cast against this reality.

President Trump endorsing a club member should not be a surprise to those who have advocated for Trump to take-over the republican party.  Rubio has enough support within the club that a non-endorsement, or Trump’s support for a primary challenge, would exhaust a lot of political capital and ultimately result in a fight within the club.

Trump remaining inside the club, influencing the club, and carrying a sword of Damocles (endorsement or lack thereof) inside the club, could and should be viewed as the most pragmatic approach toward changing the club.  Indeed, President Trump has previously said he preferred to remain in the Republican party as opposed to starting a new party from the ground up.

Currently we have a rather unique political dynamic. Arguably, the club now needs Trump more than Trump needs the club. However, also arguably, the club infrastructure is factually a value to President Trump. 

The argument over “club value” boils down to one of political loyalty.  ¹Example: if members inside the club are permitted to undermine the MAGA agenda of Donald Trump -the historic reference- then what value does the club actually have?   ¹Example-2: if local and state club officials are tepid in their support, or worse yet actively work to undermine their candidate, then what value is the club?  This has been my argument for over 15 years. Alas, if I am to support the MAGA objective I must defer my opinion to the person who really is the decision-maker, Donald Trump.

Again, Trump remaining inside the club, influencing the club, and carrying a sword of Damocles (endorsement or lack thereof) inside the club could be viewed as the successful approach toward changing the club.  The historic reference here would be Barack Obama taking over the DNC club….. against the Clinton machine.

Clinton was to the DNC as Mitch McConnell and the Bush clan (et al) are to the RNC.  Reference what Hillary Clinton did to Bernie Sanders (’16); successfully. Reference what Bush (and club) tried to do to Trump in ’16; unsuccessfully. 

Barack Obama now owns the DNC club and has full control.  Donald Trump is still working through the process and does not have full control; hence he has to navigate through the tribal issues that remain inside the RNC club.

President Trump endorsing Marco Rubio is pragmatic and keeps options A and B open. If Trump had not endorsed Rubio, or endorsed a challenger, then Option B (takeover of the club) would be much harder as the club would fight to save Rubio.  Within the club Rubio is viewed as a more valuable club asset than Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Yes, Rubio is a self-centered and compromised DeceptiCon and should not ever be trusted.  On the positive side Rubio is tough on China and aligned against the influence of China in the U.S.  That can be seen as a value.

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¹CTH readers will long-note that I have personally been an advocate for starting a new political party.  I know how challenging that approach is, and I am wide-eyed to the reality of it.  That said, I have also wanted the Republican party to reform so that a new party was not needed.  However, years of suffering through broken promises of club reform leave me strongly cynical…. but I am willing to give President Trump every opportunity to succeed because, well, if I am being honest, we have not had a person on the inside genuinely trying to reform the party.

However, if Trump endorses anyone like Murkowski or Haley, my support for Trump’s effort will end immediately.