A View From My Porch: The President’s Coattails Are Tattered and Threadbare—A Treatise on Misbehavior

Epigraph:
“Johnny’s in the basement, mixing up the medicine;
I’m on the pavement, thinking about the government.”
[Bob Dylan (1965): Subterranean Homesick Blues.”]

Prologue:

So, what is there really to think about?

Well, I’m opining on why this Republican President, still supported by a “look the other way” Republican Congress, has shut down the Government; and once again, is threatening our Nation with massive job cuts in the federal workforce — a reprise of his first term shutdown, which lasted 35 days, the longest ever; and resulted in the furlough and/or firing of about 800,000 government employees. 

That 2018 Trump shutdown centered principally on funding for his vanity wall along Arizona’s border with Mexico — which he falsely claimed would be paid for by Mexico. Like America’s current crisis over access to affordable health insurance, the Republicans controlled Congress in 2018, too. 

I sincerely hope and pray that he does not seek to lengthen his appalling record of 35 days down. Check my math, but if the government remains closed beyond November 5, it becomes the longest shutdown in U.S. history, and this President breaks his own record.

On October 13th, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson already predicted that this current shutdown may become the longest in history: “We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history.” He went on to say that “he won’t negotiate with Democrats until they ‘hit pause’ on their health care demands and reopen the government.” 

Unfortunately, Johnson had recessed the House, making negotiations nearly impossible. He claimed that his decision to keep House members out of Washington was not politically motivated. Rather, “lawmakers need to be at home to help constituents weather the effects of the shutdown.” 

Johnson has also been holding up the swearing-in of newly elected Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), a month after she won an Arizona special election. Once sworn in, her vote would be the last one needed by the Democrats to require the Justice Department to release “the Epstein files.” 

The President is in full “Biff the bully” mode; and his shutdown is clocking towards that new record.  He announced at an October 9th Cabinet meeting that “the administration will begin cutting programs backed by Democrats. 

“We’re only cutting Democrat programs, I hate to tell you, but we are cutting Democrat programs,” “We will be cutting some very popular Democrat programs that aren’t popular with Republicans, frankly.”  I think we got it the first time, Mr. President!

Note: “Biff Tannen” is a fictional character in the “Back to the Future” trilogy, depicted as a hulking, belligerent, and fatuous bully.

White House Improvements:

Meanwhile, the President has garishly gilded the Oval Office, is building a “big, beautiful” 90,000 square foot ballroom, now estimated to cost $300million, and planning a grand arch on the Arlington, VA, side of the Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River.

 CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe asked the President who the arch is for, and Trump pointed at himself: “Me.”

Note that in July, Trump falsely claimed that the ballroom’s price would be $200 million and would be constructed adjacent to the historic East Wing of the White House and “wouldn’t interfere” with the building’s existing structure. 

The shocking demolition of the historic East Wing began on October 20th.

And that’s not all! Trump said on Truth Social that “I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom.” “I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble.”

I respectfully quote Trump’s ever-present boogeyman’s favorite retort: “Come on, man!”—i.e., former President, Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

I am certain that President Trump has already guaranteed himself a place in American and world history, even without his ridiculous leasehold improvements.

“Golf is a Good Walk Spoiled”:

Trump marked the first full month of his government shutdown on Halloween by blaming it all on Democrats and taking a $3.4 million golf trip to Florida, bringing the total that taxpayers have spent on his hobby to $60.7 million since January. 

Trump doesn’t walk much on the golf course, as he almost exclusively uses a  golf cart. His golf party can include security in a dozen golf carts, generally two to a  cart; and one cart always occupied by a single person, Donald Trump. 

The expression, “Golf is a good walk, spoiled” was used by the author, Harry Leon Wilson, in his 1905 novel, “The Boss of Little Arcady: A Satirical Tale of Power and Corruption in Small-Town America.”

Personal Best?

On October 10th, Trump announced his administration’s plans to slash thousands of workers from several departments, including Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Treasury, and Commerce. 

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “It’ll be a lot, and we’ll announce the numbers over the next couple of days, but it’ll be a lot of people.”  Again, Trump said that “many of the affected employees worked for programs that were ‘Democrat-oriented’ or were “people that the Democrats wanted”— “More cuts are under consideration.”

Trump’s firings mark the first large-scale expulsion of federal employees during a funding lapse in modern history, going beyond the furloughs that characterized past temporary shutdowns. His move ups the stakes in his standoff with Democrats—and as usual, he’s looking for someone, anyone, to accept the blame for his actions. 

OBBB:

All that said, in my last “View,”— “Exercise your franchise and cast your vote on Tuesday, November 4th,” I considered the horrific financial consequences of this President’s tariffs and his alleged “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) on Americans—especially, our neediest Americans; and on education and green energy programs. 

Notably, millions of disadvantaged Americans will lose their Medicaid health coverage, nutrition assistance, and access to school lunches; —and an estimated 22 million, including four million small business owners, who access their health coverage via the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) will experience considerable increases in premiums — it is estimated that 4.2 million Americans will become uninsured as costs rise to unaffordable levels.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called Trump’s OBBB “the most dangerous legislation in modern U.S. history,” and claimed that “it is a billionaire-funded payoff.”

Strikingly, even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA.), a staunch Trump supporter, blames Republican leaders for the shutdown, repeating the Democrats’ concerns about increases in health insurance premiums and Medicaid takeaways—which, as noted, is the debate at the core of the shutdown battle: The Georgia Congresswoman wrote: “I’m going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year, my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district.”

Pharmaceutical Tariffs:

To make matters even worse, on Thursday, Sept. 25; Trump announced a 100 percent tariff on brand-name or patented pharmaceutical products— i.e., beginning Oct. 1st, unless the drugmaker is building a manufacturing plant in the U.S. 

He also announced a 50 percent tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture, and 25% on heavy trucks made outside the U.S. Trump, of course, said these new pharmaceutical tariffs will fulfill his vow to lower drug costs, although economists aren’t so certain.

China’s Restrictions on Rare Earths:

Incredibly, it gets even worse. China announced plans to implement tighter restrictions on their export of rare earths, used to manufacture products including semiconductors, electric car batteries, jet engines, and defense weapons. Intelligence indicates that they may produce more than three-quarters of the world’s rare earth magnets.

Trump threatened to retaliate by imposing additional 100 percent tariffs over current levels.

In reaction, the Chinese Government announced that “it is willing to work with North Korea to explore the potential for practical cooperation and add more impetus to the development and construction in the two countries.”

President Clinton also presided over two shutdowns during his tenure—five days ending in 1995 and 21 days ending in 1996. 

At the time, polling generally showed that Americans largely blamed the Republican Congress for the shutdowns and their conflicts with Clinton over funding for education, the environment, and public health.

This essay is a factual, roughly chronological, account of the events and actions that have consumed my attention since my last “View;” and is, really, what’s keeping me up at night. 

This “View” is longer than usual, as Trump’s administration has been so relentless in their actions, but if you are not sleeping so well, anyways …

If you are only scanning this “View,” each section represents a major theme in this unusually manic administration and may be reviewed independently. Whenever possible, I use relevant quotations to illustrate and support the issues.  

Disclaimers:

This “View” will not consider ICE brutality or the President’s personal vanity war with Venezuela, which, according to the Washington Post, has driven Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to reach out to Russia, China and Iran for support. 

Moreover, I do not do salacious, so beyond this disclaimer, I am not considering the “Epstein Files” or whatever relationships, if any, existed amongst Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Epstein’s “associate,” Ghislaine Maxwell; —which puts me in good company. The Supreme Court just declined to take up Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal of her sex trafficking case, crushing her final hope of fighting her 2021 conviction.

Bizarrely, maybe not “her final hope.” After the Supreme Court declined, Trump said that he would have to talk to the Department of Justice and review the Maxwell case. He has not ruled out granting a pardon. He has pardoned worse.

The President has labeled the Epstein files “a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats to undermine his ‘success’.” 

I continue with an overview of the “coattails effect” in American politics, and then review the rhetoric that precipitated my concerns regarding Trump’s aggressive redistricting push; and the events that inspired my assertion that “the President certainly realizes that his coattails are shabby. I follow with a review of Trump’s personal wars with our cities.

As always, these thoughts and observations are mine. 

I usually stand at the liberal side of center; and so, for example, I support school lunch programs, as credible research demonstrates that they are important for improving student health, academic performance, and can be a big factor in addressing food insecurity; ultimately  fostering  a more equitable learning environment, i.e., they level the learning field.

I don’t know whether there are families in Old Lyme who require nutrition assistance, but the weekly food pantry at FCCOL always appears very busy.

Coattails?

As a political term, the “coattail effect” refers to the influence of a victorious candidate on down-ballot elections—i.e., a phenomenon that appears when the popularity of a political candidate or leader results in higher voter counts for other candidates of the same party.  A candidate who wins an election because of another candidate’s popularity is said to be “swept in on the coattails” or “riding the coattails” of that candidate. 

So, a popular candidate can help sweep other Election Day contenders into office. In contrast, a controversial leader or unsuccessful presidential candidate may spoil the chances of those running for offices lower down on the ballot.

Trump’s Shady Solution:

I believe that Trump’s actions over the past several months demonstrate that he and his Republican supporters are aware of his probable negative impact on the midterms, scheduled for November 3, 2026. 

After all, Democrats “flipped the House” two years into his first term, and he certainly doesn’t want a repeat.

In mid-July, Trump began pushing Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s Congressional maps to create more House seats favorable to him and his party. 

Trump stated in an early August CNBC interview that “we should have many more seats in California, it’s all gerrymandered.” (see below). He went on: “we have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats. We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are ‘entitled’ to five more seats.”

Historians will place an asterisk next to Trump’s “highest vote in the history of Texas” claim.

George W. Bush won a higher share of Texas in both of his successful presidential campaigns:  59 percent in 2000, and 61 percent in 2004. Ronald Reagan won an even greater share of Texas in 1984—nearly 64 percent. 

Nevertheless, Trump’s 56 percent was solid, but do the math. 

What really matters here is not the truth of Trump’s claim, but that in his view, he and his Republican allies are “entitled” to seats held by five duly elected representatives.     

I am not going to provide the ugly play-by-play, but Texas Republican lawmakers pushed through a plan over fierce Democratic opposition; and on August 29th, Gov. Abbott approved a new set of district maps strongly favoring Republicans, and positioning them to possibly gain up to five additional seats. 

Four of those seats are currently held by Black or Hispanic lawmakers. Rep. Sylvester Turner, a Black Democrat, occupied the other one until his recent death. Abbott’s signature launched a national redistricting war. 

California immediately retaliated with redistricting bills that lawmakers and Gov. Newsom approved on Aug. 21st. The bill will go to the State’s voters on Nov. 4, and if approved, could net the Democrats five additional seats.  Editor’s Note: The bill passed convincingly on Nov. 4th with roughly 64% supporting it and 36% opposing it.

With intensified pressure from Trump, Republicans have also initiated efforts to create new districts in Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, which increased calls for Democratic-run states to counter by redrawing their own districts. 

Note that redrawing district borders does not circumvent the individual voter’s personal decision.

The Decennial Census:

Redistricting usually occurs every 10 years, triggered by the decennial census conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Preparation and conduct of a decennial census can take several years. 

Of course, despite that time requirement, the President ordered a new census in August, “with restrictions;” apparently ignoring the 14th Amendment, which requires that the “whole number of persons in each state” be counted. Instead, and per the President: “the census data collections will be based on ‘modern day facts and figures’ and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024.” Fudge the results? 

Undeniably, states do have the authority to redistrict more frequently, often following legal challenges against maps accused of being gerrymandered, which means redistricted in a manner that favors one political party.  States like Florida and Virginia have seen this sort of redistricting in the last decade.

The Current Scorecard:

Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the House: 219 Republicans versus 213 Democrats. In the Senate, Republicans have 53 members, and Democrats, 45, though the two independent senators – Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Angus King (I-ME) – caucus with Democrats.

No Kings:

Americans staged two massive national protests this year. At the most recent, October 18th, nearly 7 million people marched at more than 2,700 events in all 50 states; including more than 100,000, each, in NYC, Philadelphia, and at the Boston Common. — and another 250,000 in Chicago. Nationwide, the protests were largely peaceful, although there were a few incidents. Organizers did not host an event in Washington, D.C. 

Trump returned to a familiar tactic and tried to denigrate the weekend’s protests; — speaking about the events with reporters aboard Air Force One, he said that they’d been “very small, very ineffective;” and dismissed the demonstrations against him as a “joke.” He also rejected suggestions that he is acting like a monarch. “I think it’s a joke,” 

He described those protesting against his administration as “whacked out.” 

“I looked at the people. They’re not representative of this country, and I looked at all the brand new signs paid for, I guess it was paid for by Soros and other radical left lunatics.”

Despite the insult, George Soros remains a billionaire philanthropist, who supports progressive and liberal political causes through his Open Society Foundations. 

Republicans maintained that the protests were “hate America” rallies and claimed they are prolonging the federal government shutdown.

On the other hand, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke to demonstrators in front of the U.S Capitol building and said “we’re here because we love America; President Donald Trump and his billionaire allies, like Elon Musk, are endangering self-government.”

The first “No Kings” on June 14th, drew more than five million people at over 2,100 rallies and protests, countrywide. The LA Times reported that tens of thousands demonstrated in the city, roiled by Trump’s recent brutal immigration enforcement. The New York Post reported that 50,000 people showed up in NYC.

June 14th was the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army, and Trump’s 79th birthday; which made him the oldest President, ever.

There were no planned protests for Washington, D.C. — organizers stated that “instead of allowing this birthday parade (below) to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day.

Trump’s “Unbirthday” Military Parade:

The June 14th parade was the largest U.S. military parade since the 1990s, but several media outlets, including the New York Times and the Wall street Journal,  reported that the crowd was sparse; TIME estimated tens of thousands came out to witness the event; Although Trump, whose preoccupation with crowd size is well known, claimed “250,000 patriots showed up to celebrate.”

In an interview at the Capitol, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, called the parade “wildly inappropriate” and said that while he has no problem celebrating the U.S. military; “We do not celebrate individual leaders. We celebrate the Constitution, and we celebrate the Country.” 

“It’s clear Trump is doing this as a celebration of his power, not as a celebration of the military,”

The Army reported expenses of $30 million; which covered the cost of hauling dozens of tanks and armored vehicles by train and truck from military bases in Texas to Wahington, D.C., travel expenses for 7,000 soldiers, Warplanes that flew overhead, and Army parachutists  that came down from the skies The Army’s tabulation does not include the cost of the parade’s significant security requirements, including the Secret Service, DHS, FBI and local police personnel required to secure a large area  of downtown Washington and monitor possible threats, or damages to the City’s infrastructure by the tanks.

The idea of one’s “unbirthday” first appeared in Lewis Carroll’s 1871 novel, “Through the Looking Glass.” (Note that I have not used the term in the same manner as Lewis Carroll.).
N.B.
The Navy, which also celebrates its 250th anniversary in October of this year, has no plans for a similar parade; neither does the Marine Corps, for its 250th in November.

The Democrat Power Center:

The day after the June protests, Trump ordered Democratic cities be “targeted with raids by immigration authorities; — he said that “he’s ordering his entire administration to attack cities that he calls “the Democrat Power Center.”

Trump’s Invasion and Occupation of American Cities Governed by Democrats:

This is “insanity.” Perhaps not a diagnosis you’d find in ICD-11, but the look and feel is definitely there.

Los Angeles:

In June, responding to protests of heavy-handed immigration raids in Los Angeles, Trump ordered 2,000 soldiers from the California National Guard into the city to “protect ICE agents. He also ordered the Pentagon to dispatch regular U.S. troops “as necessary” to support the California National Guard. 

Trump later claimed that he saved Los Angeles by deploying Marines on protestors, stating that “Los Angeles would be burning to the ground.” 

CA Gov. Newsom, another Trump boogeyman, decades younger than the President, responded with a lawsuit, noting that the President’s action threatens state sovereignty. 

Washington, D.C.:

On Aug. 11, after a “trumped up” public safety “emergency,” The President announced plans to deploy some 800 members of the Washington, D.C. National Guard to the nation’s capital. Trump claimed the deployment is part of a city-wide effort to combat violent crime such as homicides, robberies, and burglaries – even though such crimes have sharply fallen over the past two years. “This is liberation day in D.C. and we’re going to take our capital back.” These moves generated intense outrage from Congressional Democrats, while the GOP just looked the other way.

Chicago:

In early September, Trump posted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of himself in front of the Chicago skyline with helicopters, flames, and the phrase “Chipocalypse Now;” referencing, I suppose, the 1979 movie “Apocalypse Now.” “I love the smell of deportations in the morning.”

“Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker responded: “The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strongman; he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”

In early October, Trump responded on Truth Social that Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker “should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!” 

It wasn’t immediately clear what Trump was specifically objecting to with those threats, but it was an example of his deliberate calls for his opponents to be prosecuted or locked up;”— in this case, guilty of opposing his deployment of National Guard troops in their city. 

Finally, on October 9th, two hundred Texas National Guard troops started working in the Chicago area. 

Portland:

In his first term, Trump declared Portland to be an “anarchist jurisdiction.” As unlikely as that claim sounds, he carried it through to this term. NYC and Seattle also received that designation.

While addressing our military leaders (see below), he described Portland as “like a war zone and claimed the city looked like World War II.” 

In a mocking manner he related his conversation with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.: “I get a call from the liberal governor: “Sir, please don’t come in, we don’t need you.’” “I said, ‘Well, unless they are playing false tapes, this looked like World War II. Your place is burning down. I mean, you must be kidding.”

Trump repeated that claim to reporters at the White House: “I looked at Portland over the weekend. The place is burning down, just burning down … it was on fire over the weekend.”

On Sep. 27th, in a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that “at the request of the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, he was directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “provide ‘all necessary Troops’ to Portland.” He wrote that the troops would “protect War ravaged Portland” and protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities that he claimed “are under siege from attack by ‘Antifa’ and other domestic terrorists.”

Trump added that he is “authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” but without clarification.

He then issued a press release that said “the Radical Left’s reign of terror in Portland ends now,” 

Portland’s mayor, Democrat Keith Wilson, said “Our nation has a long memory of acts of oppression, and the president will not find lawlessness or violence here unless he plans to perpetrate it.”

Similarly, in September, the conservative editors at the Wall Street Journal warned the GOP that  their  failure to resist Trump’s executive power excesses will hurt their party and the country in the future; and give Democrats precedent to use the same tactics against them.

Trump and Hegseth Meet with the Military’s Senior Officers: 

Hegseth ordered some 800 military leaders with a rank of one-star general, rear admiral, or higher and senior non-commissioned officers to travel with little notice and without an agenda to Marine Corps Base Quantico. The gathering was highly unusual, given the disruption and logistical effort required to have military leadership travel from all parts of the world with only a few days’ notice; and given that the military has a well-established ability to hold secure meetings remotely.

Trump had spoken with reporters at the White House in advance of the meeting and said “I’m going to be meeting with generals and with admirals and with leaders; and if I don’t like somebody, I’m going to fire them right on the spot.”

Hegseth began the meeting with a speech extolling the “warrior ethos” to our Nation’s senior-most warriors, and promoted the new name, the Department of War, although it has not been officially changed by Congress. 

“This speech is about fixing decades of decay,” “This is part of the Trump administration’s effort to strip away the “social justice, politically correct and toxic, ideological garbage that had infected our department.” “We are done with that s***.”

He slammed “toxic leaders,” who he accused of lowering standards to make the Defense Department a “woke” culture” at the Pentagon. “He complained about “fatties” and “beardos” and went on with: “If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, you should do the honorable thing and resign.”

Trump followed Hegseth with his own speech, and was met with grim faces and silence.

As he took the stage, he said that “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before “If you want to applaud, you applaud. There was no applause. “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room.” Trump covered a range of topics in his 70 minute ramble:

• his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.  
• the “possibility” of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state.
• the quality of stationery he uses. 
• former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen. 
• his pursuit of the Nobel Peace Prize; repeating his false claim that he has “settled seven” wars.

He called for the production of more battleships, and noted that “they were building a ship a day in World War II, but we don’t build ships anymore.” He suggested that his tariffs could fund an expanded production of battleships. 

Journalist Philip Bump, national columnist for The Washington Post, wondered “Does he not realize that the military needs of 2025 are different than those of 1945?”

Amazingly, Trump then continued with “We’re under invasion from within,” “No different than a foreign enemy but more difficult in many ways because they don’t wear uniforms — at least when they’re wearing a uniform, you can take them out.

“We’ve brought back the fundamental principle that defending the homeland is the military’s first and most important priority. That’s what it is,” Trump said. “Only in recent decades did politicians somehow come to believe that our job is to police the far reaches of Kenya and Somalia, while America is under invasion from within.

At one point, Trump said he suggested to Hegseth that “We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military – not national guard, but military” – because we’re going into Chicago very soon, that’s a big city with an incompetent governor,” He noted allegations that protesters were throwing bricks at vehicles driven by federal agents and the National Guard, and suggested that military members should exit their vehicles and “do whatever the hell you want to do” in response.

The senior military officers at the meeting remained professional throughout, but never broke into applause. 

A Note on the Oath of office:

All officers of the eight uniformed services of the United States swear or affirm an oath of office upon commissioning: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. 

A senior officer in the military may question whether an order is illegal when they suspect the order is contrary to the Constitution, the laws of the United States, or lawful superior orders. They may also question an order if it appears to be manifestly illegal;—e.g., orders to target civilians or to commit crimes. 

If a senior officer has concerns about the legality of an order, they are obligated to seek clarification or confirmation of its legality. 

Author’s Thoughts: This “View has been very difficult to research and write. My approach was  to present the Administration’s issues and themes “in his own words,“ which has been gut-wrenching. He joins an ignoble body of international figures, who turned their own armies inward on the very people they were supposed to protect. 

• Adolf Hitler sent the SA, SS, and Gestapo into neighborhoods long before WWII — intimidating, silencing, and brutalizing his own citizens.
• Benito Mussolini unleashed his Blackshirts in Italian towns to attack and terrify his political opponents.
• Joseph Stalin used the NKVD and Red Army inside Soviet cities to purge, deport, and control through fear. 
• Francisco Franco in Spain kept soldiers in the streets to crush dissent and make silence a way of life.

I complete this “View” with the words of Joseph N. Welch, Special Counsel for the Army, during the televised Army-McCarthy Hearings in Washington, D.C.;   who responded on June, 9th, 1954 to Sen. Josph McCarthy’s (R-WI) specious attempt to accuse a young associate in Welch’s firm of Communist ties. 

“Until this moment, Senator, I think I have never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” Now nearly three-quarters of a century later, I feel that recent events make this poignant comment relevant again.

Editor’s Note: This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka..

About the author: Tom Gotowka’s entire adult career has been in healthcare. He will sit on the Navy side at the Army/Navy football game. He always sit on the crimson side at any Harvard/Yale contest. He enjoys reading historic speeches and considers himself a scholar of the period from FDR through JFK. A child of AM Radio, he probably knows the lyrics of every rock and roll or folk song published since 1960. He hopes these experiences give readers a sense of what he believes “qualify” him to write this column.

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Mayes-Osterman, C. “Tanks and thousands of soldiers marched in DC Army parade. What was the cost?” USA TODAY. 07/22/2025.
Marquez, A. et al. “Trump directs defense secretary to deploy troops to Portland.” NBC News. 09/27/2025.
Mitchell, E. “What to know about Trump’s DC National Guard deployment.” The Hill – 08/11/2025 
Moore, N. Trump craves a war in Chicago. Chicago Sun-Times. 10/25/2024.
Price, M. & Tareen, S. “Trump says Illinois governor and Chicago mayor should be jailed as they oppose Guard deployment.” AP. 10/08/2025.
Quinn, M. “Trump, Hegseth rally troops at rare meeting, rail against “woke” standards.” CBS News, 09/30/2025
Ray, S. “Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She’s ‘Disgusted’ Health Insurance Costs Could Double.” Forbes. 10/07/2025.
Rimmer, M. et al. “Speaker Johnson said he’d swear in new House Democrat ‘as soon as she wants.’ Now Republicans are backtracking.” CNN. 10/07/2025.
Samuels, B. “Trump on pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell: ‘I’d have to take a look at it’” The Hill. 10/06/2025
Savage, D. “Supreme Court is set to rule on Trump using troops in U.S. cities.” L A Times. 10/24/2025.  
Sentner, I. “Trump open to invoking the Insurrection Act.” Politico. 10/06/2025. 
Whisnant, G. “Opinion: Could Donald Trump invoke the Insurrection Act? What we know.” Newsweek. 10/06/2025.
Watson, K. “Arc de Trump?” President shows off model of ‘Independence Arch’.” CBS News. 10/16/2025.