Ray Cardello

I try to write my daily articles objectively and without emotion, especially anger. That has been extremely difficult, especially when writing about Joe Biden and any member of his administration. I find it impossible to write about Elizabeth Warren without letting anger and frustration boil to the surface. The Senior Senator from Massachusetts embodies all that is wrong with long-tenured politicians in Washington. She is almost always on the wrong side of any issue, and she lacks any semblance of credibility. Whether she is fabricating her heritage for political gain or her vile comments that the CEO of United Healthcare, who was shot dead by a deranged individual upset with the health insurance industry, may have been justified because of the unfair treatment of customers by these companies, you can always count on her moments at the microphone being offensive. She is an almost radical progressive politician whose policies have been detrimental to America but is unbeatable in socialist Massachusetts. This week, Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth is in her crosshairs.

You will never see a sports team call in the press after finishing at the bottom of the standings to tout your season’s success. Nobody wants to hear how you worked hard and reached your goal of securing the number one draft pick. To do so would be embarrassing, and everyone would see it as self-grandiosity. But that is exactly what Joe Biden did on Monday. This act was a pure example of gaslighting, which has been the most significant output of the Joe Biden White House.

You will never see a sports team call in the press after finishing at the bottom of the standings to tout your season's success. Nobody wants to hear how you worked hard and reached your goal of securing the number one draft pick. To do so would be embarrassing, and everyone would see it as self-grandiosity. But that is exactly what Joe Biden did on Monday. This act was a pure example of gaslighting which – to its credit – is the only thing it has been good at.

The confirmation process for the president’s cabinet members, ambassadors, and principal officers of his administration is twofold. The president’s responsibility is to nominate people who are qualified for the job, align with the commander-in-chief’s vision, and are of high character. The Senate then performs its duty to advise and consent through committee hearings and a vote of the entire Senate. It sounds like it should be a very civil process, and in a perfect world, it would be. We live in a world far from perfect, and despite our hope that the country and maybe its leaders had turned a corner in November, the initial hearings to confirm the Trump nominees will be business as usual. By usual, I mean partisan and contentious. The Democrats did not get the message sent by the American people that they rejected the ways of the last four years and wanted Donald Trump behind the wheel. They also want him to have the team of his choice to get the job done. You do not have to watch the entire session. Watch the short sessions of Senators Warren, Hillenbrand, Duckworth, and Hirono to take the temperature of the hearings. The Democrats have no intention of rubber-stamping Trump’s selections. They will use their time to berate the character and qualifications and remind people of what they had to do in Trump’s first term to keep him under control. They understand their job to confirm, but they will get some retribution.

The “Kid From Scranton” gave his final address to the nation on Wednesday evening. Joe Biden sat behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office and had difficulty navigating the teleprompter, but had the support of Jill, Hunter, Kamala, and the Second Husband who sat close by. The White House Family was clad in black in a scene reminiscent of any Italian wake. That scene is appropriate for a presidency that is on life support and will soon be pronounced dead. It was a dark setting for a very dark speech. Traditionally, the final presidential speech is an upbeat and light recollection of the president’s term and a positive outlook for the future. The tradition was not in play last night as Biden continued down the dark, gloomy, angry mood he had been in since he was removed from the election in July. This was an opportunity for the president to be better served by calling for a pass.

The “Kid From Scranton” gave his final address to the nation on Wednesday evening. Joe Biden sat behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office and had difficulty navigating the teleprompter, but had the support of Jill, Hunter, Kamala, and the Second Husband who sat close by. The White House Family was clad in black in a scene reminiscent of any Italian wake. That scene is appropriate for a presidency that is on life support and will soon be pronounced dead.

We know the Chinese, and therefore the CCP, are infiltrating every aspect of our lives. It is challenging to purchase anything in America that does not have the Made in China label. Some of us make a conscious effort to buy American, knowing that if we can source our needs, they will be more costly, but it is a very time-consuming and frustrating process. Accepting the economic impact and the proliferation of cheap Chinese goods is one thing, but it is the threat to our national security that China poses that should alarm every one of us. I believe that most Americans are concerned about the Chinese threat, but we are worried about the ambivalence of our government in taking action against known threats. It makes you wonder the extent of the Chinese influence on our political leaders and, in effect, the Justice Department right down to our local police. We everyday citizens see things happening, but also see law enforcement turn their heads.

It was only a 15-minute address—not really long enough to warrant cleaning off the resolute desk or bringing in the cameras. It probably took longer to get Kamala and Jill to sit beside each other. I can picture that scene as reminiscent of getting a sixth grader to sit next to a first grader on my bus. But, because of the dark tone and delivery by Joe Biden, his last farewell speech was painful and seemed longer than a Fidel Castro marathon oration.

What a fantastic convergence of events on a beautiful but cold Monday morning in January. Not only do we recognize Dr. Martin Luther King and crown a NCAA National Football Champion tonight, but we watch as the government hierarchy gathers in the Capital Rotunda to witness the swearing-in of the 47th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. Today feels a bit different than recent transfers of power. We come together every four years to usher in a new President and Administration. Still, this year feels more encouraging and uplifting than its predecessors, as there seems to be hope that our country has been saved from the spiral of Obama and Biden. Obviously, it is an editorial comment, and the other side will see today differently. Still, an honest individual looking and listening with unfiltered senses will admit that we had been, if not derailed, pulled off course. Today, we witness the dawning of a return to common sense and traditional values that this country was built on but has relied on for nearly 250 years. It is a day that those of us who believe in the Conservative movement feared may never come again. In President Trump, we have the energy and vision to guide us, and J.D. Vance, we have the stability, wisdom, and future to allow us to complete the job of recovering the United States of America.

The opportunity facing the Republicans is a once in a generation moment similar to the Reagan Presidency. Reagan and Trump were each succeeding two of the worst presidents ever to reside in the White House, with a resounding mandate from the voters. The Left will debate the presence of a mandate because of the relatively close vote counts, but Trump is the first President since Reagan to win the Electoral College and vote total, and winning every swing state gives Trump the bragging rights of a mandate. Trump is coming in with a high approval rating and one of the strongest support teams in history. The Republicans have a slim margin in both Houses, but if they stick together, they can accomplish much in the next two years, which is the window they should be looking at. The Republicans have a razor-thin advantage, and tradition shows the sitting party does not fare well in the midterm elections. If Trump can be as productive as he claims and the trend to the center-right holds, that tradition may not repeat in 2026.