Commentary

CALL IT PROPHETIC, prescient, predictive, or just plain intuition.

The day before the celebration of D-Day, the taking of the Normandy beachhead by Allied Forces, I wrote:

“It is my hope that someone on the White House staff reminds the president of the anniversary of D-Day, and that he pays tribute to those who lost their lives.”

They didn’t.

“His memory of them is close to his heart,” press secretary Jen Psaki responded on Monday.  “His memory of them is something the president has spoken to many times in the past.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there is more we have to say on it.”

It’s too late. That’s no excuse for failing to pay tribute on the day of the anniversary, but it’s what we have come to expect from this president, who is obviously more concerned with alienating the anti-American radical left of his party.

It’s shameful.  Fifty years in public service, and Biden hasn’t achieved statesman status.

WHERE ARE THE STATESMEN?  Where’s the adult in the room, the one with broad experience, who lived and breathed political science, and could be called upon when important decisions needed to be made.  That’s a question that frequently surfaces in the Kramer household as we see the Biden administration, and its inexperienced advisors, attempt to remake America in their democratic-socialist mold.

Of course, Thomas Jefferson comes to mind, but what about in modern day history?  The likes of George P. Schultz and Lawrence Eagleburger, who, unfortunately, are no longer with us.  But there is James A Baker III, who is credited with influencing the domestic and international policies of Presidents Reagan and H. W. Bush as Secretary of State and chief of staff.

Baker wrote an op-ed in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal on a bright future for the GOP, in which he reminded readers of the three most important factors that decide elections – the economy, the economy and the economy.

Referencing the deficit piled up by Biden, Baker said, “Republicans should promote fiscal responsibility,” suggesting, “there are too few deficit hawks left in Washington.”

However, a bit of the “old Washington,” slipped into Baker’s op-ed when he cautioned, “If Republicans continue to focus on personality instead of conservative policy, they will hurt themselves in 2022 and 2024.”

He seems to forget that he credited Trump’s win in 2016 the result of Americans having grown weary of being “talked at” rather than “talked to.”  And he praised Trump for the pre-pandemic economy that boomed because of tax cuts and lifting the stifling business restrictions.

Trump is still the leader of the Republican Party.  His personality is a known quantity. That personality will help the party pick up House and Senate seats.

“If Republicans focus on the basics – pro-growth policies, strong national defense, limited government and our unity as Americans,” says Baker, “the Grand Old Party will have a bright future.”

Baker suggests that Republican must lift Americans’ aspirations, reminding us of Reagan’s “shining city on a hill,” and George H.W. Bush’s “kinder, gentler nation;” forgetting that Trump’s “make America great again,” slogan became an incomparable aspirational line.

Even statesmen with outstanding portfolios don’t get everything right.

AND FINALLY … I recently wrote of the Trump-Fauci relationship, saying that I believed the president would have fired him if it wasn’t for the poor optics that it would have created in the middle of the pandemic. The photo at left says it all.

Now, more than ever … may God continue to bless the United States of America.