Checking In, Wrapping Up January

January is in the books. What a month it was for political news.

Before 2021 rolled in, I made the goal of 80–100 posts for the year, or 7–8.5 per month, roughly. Obviously, I am fairly behind already. I’m disappointed that I wrote only two posts this month. While it was necessary for me to recharge my batteries as it were, I let too much time lapse in-between posts leading to a significant drop in the number of postings.

Another factor is that I strive to write original, impactful, non-partisan content that you can’t find anywhere else. I often have to scour news websites, poll aggregators and opinion shows to see how other stories are being covered and what I can do better and/or differently. Perhaps I psych myself out too much and should simply write more, but reviewing all that extra information takes time and I really try to polish posts before publishing them.

I wanted to inform you, my loyal and faithful readership, as I didn’t want you thinking I was slowly abandoning this blog.

With that being said, here’s my brief take, bullet-point style, on some recent political-ish news!

• President Biden’s 42 executive order blitz since taking over isn’t a recipe for bi-partisanship, but more concerningly, it lends itself to an ‘imperial presidency’ governing by edict rather than working with Congress and enforcing the law it makes, instead of making its own. Although the parties are loathe to work together in most matters, they will gladly use precedents the other created which increase their political power.
• Congressional Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger’s PAC designed to ‘take back the party from President Trump’ will fail if it doesn’t address the reasons why people voted for him in the first place. As infuriating, difficult and dangerous as Mr. Trump can be, he channeled voters’ concerns and issues like no other in the Republican party. There has to be a give and take, or in Hegelian philosophical terms, a dialetic. The thesis, conventional Republicanism, has to debate its anthesis, Trumpism, producing the best synthesis of both philosophies. Otherwise, the problem will repeat itself all over again.
• The showdown between Reddit forum wallstreetbets and Wall Street (mostly hedge funds) is your classic David vs. Goliath struggle. While little stimulus checks help, how about some regulatory reform so we don’t have financial meltdown round 2? That would be greaaaat, as an annoying manager once said.
• QAnon conspiracy theories-we are a nation of idiots! Seriously, I’d rather be forced to watch the entire 20 year run of Keeping Up with the Kardashians over another mention of this wild drivel. At least Kim K fought for prison reform, yikes.

There you have it. An explanation of my delinquency and a smattering of commentary.

I hope to hit February hard. I hope you’ll be there for the ride.