MULTIPLE CHOICES

There are explanations galore for everything from the America Party to the Epstein List

Let’s take some multiple choice exams, shall we?

1. Elon Musk’s new “America” Party will

a) cost Republicans the mid-term elections

b) result in a powerful new party that will achieve most of his goals

c) satisfy his sudden rage against President Trump and MAGA

d) have virtually no effect at all.

If you guessed “d” you’re probably right. History tells us that third parties are notoriously weak and temporary. Dust in the wind. The last successful party, in terms of doing what a party is actually supposed to do, namely get people elected was the Republican Party of 1854. It had come on the heels of two other third parties, the “Know Nothings” (or . . . wait for it . . . the American Party) of 1844 or the Liberty Party of 1840. Both of those suffered from narrow platforms: the Liberty Party was almost entirely an abolitionist party, while the Know Nothings opposed slavery but had as their main goal the elimination of Catholic influence in the U.S. Since then, we have seen the Populist Party, the Dixiecrat Party, and the Reform Party. Of those, the Populists had significant impact in the 1896 election by forcing the DemoKKKrat Party to nominate populist William Jennings Bryan, who lose. Then, in 1995, Ross Perot founded the Reform Party.

It is interesting that Perot had less impact after he formed the Reform Party than before. In 1992, running as an independent, Perot got nearly 19% of the presidential vote (but did not win a single delebage due to the winner-take-all/single-member-district system). The Reform Party itself had almost no impact on American politics and did not elect any national figures of consequence.

So where does that leave Musk? Pretty much nowhere. He could go for a very narrow campaign of flipping one or two congressional seats, but that is, well, boring and also quite tedious. And in the end, he would get little credit. And if the GOP increases its’ lead by just one more seat, then Musk’s guy or gal is essentially canceled.

Whether a new party would chill his childish and infantile jihad against President Trump, who had quite graciously not only let him into the campaign but entrusted him with the major DOGE operation? I doubt it. But time probably will, and Elon’s simmering autism likely means he can’t keep focus on this for more than a few months.

Question #2.

2. The FBI/DOJ statement that there was nothing “credible” in the Epstein files and that the investigation was being closed

   a) shows that Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, and Pam Bondi have been corrupted.

   b) shows that in fact there was nothing there.

   c) suggests that there are genuine “national security” concerns because of the vast number of people in many foreign nations implicated

   d) that the files are already in use as leads to bust human trafficking rings.

You know my answer on this is mostly “d” but could contain a little “c”. However, we absolutely must—-if we are to be honest—-entertain “b” as just because investigations don’t yield what we want doesn’t mean they aren’t honestly and effectively conducted. I dismiss “a.” First, not only does Trump trust these people, so do I. IF they were forced by reason of “c” to say what they said and there WAS serious criminal evidence in the files, then it means that there are very, very good reasons for keeping it quiet.

Unfortunately, this resolution of the Epstein case resolves nothing, and it is now on the same shelf as JFK’s assassination, the RFK assassination, and the Roswell Alien Crash, likely to be a constant topic for years.

Question 3.

3. Trump’s recent embrace of a form of “amnesty” for illegal farm and hotel workers is

   a) a travesty, a betrayal, and one that would split MAGA.

   b) a trial balloon to gage public reaction.

   c) a genuine response to Big Ag and Big Tech, which would be next on the exemption list.

   d) An example of Trump listening to certain advisers, then retreating when he heard from other advisers.

I think this is a case of all of the above. Clearly in the last two weeks Trump has been hearing a lot from Ag Sec Brook Rollins, one of his worst cabinet choices. Apparently he also has been heavily lobbied by Big Ag and even Big Tech to set the stage for more H1B visas. There was a well-deserved MAGA firestorm, and almost before Trump could leave Iowa, both he and Rollins denied there was ever any “amnesty” on the table. Instead, both have talked “priorities” and “strategy.”

If it stays there, fine. Most people understand we cannot arrest and deport all illegals immediately, not even this year, and probably not in the next three years. Targeting the most violent and those who are the most immediate physical threat to Americans takes precedence over those who pose a serious danger to the economic welfare of Americans, but not at present to their personal security. If Trump and Rollins had not said anything, we wouldn’t know the difference. After all, Border Czar Tom Homan said as much about strategic prioritizing in his latest comments.

Taken together, these quiz questions reflect the fact that immediately after passage and signing of the BBB, Trump and/or his administration wandered into a quicksand pit on several issues. NO ONE MORE THAN ME WANTS TO SEE JAIL TIME FOR MANY OF THESE TREASONOUS CRIMINALS. NO ONE MORE THAN ME WANTS TO SEE REAL, SERIOUS, GENUINE BUDGET CUTS. AND NO ONE MORE THAN ME WANTS ALL—-I REPEAT—-ALL ILLEGALS SHIPPED OUT.

But the reality is that all politics is give and take, strengths and weaknesses. You Bondi haters? Do you realize that her DOJ has not lost a single major case when it comes to the presidential orders? How much is that worth? I’d say a helluva lot. Do you realize that her Civil Rights Division under Harmeet Dhillon is revolutionizing reverse discrimination in the USA? Or that all of DOJ is wading into election fraud?

The lust for big-name perp walks at some point must be tempered with the reality that DOJ has done a phenomenal job of winning for Trump; of rolling up very big human trafficking networks; and of fixing institutions across our country that were DEI-obsessed. I’d think that counts for a lot.

Trump’s on-again/off-again flirtation with farm and hotel workers comes from his genuine concern for people, and gets temporarily elevated to his concern for rebuilding the American working class. You cannot find one president in history who did not have this weakness on one issue or another. Ronald Reagan, for example, sympathized so strongly with the Iranian-held hostages that he agreed to an illegal and goofy deal to trade weapons for people. Trump 1.0 was snookered by a cadre that allowed no outside opinions on the China Virus vax. George W. Bush listened to all his advisors that said without a big bailout of U.S. banks, the country would collapse. And so on.

This is why on all fronts MAGA must keep up the pressure, holding Trump and all his subordinates’ feet to the fire. It isn’t that they are corrupt. Quite the contrary. It’s that the perennial human sympathy gene kicks in and people want to violate the law “just this once” for a good cause. It’s the 180-degree opposite of DemoKKKrat “Russia Hoax” thinking. Neither are good.

Do what you promised, Mr. President. Do what you said you’d do, AG Bondi. And for God’s sake REFRAIN from doing other things just cuz of “feels.”

Larry Schweikart (@LarrySchwe94560)

Rock drummer, Film maker,NYTimes #1 bestselling author

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2. b)