White House Version – President Obama has initiated an enhanced transition of power process through an executive order directed toward the assembly of a cross functional transition team from all cabinet members.

Regular Speak Version – In case Trump wins this thing we’d better have an efficient process in place for shredding the evidence, and keeping all executive leadership from prosecution. (more…)

Unfortunately this was predictable in the extreme.  Today Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, stated unequivocally he is refusing to support the republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Speaker Ryan went on to say Donald Trump needs to come to him and seek his approval/permission for his nomination.  Yes, in a varied bunch of political parseltongue words, this is exactly what Paul Ryan said.
The arrogance is gobsmacking.  Watch the interview:

Ryan’s arrogant attitude might seem remarkable given the landslide electoral victories, delivered by the voters, to support Donald Trump – who, it should be noted, is on pace to win the republican nomination with a larger vote total than any candidate in republican history.
Adding to the pontificating arrogance factor is the reality that candidate Trump actually won the hometown vote of Speaker Ryan’s own constituency in Janesville Wisconsin. However, when you consider that Wall Street is funding the legislative priorities carried out by Speaker Ryan and his anti-American trade agenda things begin to make more sense. (more…)

The #NeverTrump team, specifically the punditry within it, are doing what the professionally republican clans do every time they lose.  They pout, gnash their teeth, stomp their feet and eventually carry off their football.
They are annoying insignificant gnats full of self-importance that can be cast into a pit of irrelevance.  These are the same voices who rejoiced when the were granted audience with President-elect Obama in 2008.
These are also the same insufferable small-minded dolts who stand up at CPAC and applaud House Speaker Omnibus Paul Ryan, while never even thinking about -let alone reconciling- the reality of the last federal budget being passed in 2007.

When was the last time this group assembled their efforts to protest congress spending the 2009 Stimulus year-after-year-after-year.   Have you ever even heard them mention it?  Did you know our treasury re-spends the trillion dollar ARRA stimulus every year?
Conservatives? Yeah, enough said.
Yes, this group it also includes the intellectually dishonest radio screamer and crony-constitutionalist professional book seller Mark Levin; along with the cheeto-faced religious sycophant and professionally hypocritical Glenn Beck; and we can’t leave out the infamous master of professionally obtuse gaslighting, Rush Limbaugh.
Thanks to Donald Trump, each of these voices are now left flailing wildly in a vain effort to retain their relevance while selling Super Beets.
(more…)

Many people kept asking for an opinion on possibilities for a Trump VP, and/or discussion about a potential Trump VP.  We’ve  been very reluctant to even engage on the topic; and I still am.  There is an almost exponential myriad of qualifications and needs given the current status of the presidential contest.

Candidate Donald Trump has mentioned he would prefer to bring on a partner who is familiar with legislative constructs and pathways.  With little to go on, and accepting the choice will be intensely vetted by Donald Trump, here’s a gut sense about the “type of person” who might be considered.  Each has pros and cons: (more…)

And now, in addition to a looming defeat in Indiana, we find the source of the epic Ted Cruz public meltdown today.  A just released PPP poll (full pdf below) of West Virginia voters shows candidate Donald Trump absolutely CRUSHING Senator Cruz and Governor Kasich:

In addition to winning EVERY internal sub-set amid the polled West Virginia electorate, Donald Trump also wins independent voters with over 70% support.
As we’ve continually warned, stay out of the ‘splodey head blast radius.  These public GOPe meltdowns will be epic and specifically targeted to take down everyone around them.
(Via PPP Polling)  PPP’s new West Virginia poll finds it’s likely to just keep Donald Trump’s recent streak of dominant victories right on going. Trump leads in the state with 61% to 22% for Ted Cruz and 14% for John Kasich. Trump, with a 67/24 favorability rating, is the only candidate GOP voters in the state even like. Both Kasich (32/50) and Cruz (32/53) come in with negative favorability ratings. (more…)

Join up, Let’s End This Thing in Indiana…

Matt and Joe are auto mechanics in Indiana.  It appears both guys were interviewed by an MSNBC journalist who provided this picture.  Meet Matt and Joe:

We don’t know this Matt and Joe.  Then again, they look like just about every Matt and Joe that we do know…. and if that’s the case, perhaps they are supporting Donald Trump for a similar reason.
Because, you see, Donald Trump says: “Make America Great Again”!  And when Trump says that, and puts his heart behind his specific intent to deliver it, we hear:
Someone who gives a damn about America, without apology; which is more valuable than a perfected highly-rehearsed skill set of 30 second sound bites and white paper policy instructions.
From our perspective any average hard-working American could eat every one of these pinky-ring candidates’ lunches, all of them, including Ted Cruz; and if they find themselves wanting to go down the intellectual superiority path… you know, like walking across the street to start a debate,…. well, that stuff is useless. (more…)

The implosion of Senator Ted Cruz’s candidacy is, at this point, a self-fulfilling prophecy.  This is the danger phase; the phase we have warned about for the past several weeks.
In the past month, in an attempt to protect his viability, Senator Cruz has ducked all requests from media he has defined as ‘unfavorable’ to his campaign.  However, the last several weeks have created a situation where he’s now beyond desperate.  The Hail Carly didn’t help.
The downward slope is now too steep – his running desperate.  His physical ability to keep his feet under him is exhausted,…. and he just noticed the sloped gradient is worsening…. he’s about to fall:

(more…)

CNN has the strongest surge in ratings in the past 14 years and now beats Fox News in the all important category of 25-54 year old viewership.  That age category drives the ad revenue determinations for the industry.
Fox News can’t say they were not warned this would be an outcome of their insufferable decision to continue promoting a media narrative in opposition to Donald Trump. The same thing happened to Macys Department Store after they dropped Trump.

(Via CNN) CNN ranked #1 in cable news in prime time in April. CNN beat Fox News for the fifth time in the last eight months in M-Su prime time (four of the past eight in M-F prime) among adults 25-54.  The last time CNN had this many prime time wins in an eight-month period versus Fox News was over 14 years ago (Nov. 2001). (more…)

…and it appears they have good reason to be concerned.  Reminder of the election results. Arizona Primary Election:

• Donald Trump 286,743 votes

• Ted Cruz 172,294 votes

Arizona – Upset that Donald Trump received just a handful of statewide delegates during an electronic vote, his Arizona campaign manager is threatening to sue the Arizona Republican Party.

(more…)

Sometimes when you find yourself in a disconcerting and unfamiliar place, it can be beneficial to stop, look back and understand just how we ended up in this terrain. The professional DC consultant class are benefiting from the current climate of chaos, and they certainly don’t want anyone to review the consequential and intentional steps it took to get here.
When the Tea Party rose up in opposition to President Obama’s indulgent spending programs in 2009 many were under the mistaken assumption the opposing party, the republicans, were against the progressive agenda based on principle.

However, there were a few voices on our side saying be wary of the UniParty nature of DC, the republican party is not our friend.
Money always fuels their motives, and so long as there are millions available to the ‘loyal opposition’, the republican political intentions should not be regarded as altruistic and they damned well have never been ‘conservative’.
At the time our concerns were dispatched by a louder voices demanding strategic unity and instructions for the Tea Party alliances to work within the DC-based GOPe system.
However, those of us who broke free from the cycle of battered conservative syndrome immediately knew the warning signs.  What benefit is within unity if the end result is just as destructive as the problem?  An awakened electorate was just as dangerous to the republican side of the UniParty as it was the Democrat side.
It was from this basic framework The Conservative Tree House was born. A “last refuge” where common sense approaches still mattered.
(more…)