BloggeRhythms

As another result of short-sighted ineptitude, Congressional Democrats have once again pulled out heavy weaponry and then, shot themselves with it. 

According to FoxNews.com, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes temporarily stepped down from “leading the committee’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign and possible surveillance of Trump associates by the prior administration.”

Nunes cited the efforts of "several leftwing activist groups" to lodge "entirely false and politically motivated" accusations against him with the Office of Congressional Ethics as his reason for sidelining himself. 

However, while Rep. Mike Conaway, (R-Texas), will now lead the committee, that will be done "with assistance" from Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla.” 

Thus, by now having Gowdy play a bigger role, although Democrat complaints of harm from an ill-tempered cocker spaniel has gotten a recalcitrant puppy replaced, they’ll now have to deal with a hungry junkyard pit bull.    

As far as disgruntled citizens are concerned, there are going to be fewer of them listening to Democrat accusations against Trump, or anyone else. And that’s because, as reported by Lucia Mutikani also of Reuters: “New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits recorded their biggest drop in nearly two years last week, pointing to a further tightening in the labor market.

“Initial claims for state unemployment benefits declined 25,000 to a seasonally adjusted 234,000 for the week ended April 1, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The drop was the largest since the week ending April 25, 2015, and unwound recent increases that had lifted claims to a three-month high.” 

A Reuters survey of economists showed that “nonfarm payrolls likely increased by 180,000 jobs last month after rising by 235,000 in February. The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 4.7 percent.” 

The report also showed “the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid decreased 24,000 to 2.03 million in the week ended March 25. The four-week moving average of the so-called continuing claims fell 7,750 to 2.02 million, the lowest level since 2000.” 

All of which makes the Democrat leadership’s anti-everything row that much harder to hoe because, aside from their incessant complaining being incredibly boring, it doesn’t add a single cent to anyone’s income, except perhaps their own. 

And then, coming back to politics, Jordan Fabian wrote @thehill.com, that: “The Trump administration has escalated its feud with the Obama administration, creating a virtually unprecedented situation in which the current and former U.S. executive branches are openly fighting.”  

Trump himself added to the hostility by saying that Susan Rice “might have committed a crime by requesting the identities of Trump associates who were incidentally swept up in surveillance, though he cited no evidence to back up his claim.” 

“I think it’s going to be the biggest story,” Trump told The New York Times. “It’s such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time.”
Obama’s deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, quickly fired back, stating that attacking Rice “for doing what countless officials of both parties have done is authoritarianism.” 

“Media shouldn’t enable this garbage,” he added. 

The attack on Rice is just the latest flashpoint between the administrations. “Trump and his staff have made it clear that they think Obama administration officials have been complicit in widespread leaks of damaging intelligence about Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible links between Moscow and Trump’s associates.” 

Having defined his premise, author Fabian next addresses the “striking shift from November, when Obama and Trump met at the White House and Obama pledged that he and his aides would ensure a smooth transition. Trump also offered kind words for Obama, suggesting the two might confer from time to time.” 

However, that hasn’t happened, whereas in March, “The Hill reported that Obama and Trump haven’t exchanged words since Inauguration Day.” 

And then, Fabian provides substantive backfill illustrating that presidential behavior’s been the same for the most part over time, whereas: “Some tension between administrations is hardly unusual.”  

“Obama often blamed the poor economy he inherited on President George W. Bush and repeatedly criticized that administration’s foreign policy. 

“Bush administration officials believed that President Clinton failed to confront al Qaeda in the lead-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, while Bush himself spoke about how Clinton left him a recession.  

“President Reagan frequently criticized President Carter’s handling of the economy, prompting Carter to respond in 1982 that his administration “did not spend four years blaming our mistakes on our predecessors.” 

In author Fabian’s opinion, though, the “confluence of events makes today’s tensions feel like nothing the country has seen before: Russia’s meddling in the election, the nature of Trump’s accusations, his penchant for combat, the rise of social media and the fact that much of Trump’s agenda involves rolling back Obama-era laws and regulations.” 

Thus, from the context of Fabian’s conclusions one gets the sense that he perceives Trump as one who may bear more blame for creating dissension regarding his predecessor than any other president’s have before.  

Yet, his long, fact-filled dissertation allows only two short paragraphs to Trump’s taking the responsibility of office he now holds, as follows: 

“Trump at a Wednesday press conference acknowledged he is responsible for how the government reacts to the chemical weapons attack in Syria.  

“I inherited a mess,” Trump said, returning to a familiar refrain. “Whether it’s the Middle East, whether it’s North Korea, whether it’s so many other things, whether it’s in our country horrible, trade deals. I inherited a mess. We’re going to fix it.” 

Which means that, despite comparison to Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan and Carter, Trump is far more like a POTUS that Fabian left unaddressed. Harry Truman on whose White House desk rested a sign saying: “The Buck Stops Here.” 

That’s it for today folks. 

Adios