In life — and in politics — there is always the possibility of Divine Intervention. That’s just as well, because according to the latest Electoral College projections, Donald Trump may need some help from above to win the required 270 votes. RealClearPolitics, for example, predicts Hillary Clinton will squeak by winning only 273 electoral votes, while FiveThirtyEight puts Hillary at a more comfortable 295 (Predictions change daily, but neither site has ever projected Trump to win 270.)
Sure, there may still be a few “November surprises” piling on from October’s multitude, but the effects of any new surprises are likely already “baked in the cake” and unable to shift significant numbers of Clinton voters over to Trump in key battleground states.
I therefore expect that next Tuesday night Democrats will be celebrating the election of the first female president — along with the return of the Clintons to the White House. That political reality calls for Wednesday, November 9, to be a National Day of Mourning and the wearing of sackcloth and ashes.
A Clinton victory should cause millions of Americans to bemoan our national future — and for good reason.
Back in May, I said, “America, we are stark raving mad if we elect the Clintons back to the White House” on a Breitbart radio show hosted by Stephen K. Bannon, (who in August was named Trump’s campaign CEO).
I expect to repeat my statement next week, knowing that never in the history of our nation has a president-elect assumed office as the subject of two active FBI investigations over which, as the nation’s chief law-enforcement officer, Clinton will preside. How the heck it that going to work?
First, is the newly reopened email controversy. Undoubtedly it will take months to review 650,000 of Huma Abedin’s emails. Then, expect more interagency fights over whether the messages were “classified” when sent or received. The second investigation is looking into the Clinton Foundation scandal involving years of “pay to play” financial and political corruption.
The Wall Street Journal ratcheted up the controversy this week when it reported that “FBI field agents — in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, and Little Rock, Arkansas — wanted to pursue subpoenas and impanel a grand jury. Senior officials at [the Department of]Justice, likely political appointees, refused to give the FBI agents permission.”
That news comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed the Clinton Foundation’s shady dealings and wondered why there was no IRS or Justice Department crackdown.
But, what happens when Hillary Clinton is in charge? Will there be a Stalin-like purge of FBI agents who want to continue unraveling the foundation’s international and national web now known infamously as “Clinton Inc.”? (More on this below.)
There is no doubt that the twin dark political clouds will handicap Madam President as she tries to govern under hostile, hyper-polarized conditions. That hostility will be most pronounced if Republicans keep control of Congress or even if Democrats win control of the Senate by a small margin. The bottom line is: We should officially rename our nation the Un-United States of America to reflect who we are and where we will stand on the morning of November 9.
The angst and stress accompanying the National Day of Mourning would only be the beginning of the trials brought on by a third Clinton administration. Here’s a preview:
Increased use of executive action
We can expect that a President Hillary Clinton will increase the use of executive action as a tool of governing to reign in and over the legislative branch — even more than President Obama. This strategy may be due to John Podesta, Hillary’s campaign chairman, who has an affinity for using executive orders as I detailed in these pages in late November 2014.
It was in the run-up to the disastrous 2014 midterm elections, when Obama lost control of the Senate, that Podesta joined Obama’s White House as “counselor to the president.” Now, it has been reported that Hillary wants Podesta to be her White House chief of staff (Podesta reportedly does not want the job). Either way, we can bet that Podesta will be advising Madam President on how to best execute and enforce her liberal agenda without the help of Congress.
New corruption and scandals in addition to the old ones
How could it be otherwise? The track record of several decades of Clinton political history includes secrecy, dishonesty, unending lies, payoffs, foreign intrigue, enemies lists, tawdry behavior, stonewalling, cover-ups — and even the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.
If you were too young to remember the first Clinton presidency, simply google “Clinton 1990s scandals” to prepare for what lies ahead. You will quickly understand why I said Americans would have to be “stark raving mad” to allow the Clintons back in the White House.
How will the current scandals be handled?
How will Hillary and Bill attempt to unpack tons of personal and professional baggage? Will James Comey be forced to resign from his post as FBI director? Will Attorney General Loretta Lynch remain in her job? (It has been rumored that Hillary wants to retain Lynch; that makes sense as Lynch wouldn’t have to be reconfirmed by the Senate.) Does that mean Lynch wipes the scandal slate clean? (“Like, with a cloth or something?”) Will all current Clinton investigations come to an abrupt end?
Those questions are among the most interesting no matter who is appointed attorney general in a new Clinton administration.
But there is also the open question of whether Clinton aides embroiled in the email scandal will be able to receive the requisite security clearances. (Watch Jake Sullivan especially, for he may be up for a top foreign-policy position.)
Then, of course, there are the Republicans. Will a Republican Congress go full speed ahead investigating current Clinton investigations? All signs say they’ll try — and that means “right-wing conspiracy,” here we go again.
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