Anthony Scaramucci was relieved of his duties only ten days after assuming the role of White House Communications Director. He was literally walked out of the building. This was a shocking development in a week of internal turmoil for the Trump Administration. It seems likely that Scaramucci’s dismissal was a condition of General John F. Kelly who is taking on the role of WH Chief of Staff. Kelly became Chief of Staff when the President unceremoniously dismissed his predecessor, Reince Priebus. “Mooch” was a caricature straight out of central casting with the style and vocabulary of a henchman on the Sopranos – the antithesis of what we would expect from the person in charge of managing communications for the President, and the country for that matter. Kelly, as the President’s Chief of Staff, now holds one of the most powerful positions in the federal government. All of the WH staff typically report to the Chief of Staff who, among other things, controls access to the President. Unfortunately, the former Secretary of Homeland Security could be yet another anti-immigrant voice in the President’s inner circle. However, many on both sides of the aisle who know Kelly as a man of uncompromising principles, believe this could also be a critical turning point for an administration that has struggled with focus and discipline. Much to the dismay of talk show hosts and comedy writers, Mooch simply did not fit inside General Kelly’s orderly world. For some strange reason, I think I am going to miss him.
Inflation has impacted all of us. The price of almost everything has spiked faster and harder than at any time since the 80s. Few things can obliterate a modern economy more than out-of-control inflation.
For most people, there is little upside to writing about the January 6th hearings, but as you probably know by now, I don’t worry about those things. We all must stand for something. The hearings have almost everyone taking sides before a single witness is called. Democrats believe that the events of January 6th were a calculated effort to undermine our democracy by demolishing two of the most sacred tenants of our nation, free elections, and the peaceful transition of power.
Most people consider themselves either a conservative or a liberal. I think if we forget political parties, which flip their positions on things all of the time, and instead focus on the actual definition of what it means to be a conservative and what it means to be a liberal, we might be able to temper the emotional reactions some of us have with political discourse.