On January 1, 2017, I wrote a post entitled “Leadership by Headline”. This post was after the election but prior to inauguration. It was a look ahead as to what The Donald would have to do to be a successful president. Results will matter. Not campaign rhetoric, or tweet storms, or continuing your strategy of Leadership by Headline. Soon he would have to govern. For real. The Leadership by Headline simply would not work and he had better know it. At that time, oh so long ago, we still had hope that The Donald would grow up and get something done as the populist hero that would never ever forget the little guy again. Now let us revisit this same topic 135 days later. Yikes.

Original article here: LeadershipByHeadline_20170101

Nothing has happened. Leadership by Headline is still in full effect. No results. In we go for a closer look on what was tried and failed miserably.

The healthcare repeal and replace effort is like a nuclear reactor meltdown. Just an immediate emergency where all you can hope to do at this point is contain it. The GOP spent 6 six years deriding Obamacare and came in with a president and the majority. But the bill was so bad that it could not pass an initial house vote. An epic failure for republicans and Paul Ryan. My only deduction is that these guys never worked on this for real, ever. They never thought it would happen. Don’t get me started on how futile and useless Paul Ryan is. The bill fails in worst way. Then they work together with the freedom caucus on the same garbage and get that through the house. Almost surely to be sent back to the house and certain to have no “replace”. GOP now owns healthcare and it will be their terminal illness. Just wait and see. Part of me thinks all this FBI Director action is just misdirection to keep the media attention off healthcare so the senate committee can have time in peace to work on healthcare. The bill is that bad, will have immense impacts on the GOP base, and they know the party is on the line. It is that bad and they don’t have enough time to create a real solution.

Immigration. He tried through executive orders to change immigration. Immigration reform is necessary for the United States. It just is. The current system is too flawed to work and needs to be fixed. It is not about throwing good people out or closing the borders. It is not about giving us all your poor and unwanted either. Like everything in life, the answer is in the middle. The system needed addressing and it was an important issue to Trump voters. Results? He went about it the totally wrong way and it was blocked in court. So, no results on immigration reform. No hint of working with Congress on this issue to make any changes through, you know, actual law making.

Lots of executive orders. Classic Leadership by Headline. Executive orders are not laws they are largely “I wish” documents. No results. But an erosion of the political system of checks and balances which is what the founders intended. No Congress. Just write some stuff and sign into pseudo-law. It is like Trump and Obama created this fourth dimension of government with these things. He checks off each issue as an executive order signed and promised kept. But no results.

Tweets! Oh, my that #twittashmitta. This guy just can’t sit back and let it wash over him. He thinks he is revolutionizing politics, information, and government with Twitter. But it is just classic Leadership by Headline. I must admit my favorite thing about The Donald tweets is reading the replies. Makes me smile. The media is learning fast how to discredit The Donald’s every tweet. He should just stop. Or save it for important things.

The tax plan. Biggest tax cut (plan) in history according to his latest campaign add. Which he made after only 100 days in office. A huge tax cut for the rich like him. Goldman Sachs at every key post. Also, the infrastructure plan. Two more promises made but promises not kept yet. Right now, just stuck like everything else at the Leadership by Headline stage.

Then there is the Russia stuff. I must admit all this topic is accomplishing is exhausting me. Months have passed and there is not anything solid on anybody. Not on Trump aides, not on evil democrats unmasking and leaking, not on releasing classified intelligence to Russia. Just all innuendo and fringe garbage. Maybe something solid will come out. If it does I will pay attention. To be clear, all that is happening now, week after week, is people coming forward to say nothing of importance. Maybe it takes time. But the longer this goes on, the more the American public will distrust the media and political parties. I really hope someone goes to jail and I have little preference as to who. But we have had a year of lock her up chants, a year of possible collusion with Russia, and a year of traitor like supposed leaks and unlawful acts. It is going to be the case that literally millions of accusations of crime from all sides will have been made, but not a single person will go to jail. Not a single person. If you are someone who doesn’t like being lied to this should bother you. Just Leadership by Headline from both sides. No results.

So tomorrow will begin day 136 since my original Leadership by Headline post. Nothing has changed. No results. No laws. No bi-partisan committees on anything important. All talking points not acted on. But oh how we look forward to the next tweet, Wiki-Leak, or Washington Post article. The Donald hasn’t learned anything and isn’t improving. No results.

Original article here: LeadershipByHeadline_20170101