…“Literally 30-thousand jobs could be lost if Trump is sworn in. Washington as we know it, and how business is conducted, will change instantly.”… ~DC Lobbyist

Over the past few days we have been providing background explainers on why congressional legislation is frozen.   The lack of legislative action in the era of Trump is one of the least understood political realities.  Corporate media cannot discuss the issue because they are part of the system itself. The election of President Trump threw a wrench into the gears of the entire DC legislative and lobbying machine.

Part I HERE -and- Part II HERE -and- Part III HERE.

The entire political and legislative apparatus is frozen, and it is genuinely impossible to predict what happens next.  Where we stand is the outcome building a very targeted system over the course of three decades.  The entities and institutions which assembled the system became functionally obsolescent overnight on November 8th 2016.

To fully grasp the tectonic shift, and understand the current challenge, it helps to revisit the words by a key DC machine operator, lobbyist Jack Burkman, who was contemplating the unthinkable prior to the unthinkable becoming a reality:

DC Public Relations2016 […]  seismic panic has ensued on K Street as lobbying firms brace for a reality of a possible Donald Trump presidency and what that might mean for them and their futures.

Prominent D.C. lobbyist Jack Burkman said today that he started assembling a delegation of lobbyists and lobbying firms to meet with the New York billionaire and begin building a bridge to the Trump organization.

“Trump is a Washington outsider. We need the outreach now or Trump will bring in a whole new team made up exclusively of New Yorkers, effectively ending our grip on the White House and The Capitol which will bring about the end of life as we know it here,” says Burkman, who represents a diverse set of national and multi-national clients.

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President Trump gives the weekly White House address on the eve of his 100th day in office:

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There are many new commentators at CTH, and even more new people taking notice of politics for perhaps the first time in their lives.   There is also some confusion noticed between two distinct groups who appear to be talking above and around each other.  Two groups trying to communicate from two entirely divergent sets of understanding.

Perhaps it is valuable to reset the larger frames of reference and provide clarity.

Many, heck, most people think when they vote for a federal politician -a representative- they are voting for a person who will go to Washington DC and write or enact legislation. This is the old-fashioned “schoolhouse rock” perspective based on decades past.

There is not a single congress person who writes legislation or laws.

In 2017 not a single member of the House of Representatives or Senator writes a law, or puts pen to paper to write out a legislative construct.  This simply doesn’t happen.

Over the past several decades a system of constructing legislation has taken over Washington DC that more resembles a business operation than a legislative body.  Here’s how it works.

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Hours before the Trump administration briefed 100 senators today on the issues surrounding North Korea, a more consequential announcement was made.

The jaw dropping announcement (hidden by U.S. media) appears to show just how long President Trump has been putting the North Korea strategy together.  However, before discussing that aspect, we review the Senate Briefing at the White House:

Today Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presided over a meeting meeting to brief Senators.

The details of that meeting have not been made public because of their classification and sensitivity.  The meeting lasted about one hour and discussed various financial and military options available for pressuring North Korea to end its nuclear program. (link)

Here’s where it gets really interesting.

For months the media have, at random, ridiculed President Trump for not distancing himself from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.  President Duterte has been cracking down on Filipino drug gangs in his country and his approach has been severe and extremely tough.  Indeed Duterte’s zero tolerance approach has been brutal.

However, shortly after his election, December 3rd 2016, President Trump chose not to refute Duterte for his approach toward confronting the Filipino drug gangs and drug epidemic.  The media were apoplectic.   Duterte responded by calling President Trump “a deep thinker“. Duterte said he was greatly pleased with the “rapport” he has established with the newly elected U.S. president. (more…)

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One of President Trump’s greatest strengths is his keen instincts for developing relationships as a strategic tools toward accomplishing consequential objectives. To wit, President Trump invites the entire U.N. Security Council delegation to lunch at the White House.

Now, most of us, myself included, do not think highly of the United Nations as an entity that has ever accomplished anything of worth – beyond pushing an incessant drum-beat of left-wing globalism and ridiculous pie-in-the-sky pontificating.

However, that said, the historic invitation to lunch is quite smartly full-throated use of regional political proximity.  President Trump inviting the U.N Security Council ambassadors to the White House is something Vladimir Putin, or any other leader of consequence, cannot recreate.  The Ambassadors themselves acted more like a group of valedictorian school kids on an outing to where the really important people live.

Important leverage is created through personality, nuance, outline of expectations, proximity and exposure to real power. This is far beyond the mere wordy pontificating power of the attendee’s familiarity, this is structurally deploying leverage of consequence to change paradigms.

[TRANSCRIPT] 11:50 A.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT:  This is a very, very important and powerful group of people, and it’s really wonderful to have you with us.  And I have to say, welcome to the White House.  It’s a privilege to have all of the ambassadors and their spouses.

You know, they were going to leave out the spouses, and I said, you must bring your spouses.  (Laughter.)  You know, I heard there were a lot of very angry spouses — (laughter) — and this is their first time to the White House.  So it’s a great honor to those of you that brought your wife or spouse.

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Sometimes geo-politics can be funny and deserve a little snark in discussion. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank, are holding a conference in DC. this weekend.  Deplorable Secretary Mnuchin represents U.S. and Trump interests.

Amid the earlier G20 Summit the Trump effect ended up with changed language from the finance leadership.  Titan Trump’s election changed the way the IMF and World Bank globalists talk about international trade.   Bi-lateral and nationalism are no longer dirty words.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – International Monetary Fund members on Saturday dropped a pledge to fight protectionism amid a split over trade policy and turned their attention to another looming threat to global economic integration: the first round of France’s presidential election. (more)

However, funnier still is the resurfacing of a familiar face.  You might well remember former Mexican Finance Minister Augustin Carstens resigned as Mexico’s central bank chief just after the election of Donald Trump.   Well, apparently, the job of saving face for the changed approach of the IMF/World Bank is now squarely on Carsten’s shoulders.

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Today President Trump, together with first lady Melania Trump, presented a Purple Heart medal to Army Sgt. 1st Class Alvaro Barrietos during a visit to Walter Reed National Medical Center.

President Donald Trump presents Purple Heart award to Army Sgt. Alvaro Barrietos. First lady Melania Trump and wife Tammy Barrietos are behind

The soldier who received the Purple Heart — awarded in the name of the president to military members wounded or killed while serving — is Army Sgt. 1st Class Alvaro Barrietos.  Sgt. Barrietos suffered a serve leg injury while serving in Afghanistan. His wife, Tammy, attend the ceremony Saturday.

Trump thanks Barrietos and said that when he heard Barrietos would receive the medal he went to Walter Reed because “I wanted to do this myself.”  The medal is the oldest, continuous military award, dating back on 1917.

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The basic media opposition to President Donald Trump is so severe that most of their representative silliness is now ignored.  However, every once in a while, they goofiest of them find a way to push the scope of their Trump Derangement Syndrome to such a ridiculous level that it becomes noteworthy simply to ridicule the ridiculousness of it all.

Such an example surface from MSNBC and Rachel Maddow who twisted herself into a pretzel to find a way to blame President Trump for the protests in Venezuela.

At the 01:13 moment of this video, for ten seconds, it is possible to look through the stargate into bizzarro world. [Prompted, just hit play]

https://youtu.be/_7WYMl7Zc1Q?t=1m10s

 

…”there have been weeks, and weeks, and weeks of rioting and violent protests. And now today Venezuelans are enraged anew – by this brand new FEC filing from the White House“..

Yes, somehow, twisted though it may be, Baghdad Maddow is claiming the people on the street in Venezuela are protesting because the owner of Citgo donated to the Trump inauguration fund.  Folks, you just can’t make up this level of moonbattery.

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President Trump announces a rally in Harrisburg Pennsylvania for Saturday April 29th at 7:30pm.  In addition to being the 100th day of the Trump administration, it is also the same night as the self-congratulating White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington DC.

Too funny.  Subtle, like a brick through a window.

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