{"id":21802,"date":"2025-01-22T00:34:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T00:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=21802"},"modified":"2025-01-22T17:13:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T17:13:07","slug":"reckoning-ahead-4-years-from-1-21-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=21802","title":{"rendered":"Reckoning ahead four years – from 1\/20\/25…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Welcome to the \u201cGeorgia Wasp\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

This blog is modeled on the Carolina Israelite<\/a><\/em>. That was an old-time newspaper<\/a> \u2013 more like a personal newsletter<\/a> \u2013 written and published by Harry Golden<\/a>. Back in the 1950s<\/a>, people called Harry<\/a> a  \u201cvoice of sanity amid the braying of jackals.\u201d (For his work on the Israelite<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s now my goal as well. To be a \u201cvoice of sanity amid the braying of jackals<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on the blog-name connection, see the notes below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 21,* 2025 – I’m trying to take the high road. Trying to think that maybe – just maybe – in their collective wisdom the Sovereign People made a good choice last November. In the alternative I’m just hoping the next four years won’t be as bad as lots of people think. I’m writing this so I can check back on January 20, 2029, and see whose prognostications<\/a> proved correct. (And to the extent possible I’ll try to stay out of the crossfire<\/a>.) But it’s tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Reich<\/a> for one doesn’t hold out much hope, as I discovered this past week when I ran across his video, Why Trump Won … YouTube<\/a>. He said basically that Trump won by expressing<\/strong><\/em> the anger and frustration of the vast-majority of working class Americans, while at the same time planning fat-cat-friendly policies – like increasing corporate welfare<\/a> – meaning most Trump voters will be in the same position (if not worse off) four years from now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That led me to some lateral reading<\/a> and these other posts: Economist Robert Reich ‘goes back 4 decades’ to explain why Trump ‘isn\u2019t the cause’ of US dysfunction<\/a>, and Robert B. Reich: Will Trump get credit for Biden\u2019s successes<\/a>? (I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.) Next – from a hot tip – I Googled “shove the presidency down trump’s throat,” and found these posts: Shove the Presidency Down Trump\u2019s Throat – Yahoo News<\/a>, and a review of that post, ‘Real job stress’: Democrats handed fresh advice<\/a>. Finally I found this from Rolling Stone <\/em>magazine, American Authoritarianism. How Bad Will It Get Under Trump<\/a>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing Rolling Stone<\/em> said was that despite the Constitution’s two-term limit – the 22nd Amendment<\/a> – Trump will try to stay in office “for life.” On the other hand (they said), America\u2019s system of federalism offers hope: “Many things are going to be terrible. But controlling the federal government doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re controlling everything.\u201d Author Tim Dickinson<\/a> exhorted Americans to support local<\/strong><\/em> institutions that uphold democratic norms and strengthen them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defending those institutions will give proponents of America\u2019s democratic experiment their best shot at recovery, when the MAGA movement stumbles. Here, Trump\u2019s age and lack of a clear successor offers some hope. \u201cHe\u2019s old, so at some point, age is going to make a difference… There will be a power struggle. The next opportunity will be when he dies in office.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Then too I recently started reading Stephanie Grisham’s book, I’ll Take Your Questions Now<\/a> (“What I saw at the Trump White House”), for clues about what to expect coming up in “Trump 2.” (Page 7 talked about Trump’s appeal to voters, page 36 talked about the revolving-door chiefs of staff, and page 22 talked about Mitt Romney’s experience: “I don’t know how aware he was at that point about Trump’s slow, deliberate torture of him or if he was a particularly vengeful man. But in the years to come he would find ways to get back at Trump.” Hmmm…<\/em>) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, I have a few thoughts of my own. Some I expressed in past posts, like April 2019’s On \u201cwhy I don\u2019t like Donald Trump<\/a>.” Also, August 2019’s On \u201cwhy it might be better\u2026\u201d (Gasp<\/a>!) As in, why it might have been better if Trump had<\/em><\/strong> been reelected in 2020. (Legitimately<\/em> that is. For one thing, he<\/em> would have been leaving office on 1\/20\/25.) Then too, as things started looking more bleak (for many Americans), I posted this from August 2023,\u00a0On a second Trump term<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll be checking and re-checking those sources in the months and years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I had other thoughts: Like, that Trump will <\/strong><\/em>have a Honeymoon Period<\/a>, the “period of popularity enjoyed by a new leader,” but that period is getting shorter; recently down to seven months, “from an average of 26 months earlier in American history.” For another thing, there’s the Paradox of Leadership: Why We Build Up Only to Tear Down<\/a>: As soon as Americans elevate a new leader to high office, “we seem equally driven to bring them down… The fall from grace, then, is almost inevitable.” Third, in my view the Sovereign People hired Trump to do one thing: Fix the economy<\/strong><\/em>. Bring prices down, make it easier – or even possible – for today’s young people to buy a home of their own, and pay reasonable prices for food, housing and gas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the extent he can do that, he’ll succeed. Otherwise, there will <\/em>be a day of reckoning<\/a>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, on to more pleasant things. Like, this August I’ll be hiking the Canterbury Trail in England, more formally known as the Pilgrims’ Way<\/a>. My companions and I will start the 120-mile-or-so hike in Winchester<\/a>. (And on to the shrine of\u00a0Thomas Becket<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0Canterbury<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Kent<\/a>.) Along the way and while in London I’ll wear my Dodger<\/a> hat with the prominent “LA.” But to ward off rude remarks and puzzled questions. I’ll also wear this button. (But hidden, maybe under a lapel, ready to flash, “just in case.”) It’ll pay to be careful in the upcoming months and years…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The upper image is courtesy of Fortune Teller Image – Image Results<\/a>. See also Prediction<\/a>, Forecasting<\/a>, and Nostradamus<\/a>, all from Wikipedia<\/a>. Here’s another interesting post – maybe to review in four years – How Donald Trump Won the 2024 Election | TIME<\/a>, for comparison purposes.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: “1\/20\/25.” I wanted to post this on Inauguration Day but couldn’t. (Intervening circumstances.) I actually posted it at 8:00 p.m. the following day, but because it was so “late” the way-bottom of the text says it was posted on January 22.<\/em> Also, about that word in the title: The verb “reckoning” means the action or process of calculating or estimating something, as in something coming up in the future? See Collins English Dictionary<\/a> for variable and countable nouns, and synonyms. Also Merriam-Webster<\/a>, about a settling of accounts or calculating a ship’s position.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: “Crossfire.” The actual idiom is Caught in the crossfire – Idioms by The Free Dictionary<\/a>. Literally it means to be caught “in\u00a0the\u00a0middle\u00a0of\u00a0an\u00a0exchange\u00a0of\u00a0gunfire.” Or affected by or made to be involved in a conflict “one is not a part of,” but of course, as an American citizen and thus part of the Sovereign People, I’ll be very much involved in the upcoming events.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

References to the Gresham book are from the 2021 Harper Collins hardcover. Here’s another tidbit, from page 60: “The Secret Service secretly dubbed [Melania Trump] ‘Rapunzel’ because she remained in her tower; never descending.” And that agents tried to get assigned to her detail, with “limited movements and travel,” because they could spend more time at home with their families.<\/em> (I’ll try to add more such tidbits in future posts.) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: The economy. The Reich YouTube video included a graph showing the economy (80%) as second only to immigration (90%) as the top issues that mattered most to voters.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: Lateral reading. The link, Best media literacy tip to vet credible sources<\/a> from the Poynter Institute<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: “Honeymoon.” I Googled “Biden’s honeymoon period” and got links like How Joe Biden’s approval ratings looked across four years<\/a>, Biden Honeymoon Unlikely Despite Early Challenges – U.S. News<\/a>, and The president\u2019s \u201cfirst 100 days\u201d is a myth \u2014 Biden included | Vox<\/a>. There’s some interesting reading there; I’ll be checking them too in the coming months and years. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also re: Checking and re-checking. I’ll also do that for things like the Consumer Price Index, the rate of inflation and the prices of gas and a dozen eggs. See News Releases<\/a>, from January 15, 2015 (CPI), AAA Fuel Prices<\/a>, from 1\/21\/25 ($3.12 on average), Is there an egg shortage? Here’s why prices are up<\/a>, from 1\/9\/25 (“up to $3.65 in November versus $3.37 in October and $2.14 in November 2023”), and What is the current inflation rate in the US? – USAFacts<\/a>. (2.7 percent as of November 2024).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lower image is courtesy of Dont Blame Me I Voted for Kamala 1.25 Button<\/a>. ($2.25, plus shipping. There’s also one for $6.99, A stylized “Vote,” followed by “Don’t look at me. I didn’t vote for him.” See also Don\u2019t Blame Me, I Voted For Harris | www.splicetoday.com<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Re:  The Israelite<\/a>.  Harry Golden<\/a> grew up in the Jewish ghetto of New York City, but eventually moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.  Thus the \u201cCarolina Israelite.\u201d  I on the other hand am a \u201cclassic 73-<\/strong>year-old \u201cWASP\u201d \u2013 White Anglo-Saxon Protestant<\/a> \u2013 and live in north Georgia.  Thus the \u201cGeorgia Wasp.\u201d    <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, in<\/strong> North Carolina Harry wrote and published the \u201cisraelite\u201d from the 1940s through the 1960s.  He was a \u201ccigar-smoking, bourbon-loving raconteur<\/a>.\u201d  (He told good stories.) That also means if he was around today, the \u201cIsraelite <\/strong>would be done as a blog.\u201d  But what made Harry special was his positive outlook on life<\/a>.  As he got older but didn\u2019t turn sour<\/a>, like many do today.  He still got a kick out of life<\/a><\/strong>.  For more on the blog-name connection, see \u201cWasp<\/a>\u201d and\/or The blog<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*   *   *   * *   *   *   * Welcome to the \u201cGeorgia Wasp\u2026\u201d This blog is modeled on the Carolina Israelite. That was an old-time newspaper \u2013 more like a personal newsletter \u2013 written and published by Harry Golden. Back in the 1950s, people called Harry a  \u201cvoice of sanity amid the braying of jackals.\u201d (For his work on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21802"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21802"}],"version-history":[{"count":93,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21904,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21802\/revisions\/21904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}