So... it comes down to this.
The basic issue is the economy -- but it's more than that. It's the fact that voters have no trust in President Joe Biden to deal with inflation and the other economic issues we face. He's totally owned by the left, which seems to see economic destruction as a feature, not a bug, in the plan.
Democrats are hoping voters are motivated by fear of losing access to abortion, fear of Trump, and fear of what might happen to "democracy" if the GOP wins.
I've never lived through an election in which it was so clear that Republicans had the upper hand throughout the race -- not just in one house, but in both. It almost makes one wonder whether something might go terribly wrong.
Really, this is a necessary backlash to restore some balance in government -- and then, finally, we will begin to confront directly the challenge -- and the hope -- that Trump still represents for the American political system.
We should not forget that the far greater challenge is what left-wing ideology and policies represent. America cannot survive "wokeness." But it is not going to be defeated in just one election. This is a first step -- but the woke cohort will not go down without a further fight.
Conservatives should enjoy the next 48-72 hours. What happens next will be difficult, and there will be no easy answers. The only Republican independent from Trump, Tom Cotton, has bowed out. So Trump is it. Until, perhaps, not.
This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
