The Disgruntled Republican in Nashville

My First Thought When Hearing of the Air Traffic Grounding Was That This Was the Start of the Second Trump Coup Attempt.

2026-11-14T14:36:52.077-05:00

by Rod Williams, Nov. 14, 2022 - Yesterday, when I learned that the FAA had implemented a grounding of all air traffic in America, it had already been in place for a couple of hours. I had immediate concern. This is not normal, I thought; this could be nefarious activity of some sort. While I was still absorbing the news, an announcement was made that the National Weather Service had gone dark. I further thought that this could be the start of something big. I immediately asked myself if this was the start of Donald Trump's second coup attempt. I did not panic. I did not think that was the most likely cause for the grounding of air traffic in the US, but it was my first thought.

I know some will immediately say I have a bad case of TDS. I don't think so. I think I am a realist and see Donald Trump clearly. I think suspecting Donald Trump of a second coup attempt is a normal and rational thought. On January 6, he sent a mob to attack the Capitol, and his minions rampaged through the Capitol building, searching for Vice President Mike Pence to hang him. The President of the United States allowed this to go on for hours before calling it off. Since that time, Donald Trump has repeated over and over again the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. He and his allies filed roughly 62 lawsuits challenging the 2020 election, and courts rejected all but one, and that one win was on a narrow procedural issue that did not affect the election results. Despite a total failure to prove any attempt by Democrats to steal the 2020 election, he keeps the narrative alive that the opposition is evil and is the enemy to be combated.

Leading up to this midterm election, Trump attempted to meddle in the election in various ways. These included pressuring states to conduct mid-decade redistricting to benefit Republicans, directing federal agencies to change mail‑balloting rules, banning the Post Office from mailing ballots to people not on Trump's approved list, seeking access to state voter rolls, and pressuring officials to pursue unfounded fraud claims.

Democrats won by such huge margins that it looked like efforts to stop the vote count, seize the voting machines and declare martial law, or refuse to seat the newly elected representatives and senators would be futile and it appeared Trump was ready to accept the results of the election.

That seemed true until a few days later, when Trump posted a "Truth" saying, "Does anyone really believe this 'election' was honest?" He said some voting "dumps" were so large that Republicans could not win, no matter how many people voted. And then, in what I assume was an organized effort by either Trump cultists or Russian bots, lies started appearing about the election. One was that Democrats received more midterm votes in several states than there were voters. I must have seen this one a dozen times in my Facebook feed. Also, Trump did not start acting like a subdued president ready to deal with the reality of having received a humiliating defeat in the midterms.

The tone of Trump's supporters was belligerent also. It saddens me to see it, but I have seen people who were long-time well-informed conservatives, including a member of my own family, rationalize Trump's authoritarianism, his betrayal of Western democracy, his kleptomania, his brand of socialism, his insane tariff policy, and his cruelty. They defend his ICE thugs killing citizens in the streets of our cities and searching homes without warrants, and the killing of suspected drug traffickers in international waters. I have no doubt that if Trump declared martial law, this family member and others like him would approve and accept without question Trump's reason for the necessity of such action and would think Trump had just saved our country from the crazy left-wing lunatics, socialists, and Muslims. Unfortunately, I think people who think like this make up about 20%, maybe up to 35%, of the voters of this nation.

After thinking that this grounding of airline traffic could be the start of a Trump coup, I then thought that the more likely thing that was happening was that we were experiencing a cyberattack. Multiple coordinated cyberattacks in late October and early November 2026 targeted refrigeration and freezer systems in hospitals, supermarkets, and other facilities across Europe, disrupting cold storage and forcing massive amounts of food to be thrown out.

On November the first and second, attacks hit refrigeration systems in at least nine EU countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, and Finland. Attackers switched cooling units into defrost mode, causing temperatures to rise. In France, hackers compromised cold storage monitoring and control systems at three regional French blood banks. No one has taken responsibility for the attacks, but the prime suspect is Russia, since Russia has been engaging in incursions into European airspace and other threatening actions and has been threatening EU countries for their support of Ukraine.

Letting my mind run wild, I could envision, following the grounding of air traffic, the failure of city traffic lights across the nation and the shutting down of water systems and ATM failures and the internet coming down and gas station fuel pumps failing to work. I joked to a friend that I was not going to get in a Waymo, that it might lock the doors and take me directly to the Gulag.

Luckily, what happened with the grounding of air traffic was not the start of a Trump coup, nor a cyberattack; still, I think both fears are not irrational. According to FAA and Department of Transportation officials, the outage was traced to overloaded and outdated network infrastructure, and the administration is seeking $50 billion to fix the problem.

Upon hearing of the air traffic grounding, did anyone else have the same thought as I did?

Stop or I Will Shoot Myself in the Foot Yet Again

2026-11-12T16:23:51.837-05:00

by Rod Williams, Nov. 11, 2026- When I read the Trump Truth social post this morning saying a caravan of immigrants was working its way through Mexico headed to the United States, I had to do a Google search to see if it is true. It is.

Trump lies so much that my default position is to not believe anything he says unless otherwise verified. I remember a time when if a president had said a caravan of immigrants was heading to our southern border, I would have automatically believed him. I am not naive, and sometimes presidents or people in the administration do spin facts or interpret events in a way to support a narrative. However, on most simple statements of fact, I did not think most presidents or administrative spokesmen just made stuff up.

Ever since the claim that the 2020 election was stolen and the resulting coup attempt based on that lie, I have not trusted anything the President says. The claim that Haitian refugees were eating the cats and dogs further reinforced my default position that anything the President says is suspect for truthfulness and that he just makes stuff up. In this case, however, the President is telling the truth. A caravan is heading north, made up of about 1000 people. As far as immigrant caravans go, this is a modest one. The peak period for immigrant caravans was 2018, when one caravan had an estimated 7,000 people.

Apparently, the Republican defeat in the midterms gave impetus to the immigrants to make the journey, thinking that with Democrats to take control of Congress, they might be granted entry. The midterm flip to Democrats controlling the legislative branch will not, of course, change border policy. The immigrants will not be granted entry, and they should not be. We need to control our borders and we will.

If this were a normal president, this news of a caravan heading north would barely be newsworthy. It would be reported as this one is, but it would not be amplified. This would be handled diplomatically with Mexico, and if Mexico failed to turn the caravan back, then Mexico would have the problem of dealing with immigrants stuck in Mexico huddled on the border. I suspect President Trump is seeking anything to deflect from his ass-kicking defeat in the midterm elections, and he wants to keep his base riled up. A thousand unarmed men, women, and children seeking entry into America with nothing but the clothes on their backs is hardly an "invasion," but that is the kind of language Trumpinistas like to hear.

The President's response to this attempted "invasion" is to impose an additional tax on the American people and suppress economic activity. One of the President's favorite lies is that other nations pay for tariffs. He has said it so much that many of his supporters believe it. The tariff is paid by the importer, and the importer passes on that increase in the cost of doing business to the consumer, which results in an increase in prices, which most people think of as inflation. Also, since some inputs in American manufactured goods come from Mexico, a doubling of tariffs can suppress American production. Additionally, Mexico is likely to impose retaliatory tariffs, reducing American exports. This is not smart; of course, I have never thought of Donald J. Trump as smart.

To put it mildly, the President's response to a caravan heading toward our border is to punish the American people. The Toddler-in-Chief is going to hold his breath until his face turns blue, and you will pay more for avocados.

Brentwood-based Core Civic Urges ICE to Buy Detention Facilities Now, Before Dems Take Office

2026-11-11T13:26:27.095-05:00

by Rod Williams, Nov. 11, 2026 - Brentwood-based CoreCivic's CEO, Lucibeth Mayberry, has urged ICE to finalize detention-center contracts quickly before a newly elected Democratic majority in Congress takes office. She said ICE needs detention capacity and CoreCivic has facilities available.

As all know by now, Republicans got an historical ass-kicking in the midterms. There were multiple reasons for it, but the election was a referendum on Donald Trump. People voted as if he were on the ballot. While exit polls showed corruption and the cost of living as the two main factors motivating people to vote the way they did, it appears there was a general revulsion toward Donald Trump. Part of that was his immigration policy. Once the issue generated the most favorable ratings for Donald Trump. Recent polling data shows public disapproval. The RealClearPolitics polling average from late October 2026 showed 43.1% approval and 54.2% disapproval of his handling of immigration.

The murder by ICE agents of Alex Pettie and Renea Good in Minneapolis in January 2026 drew widespread public revulsion and became a defining moment in the public’s reaction to Trump's immigration policy and concerns about federal use of force and accountability. Also, the separation of families and deporting immigrants to hell-hole countries that were not the immigrants' country of origin, the rounding up of one's neighbors, co-workers, service people with whom one did business, and the general cruelty of the mass deportation process, and the demonizing of immigrants caused people to view Trump's immigration policy less favorably.

President Trump has sent mixed signals since the election, suggesting at one point that detention and deportation policies may have been "too tough," while simultaneously promoting immigration-policy architect Stephen Miller and retaining officials who say deportations will continue.

CoreCivic has done well under Trump's deportation regime. It made a lot of money, including about $1.3 billion in the most recent quarter from selling four detention centers to the Department of Homeland Security as immigrant detention expanded nationwide. The company is seeking additional sales of detention facilities to ICE and said discussions about further acquisitions are underway, though still preliminary.

Democrats have campaigned on increased oversight of ICE and have pledged investigations and scrutiny of detention practices and immigration enforcement. CoreCivic and ICE have faced criticism over detention conditions and enforcement policies. There have been allegations involving poor or unsafe conditions at detention centers and controversy surrounding facility purchases. An example, cited in a Tennessee Lookout article, highlighted a Minnesota detention facility that CoreCivic reportedly offered to sell to the state for $75 million in 2025, but which ICE later purchased for $485.6 million. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has called for a congressional investigation into the transaction.

I look forward to the investigation of ICE, and I also want to know if any of Trump's family and friends are lining their own pockets by the imprisonment of immigrants. There will be investigations into the functioning of ICE. I would not be surprised if some do not go to jail. If CoreCivic has made kickbacks, either directly or under the table by buying meme coins or through contributions to build the ballroom or whatever, it will likely be exposed. A last-ditch effort by ICE to shovel money out the door will likely not help anyone avoid accountability.

2026-11-09T15:34:34.803-05:00

Trump Says No One Can Believe 2026 Election Was Honest

2026-11-09T15:22:20.380-05:00

by Rod Williams, Nov. 11, 2026- In his final days, Adolf Hitler huddled in his bunker with his closest
advisors, persisting in giving impossible military orders and refusing to acknowledge defeat. He ordered non‑existent divisions to counterattack, denied the Soviet advance, and insisted on staying in Berlin even as its fall was inevitable. I think we are seeing the same kind of reaction from Trump. Not that I think Trump is as evil as Hitler or as crazy as Hitler was in his final days, but then again there is not as much at stake for Trump as there was for Hitler. I think we are seeing a similar type of delusion.

If the Hitler comparison is too strong, recall the gentler story of the young boy who pointed out the king was not wearing clothes. In the story, the emperor is obsessed with new, flashy clothing and spends his treasury on them. Two impostors claim to weave fabric invisible to anyone who is “simple in the head” or unfit for their job. The emperor orders the “clothes” woven, and the weavers pretend to create the clothing. Ministers and officials, afraid to be seen as foolish, pretend to admire the “clothes,” and the emperor himself, also vain, pretends to be dressed, then parades through the city. The townspeople go along, afraid to appear incompetent, and then a small child, free from fear of judgment, shouts that the emperor is wearing nothing at all. The crowd realizes the truth, and the emperor tries to maintain dignity by continuing the procession despite being naked.

For at least ten years, maybe for his whole life, people have sucked up to Trump and stroked his ego and worked to flatter and please him. He has had bankruptcies and business failures but was never forced to face his own limitations and the possibility that he was not the greatest of all time. I don't know that one can accurately diagnose someone from a distance, but Trump is clearly not normal. Many psychologists and commentators have suggested that Donald Trump displays behaviors consistent with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), including grandiosity, a need for admiration, and limited empathy.

I don't think anyone thought that Trump would graciously accept the midterm results if he lost. Before the election, he tried to put his fingers on the scales, first by mid-decade redistricting, then by trying to force states to use his voter ID list, then by trying to pass the SAVE Act, and then by trying to get the US Postal Service to not deliver mail-in ballots, and various other ways. Most of what he attempted failed, and some, like redistricting, actually backfired.

I am so glad that Trump lost the midterms by such a large margin. If the loss had been by only ten or fifteen votes in the House and Republicans had held the Senate, I fully expected Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act in places and to seize ballots and voting machines and for the House to refuse to seat the newly elected representatives. I do not expect that chaos now. Democrats won by a margin too large to deny. Trump is still in denial, however.

This morning Trump posted on Truth Social, "Does anyone really believe this "Election" was honest?" He said some voting "dumps" were so large that Republicans could not win no matter how many people voted.

I know there are some Trump cultists who will believe him. We should not be surprised that some will. Some people believe chemtrails are a real thing, that 9-11 was an inside job, that Katrina was a government-engineered disaster to kill Black folks, that the true assassin of JFK has never been revealed, that the French Foreign Legion somehow in cahoots with Israel really killed Charlie Kirk, and that the moon landing was faked. Some people are somehow wired to believe the craziest things, and the more bizarre they are, the more strongly they believe them.

For those in touch with reality, the claim by Trump that this midterm election was rigged is just bizarre. I know Trump could still do something to blow up the world, and a cornered animal can be dangerous. However, Trump is the lamest of lame ducks. Once hearings start on the Trump corruption and his malfeasance in office, I expect more and more people to abandon Trump. People can turn on a bully mighty quickly when his power starts to wane. While I detest Trump and want his crimes to see the light of day, at this point he is almost to be pitied, much the same way you might pity Hitler moving imaginary division around on a map of Europe.

Metro Nashville Budget Woes Again. It's a Spending Problem.

2026-11-09T13:32:54.117-05:00

by Councilmember Courtney Johnson, Facebook, Nov. 9, 2026- We raised property taxes 27%. And we’re STILL talking about potential layoffs to make next year’s budget work?

You can’t make this stuff up!!

Metro is preparing to offer employees a voluntary retirement incentive of $1,000 per year of service, hoping to save approximately $10 MILLION in next year’s budget.

Why? Because according to Metro Finance, FY2028 is expected to be even tighter than FY2027, and they’re trying to avoid layoffs.

Let that sink in.

After a 27% property tax increase, we’re already discussing how to cut personnel costs to make ends meet.

At what point do we acknowledge that Nashville doesn’t just have a revenue problem? We have a SPENDING problem.

Our taxpayers cannot continue to be the solution to every budget shortfall.

We need to get serious about how we’re spending their money.

But I Want to Storm the Capitol

2026-11-07T14:06:38.568-05:00

Sooner or Later God'll Cut You Down

2026-11-07T14:00:52.828-05:00

Trump to Conservatives: We Are Watching you.

2026-11-06T15:54:32.884-05:00

by Rod Williams, Nov. 6, 2026 - Voters took Trump's words to heart and voted as if he were on the ballot, resulting in a historic loss for Republicans. Now, many Trumpinista politicians and pundits are questioning what went wrong. Even J. D. Vance, who was never really on board with the Iraq War, is saying it was the war. It's unusual for a vice president to throw the president under the bus. Normally, the vice president would want to stay in the good graces of the president and inherit the mantle. I guess Vance sees there is no mantle to inherit. I think it is too late for a break with Trump to help J. D. Vance. I think we can stick a fork in him; he's done.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, blamed Trump for the midterm losses. “This midterm, no question, was a rebuke of the president and the Congress by Democrats, independents and some Republicans that crossed over,” he told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz described the losses as “a Watergate-level repudiation” in a social-media post, writing Trump’s "tariffs have made everything too expensive” while “the Iran war has dragged on too long.”

Other pundits are saying it was the quality of the candidates. You think so? Darleen Graham was obviously not ready for prime time, and other Republican candidates were pretty weak. The best example of a bad candidate is Ken Paxton in Texas. Republicans had an incumbent candidate of quality in John Cornyn, but due to a personal vendetta, a good person was jettisoned by a vindictive president to be replaced by a corrupt candidate that Trump liked.

Paxton had been indicted in 2015 on felony securities fraud charges for allegedly misleading investors about his financial relationship with a technology company. In a plea deal, those charges were dropped after restitution and community service. That was just the tip of the iceberg. There were credible charges of bribery, self-enrichment, and misuse of his office. Paxton was impeached by the Texas House in 2023 but acquitted by the Senate after a two‑week trial. I would say candidate quality matters, and the person responsible for promoting bad candidates was Donald J. Trump.

To question what went wrong is to question Trump, and he doesn't like to be questioned; he wants devotion and adoration. He wants supplicants, sycophants, and loyal followers. Trump will always have those. Years from now, when Trump is long gone, there will still be people who think our greatest hour was the Trump presidency. I think the cult of Trump is much like the cult of Peron in Argentina. Over 50 years since he last served in office, Peron still has defenders.

So, while Trump has his loyalists who will never abandon him, I think we will see the MAGA movement splinter, and many will abandon MAGA altogether, and others argue over who is the real MAGA (or America First). Even before this election debacle, we saw it happening with the split off of people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson.

With the election defeat, more people will abandon Trump. I expect to see more and more people to begin leaving the administration, and when Democrats start investigating the Trump corruption, I expect to see people abandoning Trump like rats abandoning a sinking ship. The only thing that will keep some on board is the Trump bargaining chip of a pardon for loyalists.

Donald J. Trump is the lamest of lame ducks. I don't know how much power to keep in line or intimidate he has left. Following such a humiliating defeat, he can't have a lot. However, he didn't seem to get the memo.

On Thursday, a memo from the White House Office of Public Liaison was sent to about 3,000 conservative organizations, listing a series of Trump accomplishments and vowing that a Democratic Congress wouldn’t reverse them. The memo ended with one sentence highlighted in yellow: “As always, we are monitoring statements, press releases, and media engagements from your organizations.”

(link)

Tim Burchett Plans to Run for U.S. Senate Regardless of Blackburn Successor Choice

2026-11-05T18:28:17.643-05:00

by Jonathan Mattise, The Tennessee Journal, Nov 5, 2026- U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett says he is “absolutely”
going to begin campaigning for a 2028 Senate run should incumbent Marsha Blackburn appoint someone else if she’s elected governor.

“We’ve got a very good, positive network throughout the state of grassroots people,” Burchett told ....

Blackburn, who entered the increasingly testy gubernatorial race as the frontrunner, has indicated that she plans to make the Senate appointment rather than allowing Republican Gov. Bill Lee to do so before leaving office in January.

Burchett, former Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger have come up in conversations as potential candidates. When asked whether he would seek the appointment, Lee himself said he has no intention to run for the Senate, without specifically talking about the possibility of being appointed.

... interim replacement would be in office until a 2028 election ... Blackburn would have to resign her Senate seat before she could be sworn in as governor. ... (read more)

Voters Voted as if Trump were on the Ballot. My Commentary.

2026-11-04T17:14:25.143-05:00

TN Supreme Court Upholds the State Law Capping Metro Council at 20 Members and the State Takeover of the Airport

2026-11-02T18:36:28.888-05:00

by The Pamphleteer, Nov. 2, 2026 - The justices unanimously rejected Metro’s argument that the state constitution’s Exemption Clause protects its 40-member council, and tossed its local-legislation challenge as moot after lawmakers amended the law this spring. In a companion ruling, the court also dismissed Metro’s lawsuit over the 2023 state takeover of the airport authority board, which had handed six of eight seats to the governor and the House and Senate speakers. That case became moot after the legislature rewrote the law to cover all metro airport authorities, and the ruling wipes out Metro’s wins in the lower courts.

To read the Metro Council opinion, follow this link

To read the airport opinion, follow this link.

If You Are Going to Run for Congress, Don't Send Nude Pics of Yourself Unless You ...

2026-11-01T17:31:03.545-05:00

... Unless You Are Running Against Left-wing Provocateur Justin J. Pearson, and Then You
Can Get by With it.

Tennessee congressional candidate responds to allegations he sent unsolicited nude pics

by Sam Stockard, Tennessee Lookout, Oct.29, 2026 - A Republican congressional candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump dismissed accusations he sent nude pictures as “youthful indiscretions.”

In a story published Tuesday by the Nashville Scene, Sen. Brent Taylor stopped short of admitting to sending the pictures after more than one anonymous source said they had received or seen nude photos from him, including as recently as 2021. Taylor said he had been forgiven by his wife, Kimberly.

.... His opponent, Pearson, issued a statement this week saying, “Men of faith — let alone men who are married, in their fifties, and in public office — have no business sending unsolicited nude photos to women.” Pearson said the news “reflects very disturbing behavior” from someone who has held public office since 1995.

Trump Just Keeps on Losing his Election Interference Efforts

2026-11-01T16:48:10.066-05:00

by Rod Williams, Nov. 1, 2026- In Trump's bid to steal the midterms, Trump's losses just keep piling up. A federal judge in Alaska has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit that pre-emptively challenged the results in a U.S. Senate race if any candidate won other than the incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan. You can read about it at this link.

That is not the only recent loss for Trump. On Friday, the U.S. District Court in California blocked the administration from threatening to prosecute state and local election officials who do not comply with the department’s directives on handling ballots. (link)

Will Trump Subvert the Results of the Midterm Election

2026-11-01T15:10:01.136-05:00

by Rod Williams, Nov. 1, 2026- It is hard to know what will happen between now and January 3, 2027, the day the new Congress is to be sworn in. This could be a very dangerous time for America and the world. Given how egotistical, erratic, and irrational President Trump is, it is hard to imagine Donald Trump graciously accepting mid-term defeat. I fully expect Trump to challenge the midterm results, but I believe our institutions will hold, and any attempt by Donald Trump or Mike Johnson to thwart the will of the electorate will fail. While I believe our institutions will hold my comfort level is not absolute, however. The chance of Trump subverting the election results is not zero. I don't think he will succeed, but I think he will try.

I was more concerned six months ago than now. Today, Trump's approval rating sits at 36%; six months ago, it was 40%, and in January 2026 it was 42%. That is not dropping like a rock, but it is significant. Maybe even more significant is that more and more Republicans are daring to publicly disagree with Trump or distance themselves from him. As his popularity drops, it becomes harder to convince people to rally around his attempt to subvert the election.

Also, it looks like Democrats are going to win by a comfortable margin in the House and may even take the Senate. A narrow win by Democrats would be easier to subvert than a big win.

Another reason I am less concerned now than in the past is that I thought by now Trump would have laid the groundwork to declare martial law in certain Democrat cities or states. I expected Trump to send ICE into a city that votes heavily Democratic, maybe murder another protester, resulting in widespread protest erupting, and Trump using that as an excuse to declare martial law and suspend the elections in that jurisdiction. Thankfully that hasn't happened, and it is too late for that to happen now.

Even if one believes Trump's attempt to subvert the midterm election results will fail, that does not mean that Donald Trump might not lash out in anger and do something like committing a genocidal bombing campaign against Iran, and then Iran retaliating against American allies in the region. Such an action would divert attention from Trump's efforts to steal the election. He might try to give Putin more support in his war against Ukraine, and he may do something like withdraw American forces from Europe, or maybe forcibly annex Greenland or step up his conflict with Canada. Who knows what he might do? I think we have an unhinged madman in the Oval Office, and like a wounded animal, he is more dangerous when wounded.

President Trump has good reason to fear a mid-term loss. No sitting president wants to lose control of Congress, have divided government, and see his agenda derailed. Donald Trump has more to be concerned about than failing to fulfill an agenda. Trump's massive corruption and his abuse of power as president will come to light under a Congress controlled by Democrats. Republicans have had no backbone to challenge Trump's corruption and authoritarianism; Democrats are chomping at the bit to take him on. His corrupt deals, his crypto scams, his selling of pardons, his mixing of foreign policy and business dealings, the reason behind the transfer of Elaine Maxwell to a Country Club prison, the murdering of suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers in international waters, and much, much more will be the subject of investigations. I think when the slimy details of Trump corruption and authoritarian actions get highlighted, many of even his most loyal followers will turn against him. Trump fears these congressional investigations and knows they are coming if he loses the midterms.

We have already seen how Trump has tried to put his finger on the scale of this election, starting with an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting. He pressured Republican-controlled states to do an unprecedented midterm redistricting and redraw districts to gain a Republican advantage. This probably had a limited impact, however, because Democrats fought fire with fire and redistricted their states to create more Democratic seats, and also, some of the newly created Republican seats may not be such sure shots for the Republicans as they first assumed. I am not sure redistricting gave Republicans much of an advantage.

The attempt to gain an advantage by gerrymandering is not the only attempt Trump has made to gain an electoral advantage. Trump proposed the SAVE America Act. This would have federalized election rules by establishing strict new voter ID requirements and mandatory proof-of-citizenship documentation. This would have disenfranchised a lot of voters. The bill stalled in Congress and failed to pass.

Trump also tried to impose mail-in ballot restrictions. A March 2025 Executive Order attempted to block states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day, even if postmarked on time. This executive order was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2026.

Trump tried to get the postal service involved in restricting mail-in ballot voting. A March 2026 Executive Order aimed to establish a system where the U.S. Postal Service would block delivery of mail-in ballots to voters not explicitly pre-certified as eligible by the federal government. This was blocked by the Supreme Court in September 2026.

These attempts failed, but Trump has hot exhausted all of his options for subverting the will of the voters. Some of these actions are ongoing and not yet resolved. The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit seeking to pre-emptively block Alaska from certifying election results if someone other than the Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan wins the election.

The Justice Department has also taken action against the states of California and Washington, demanding they separate and hold hundreds of ballots under the unverified claim that they belong to noncitizen voters.

There is still a possibility of intimidation at polling places, using federal agents to project a chilling effect on minority and immigrant voter turnouts. The administration faced lawsuits after threatening to deploy armed federal agents, such as ICE or Border Patrol personnel to active voting sites under the guise of enforcing immigration or anti-crime measures. Federal law strictly prohibits sending armed federal forces to polling locations. but Trump only follows the law when it benefits him or he has to. On Tuesday morning we may see armed federal agents at polling places.

Another thing Trump could do, if the election margin for the Democrats is narrow, is target the election counting process. Because mail-in ballots take longer to process and more Democrats vote by mail-in ballots than Republicans, Trump-allied election officials could use this delay to claim cheating and demand that officials halt counting. Unfortunately, across the country, many election officials with integrity have been replaced by Trump loyalists.

We could also see the seizing of equipment or ballots by federal agents in heavily contested districts, effectively delaying or upending the final tally. Even if this is attempted and fails, it gives Congress an excuse to refuse to seat the winner.

Finally, Congress could simply refuse to seat the winners of the election. This is complicated and Congress cannot legally refuse to seat the new members, but there is enough ambiguity that Congress could sow chaos.

I know that for many Americans it seems preposterous to think that America could cease to be a democracy. It has never happened here. It almost happened on January 6, 2021. If not for Vice President Mike Pence, the coup attempt very well may have succeeded. While it has not happened here yet, it has happened in much of the world. Parts of Western democratic Europe had decades of authoritarian rule and periods when democracy was severely challenged. Eastern Europe, freed from the shackles of Communist tyranny, did not all become democracies. Several of these young democracies became authoritarian states ruled by old Communist Party bosses, turned corrupt oligarchs. In many countries of Latin America, nations have seesawed between periods of democratic rule and authoritarian rule. Just because it has never happened here does not mean it can't.

While I think Trump's desire to subvert our democracy will fail, I will not be surprised if the swearing-in of all members is not delayed past January 3rd as lingering challenges to the election results are adjudicated. I think Trump's attempt to subvert the election results will fail, but I will be watching with bated breath until the new Congress is sworn in.

By 2036 the U.S. Will Spend $200 Billion a Month on Servicing the National Debt

2026-10-30T14:21:10.015-04:00

by Rod Williams, Oct. 30, 2026- If you are not concerned about the coming economic disaster, you are not paying attention. Donald Trump's tariffs and war of choice against Iran and the subsequent increase in oil prices and his tax cuts without offsetting cuts in spending have contributed to the crisis we are facing and have hastened the day of reckoning; however, he did not create this economic crisis all by himself; it has been decades in the making.

I am not optimistic that whoever comes after Donald Trump will address the problem of the debt spiral and avert the coming crisis. I certainly do not see Democrats suddenly becoming deficit hawks, fiscally responsible and advocates of a balanced budget. On the contrary, the Democratic Party now contains a large number of openly socialist members. I fear that if they come to power, we will experience massive new spending programs and even more debt. Also, I fear their view of the path to solving the crisis is confiscatory taxes on the wealthy, which would have little positive impact, could curtail economic growth, and make the problem worse.

The only path forward that avoids a crisis, as I see it, is for the US to show spending restraint, combined with massive economic growth. Many see AI as the source of that growth that will avoid the coming crisis. I am not convinced.

We need serious-minded people willing to do more than pander. They are out there, but a message of "Medicare for All," or "No Tax on Tips," wins votes; a message of austerity and responsibility does not. I don't pretend to know how we avoid the coming crisis. I have policy preferences and can see things we should not do, but I am unsure the coming crisis can be avoided. I think a first step is to recognize the severity of the problem and stop burying our heads in the sand. The excerpted article below examines the severity of the problem. Please follow the link to read the full article.

Over the next decade, the U.S. Treasury will spend $20 trillion in
interest on the national debt—$200 billion a month by 2036

By Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, Oct. 28, 226- ... Treasury’s revenues versus its expected spending over the next decade would give even the most optimistic budget doves pause.

... with the trust fund for Social Security due to run out in a little over seven years, and Medicare to go insolvent in six and a half years, budget questions are pushing further up the agendas of both politicians and the public.

... In 2026, the U.S. Treasury paid $1.2 trillion in interest on the debt, ... By 2036, this increases to a little under $2.5 trillion a year—or $200 billion a month.

Putting that figure into context, the expected spend on the defense of the nation is $1.1 trillion by 2036, meaning roughly double that figure will be spent servicing borrowing.

... the CBO expects the gap between revenues and expenditures to widen over the next decade. The Treasury has confirmed that the fiscal year 2026 deficit was $2 trillion. The CBO projects it will widen to more than $3 trillion by 2036. The total budget shortfall between this year and a decade from now is $25.6 trillion.

A major driver of the continued need to borrow is the increase in social benefits ... an aging population, ....

The growth argument

... More recently, politicians have suggested that—compounded by the promise of AI—the U.S. economy could grow its way out of any fiscal concerns. Budget experts are not so convinced ... because AI may well mean the replacement of humans with machines and robotics, meaning that a major source of government revenue (income taxes) could potentially be reduced.

But growth alone is unlikely to solve the entire budget question, ... Stronger growth will help, but it’s not enough. We need more than just growth, we need policy actions.

Vote as if Donald Trump was on the Ballot.

2026-10-30T12:56:43.943-04:00

by Rod Williams, Oct. 21, 2026- It is hard to absorb and keep track of all the despicable things the Trump administration is doing. Each day is a new outrage. Outrages mount so quickly that any one thing gets lost. Whether it is the betrayal of Ukraine and openly siding with Putin, destroying NATO, wrecking the economy with tariffs, advancing Trump socialism, massive deficit spending, raiding homes without warrants, suppressing the press, meddling in the election process, selling pardons, using the power of the presidency for personal gain, or any number of other things, it is hard to focus on any one thing.

This has got to be curtailed. It won't end until Trump is out of office, but we can tamp it down. I have concluded that Democrats need to take Congress. This is not a recent conclusion, but I am now of the view that it is the most important consideration in these mid-term elections. The Trump corruption, mismanagement, and betrayal of the West are so severe that it is even necessary to elect the craziest of Democrats in order to clip Trump's wings.

Some have said of me that I have changed and am now a liberal. I am not. I am a Buckley-Reagan conservative. I have not changed; It is the Republican Party that has changed. The Republican Party sold its soul and abandoned the things it once held dear. I think it is time for people of good faith and decency to abandon the Republicans, at least temporarily, until sanity is restored.

Back in December, when Democrat nut-job Aftyn Behn and Republican Matt Van Epps were running for the 7th Congressional seat, I voted for Van Epps. At that time, I thought it would be better for the country if Democrats took the House, but I could not bring myself to vote for Behn. If I had a do-over, I would vote for her. I don't like her. I do not share her policy preferences or her values, and I do share those of Van Epps, however, this is not about which candidate I like the most. It is not even a vote about policy preferences or ideology; it is about voting strategically. It is about voting as if Donald Trump were on the ballot, and I would vote against Donald Trump. Curtailing the power of Donald Trump to do more harm to our country is the most important issue in this election.

If we do elect a few Socialists or other weird woke nut-jobs, they won't be able to accomplish anything anyway. The worst of the lot are a minority in their own party, and Dems will not get a veto-proof majority in any event. They won't be able to pass Medicare for all, or defund the police, or close the prisons. What they will be able to do is hold hearings and investigate. They will be able to expose the recklessness, illegal actions, mismanagement, and corruption of the Trump administration.

The greatest threat to our freedom, world peace, and prosperity is Donald Trump. It is time to hold your nose and vote for some odious Democrats in order to save our democracy. Vote as if Donald Trump were on the ballot.

Senator Pete Hegseth of Tennessee?

2026-10-28T16:35:53.914-04:00

"Senator" Pete Hegseth?

by Rod Williams, Oct. 27, 2026- There is a lot of speculation and interest around who will be appointed to fill Marsha Blackburn's Senate seat, assuming she is elected governor. The election is November 3, and swearing-in of the governor is the first Saturday after January 14 following the gubernatorial election.

In Tennessee, if a U.S. Senate vacancy occurs and it would deny Tennessee full representation anytime Congress is in session, then the governor must temporarily appoint a replacement until a special election is held for US Senator at the next regularly scheduled November general election.

This is the decision of the governor alone and does not have to be confirmed by the State legislature. So, under normal circumstances, assuming Marsha is elected governor, she would resign her seat in Congress, and Governor Lee would appoint her successor. The governor could very well appoint himself. That is not unusual. However, I do not read anything or hear anything from anyone who thinks Lee wants to go to Washington. I can understand why. Being a Republican in the Senate with a lame-duck Donald Trump as president does not sound like a lot of fun.

From people I have talked to, Marsha does not want Governor Lee to pick her replacement; she wants to pick her own. A person cannot be serving as both governor and senator at the same time, so technically Marsha could not wait until after she is sworn in as governor to resign as senator, but I guess that could happen almost simultaneously. I don't know how contentious this disagreement is between the Lee and Blackburn, and I assume the dispute will not become more public. More than likely, this dispute will work itself out behind closed doors. Since Marsha Blackburn is such a Trump sycophant and has Trump in her corner, I suspect Lee will acquiesce and let Blackburn pick her own successor.

Speculation abounds as to who the next senator from Tennessee will be. A knowledgeable, well-connected Republican recently gave me the names of two people I had never heard of who were being promoted in some circles as Marsha's replacement. If Lee were picking Marsha's successor, he would likely pick one of these two prominent Tennessee businessmen. Both are assumed to be capable and qualified. One is associated with Core Civic, and I do not recall the other's association.

There are a couple of prominent politicians being mentioned and rejected for one reason or the other. One is Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, and the other is the U.S. Congressman from Knoxville, Tim Burchett. It looks like Jacobs is more wishful thinking than on any short list, but he has his supporters.

Tim Burchett, I thought, would be a lead candidate. He is almost as big a Trump sycophant as Marsha, and he has that unfiltered folksy persona that seems to be popular among much of the MAGA electorate. He appears authentic, which is to say, he occasionally says some really dumb things, which is highly valued these days. Much of the electorate likes people who say what they think, and they don't want to elect people who may be smarter than they are, and Tim Burchett fits that bill.

Tim Burchett has some drawbacks, however. He cares about the Epstein files and still wants everything released and apparently is not happy with the perceived cover-up. Trump does not want to elevate a voice harping on the Epstein files. Another possible negative for Burchett is that Burchett is a deficit hawk. Under Trump, the national debt has ballooned. Of the national debt, 30% accrued during Donald Trump's two terms. While Burchett may stay quiet about it, he is enough of a maverick that he may become a voice for fiscal sanity as Trump's presidency weakens.

A major contender for Marsha's replacement is Secretary of Defense (aka Secretary of War) Pete Hegseth. Pete Hegseth spends most of his time in Washington but moved to Sumner County, Tennessee in 2022.

If Pete Hegseth were to be appointed Senator, that would favorably resolve a big headache facing the Trump administration. There is little doubt that the House will move to impeach Pete Hegseth when Congress convenes. He will be the number one target. There are plenty of grounds for removing him, ranging from the Signal Gate chat and other incidents of endangering national security, to the conduct of the war in Iran, to the murder of alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers in international waters, to the selective demotion and failure to promote Black and female officers, to his politicizing the military and general mismanagement of the Pentagon.

Remember that when Pete Hegseth was appointed Secretary of Defense, it took J. D. Vance breaking a tie vote to get him confirmed. He is less popular now than then. An impeachment effort from U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) led to House Speaker Mike Johnson sending lawmakers home a day early to avoid a vote on an impeachment resolution. Massie has vowed to resume his campaign to remove Hegseth from office when Congress returns next month. When Congress returns, Republicans will be in the minority, and an impeachment resolution would likely pass. It may even succeed in the Senate and lead to removal. Even if it does not lead to removal, President Trump and other Trump loyalists would not want weeks of embarrassing public testimony.

The perfect way to avoid a Pete Hegseth impeachment is for Trump to replace him. That, however, would look like weakness on the part of President Trump, and he does not want to look weak. The best solution is for Pete Hegseth to resign, not in disgrace, but resign in order to serve in the U.S. Senate. He would be a loud pro-Trump voice in the new Senate. Also, there is talk of Pete Hegseth running for President in 2028. He seems much more like someone to take the Trump mantle than either Marco Rubio or J. D. Vance. Pete Hegseth has that macho bravado and don't-give-a-damn, crude and rude fighter attitude that Trump supporters seem to love.

Appointing Pete Hegseth to the Senate would relieve Trump of a big headache and embarrassment and boost Hegseth's chances of becoming the leader of the MAGA movement. I'm thinking Pete Hegseth will be our next Tennessee Senator.

2026-10-28T13:51:44.847-04:00

Bringing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to Tennessee to Campaign for Jerri Green was not a Smart Move.

2026-10-27T16:16:51.691-04:00

Mark Rogers

by Mark Rogers, Facebook, Oct. 27, 2026 - Tennessee Democrats, what is wrong with you? You were doing so well this year. You had a favorable election climate and a divided (not to mention demoralized) Republican Party. You fought your natural inclination and nominated some attractive center-left candidates instead of a collection of choices that would only appeal to moderates in Berkley or Seattle. You were doing so well.

And now THIS? Tim Walz? Really? TIM WALZ?

What happened? Could you just not control your urge to prove your disassociation from the realities of Tennessee politics?

Did anyone involved in making this 'Screw the ice reports. Take the Titanic to maximum speed.' idea even think about the downsides to this? No one?

Buehler? Buehler? Buehler?

Walz is the poster boy for the massive failure of Minnesota government to investigate and stop the welfare fraud involving members of the Somali community?

Tim Walz Backs Jerri Green in Address to Nashville Democrats

As VP Harris' choice for her VP, Walz is inextricably tied to her disastrous campaign. He is tied to her support for President Biden's disastrous immigration policies. He is tied to her support for Biden's massive debt increase even as he claimed the US economy was going wonderfully. He is tied to her support for Biden's divisive plan to void student debt for pro-Democratic young and educated voters even as he left large numbers of Americans (of all ages and political views) with crushing medical debt on the side of the road and breathing his dust.

How many Democrats did Walz add to your vote totals? How many independent or swing voters did his presence alienate from your candidates?

This is the worst 'Tennessee Walz' for Democrats since the FBI arrested five of your Senators.

Mark Rogers has long been active in Republican Party politics and is an astute observer of political trends and events and Republican politics. He is well known as a successful Republican campaign manager and political consultant. He has also served in government and the non-profit sector. He is currently exiled from the Republican Party. He lives in Nashville.

Regarding President Trump Calling Norway a "S**t House Country'

2026-10-26T17:07:10.565-04:00

by Rod Williams, Oct. 26, 2026- Can you believe it? I have never conceived of anyone so childish and narcissistic as the president of the United States. Some of the president's actions threaten world peace and stability. Some are leading us toward an economic disaster, and instead of breaking, he is accelerating. Some actions are authoritarian and destructive to our democracy. Some are self-enriching and corrupt. Some are cruel, and others are bullying, and others are just in poor taste. And then there are the things that remind one of a three-year-old throwing a tantrum because he does not get his way. His reaction to Norway is in the three-year-old temper-tantrum category.

On Sunday, at a political rally in Port Huron, Michigan, ahead of next week's midterm, President Trump went on a rant against Norway because he again did not get the Nobel Peace Prize. He called Norway a "shit house country" and said Norwegian immigrants were not welcome in the United States because the Nobel committee, based in the capital Oslo, had not awarded him a Peace Prize. Of course, as most informed people know, and I assume Trump knows, the Nobel Committee is independent and is not controlled by the Norwegian government.

Trump had previously reserved the term "shit house country" or "shit hole country" for third world countries experiencing crisis such as Haiti, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Norway is not in that category of country, but I guess that is the best he could come up with.

You would think the President could come up with a better insult than "shit house country" for his insult of Norway. I'm going to give him some suggestions for future insults:

Norway, you have boogers in your nose.
Norway, your mamma wears diapers.
Norway is as useless as an ashtray on a motorbike
Norway uses cheap toilet paper
Norway has cooties.
Norway should take a long walk off a short pier

Those may not be the best insults and maybe you can come up with better ones, but the above suggestions are better than saying "shit house country' to describe Norway. I find it unacceptable and rude to call any nation a "shit house country," but when he says it about Haiti, I get the point. Haiti and a few other countries are failed states plagued by violence, crime, and famine, disease, and all manner of problems. Life is hell in some of these countries, and while crude, "shit house countries" describes them. It does not describe Norway.

Norway is among the world's highest-income countries as measured by GDP per capita. According to International Monetary Fund data, Norway ranks number five and the US ranks number eight.

Norway ranks among the world’s highest for quality of life, with strong public services, safety, and income. According to World Population Review 2026, Norway ranks tenth best in the world, and the US comes in at number 30.

A recent study by The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania considered several factors when deciding which countries offer their residents the best quality of life. Norway came in at number nine on the list, and the US came in at 27th. The US had fallen ten places since the last ranking in 2018.

Other rankings from other organizations show similar rankings. I have not looked at all of the criteria for the various rankings, and some rankings involve a value judgment, but Norway is not one of the hell holes of the earth. Calling it a "shit house country" shows a lack of imagination. I have never liked Donald Trump, but he is entertaining and can be humorous if you like insult humor. I never cared for it. I think he is slipping. Does he not have speechwriters? Maybe his staff needs to go to day care centers and find a smart-mouthed three-year-old and hire him to help the President with his insults.

Trump’s Capitulation to Putin Is Undermining U.S. National Security

2026-10-24T23:24:47.795-04:00

by Rod Williams, Oct. 24, 2026- I am totally disgusted at seeing the US switch sides in the Ukraine War. If I had not seen it coming, it would be hard to believe. Despite public policy disputes and failures, I have always thought that we were on the right side in the world. I believed that we were a force for good in the world. We believed democracy was worth defending and that might did not make right and aggression should not be rewarded.

Instead of pressuring Zelensky to surrender, Trump should be pressuring Putin to stop Russia's invasion. If Ukrainians stop resisting, they are eliminated from the face of the earth. The way to peace is for Russia to stop its aggression, not for Ukraine to stop defending itself.

What we are seeing from Trump is disgusting and shameful. If this were the eve of World War II, Trump would be saying, "Hitler I can work with. I get along fine with Hitler; that Winston Chruchhill is just unreasonable."

Many have speculated as to the reason Trump is so pro-Putin. Maybe Putin does really have something on Trump, but I suspect it is simpler than that. Trump sees his role not as leader of the free world, but as a crime boss, relating to another crime boss. He wants his share of grift. I don't think Trump cares one iota about Democracy or justice, but sees all relationships as transactional and respects ruthless, powerful people. Trump sees those with total and near-total authority, and he wants to be a member of the big boys' club. I don't think he is capable of seeing national interest, or sacrifice, or the value of democracy or human rights. He likes winners. He respects power. He looks at Putin, or Xi, or Kim Jong Un and admires their might. He also sees an opportunity to do business deals with Russia, and that is more important than any concern for humanity and decency.

Trump is making the world a much less safe place, destroying the world order that has kept tyranny at bay since the end of World War II, and he is undermining US national Security. In the article below, Michael McFaul explains how Trump went from expressions of affinity for Putin in his first term to now actually adopting policies that strengthen and aid Putin's hand in his war against Ukraine and his threat to the rest of Europe.

Michael McFaul is a professor of political science and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and the Hoover Institution, both at Stanford University. His latest book is Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014. He has just published an article in The Dispatch explaining how Trump's capitulation to Putin is undermining U. S. national security. Below are excerpts.

Trump’s Capitulation to Putin Is Undermining U.S. National Security
Donald Trump has never hidden his admiration for Russia’s imperial dictator, Vladimir Putin. ...These expressions of affinity for Putin were shocking at the time, but crucially, they did not produce consequential shifts in U.S. foreign policy. The first Trump administration included many senior national security officials who had a different, more accurate assessment of how Putin’s policies threatened American national interests. ....
No longer constrained by Gens. H.R. McMaster or Jim Mattis, Trump has gradually but consistently turned his effusive admiration for Putin into the most radical shift in American foreign policy in the last century—and maybe ever. Today, under Trump, the United States—a country that once was considered the leader of the free world—is now openly and shamelessly supporting an imperial dictatorship in Russia.
This tragic pivot started slowly after Trump returned to the White House for a second term. ... This month, Trump’s pivot toward Putin became more pronounced, with real-world negative consequences for Ukraine. He eased sanctions on Russian diesel, allowing Moscow to release millions of barrels of fuel onto the global market. He then signed an executive order waiving most of the new sanctions and tariffs against Russia under the Lindsey O. Graham Act, two days before they were to take effect. Then, most damagingly of all, came the restrictions on SpaceX’s satellite communications service, which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications and drone operations.
.... we have now learned that Putin has floated the idea to Trump of a meeting among China, Russia, and the United States to deal with the “Ukraine crisis,” just as imperial powers used to do in the 18th and 19th centuries.
... I want my country to be against imperialism and for sovereignty, to stand against dictatorship and for democracy, to aid those fighting for independence and against occupation. ... it’s also the pragmatic thing to do. Let’s be realistic. Putin is not going to abandon his autocratic partners in China, Iran, and North Korea just because Trump offers him concessions.
.... Trump is also weakening America’s relationships with our democratic allies and partners in Europe. In this new era of great power competition with China and Russia, our democratic allies are America’s greatest comparative advantage. Together, the free world has far greater economic power and military strength than autocracies, and our democratic values and ideals have significantly more global appeal than those of autocracies. But Trump’s embrace of Putin and his abandonment of Ukraine are weakening these ties.
... Xi must increasingly believe that Trump will show similar indifference when it comes to defending Taiwan.
... In embracing Putin and abandoning Ukrainians, Trump is out of step with American society. Hopefully, more emboldened and courageous leadership in the U.S. Congress next year will realign American actions regarding Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine with the will of the American people.

Read the full article at this link.

2026-10-24T21:31:55.318-04:00

2026-10-24T21:28:01.214-04:00

2026-10-22T16:40:54.160-04:00