Insider v. Outsider

As noted, much of my career has been involved with designing and implementing organizational change. Certainly not on the DOGE scale, but for organizations employing thousands in many cases. As Farmers Insurance likes to say, I know a few things (hopefully) because I've seen a few things.

Whenever pervasive transformation and restructuring are called for the question of whom should lead is paramount. An Outsider who is loyal to the mission and likely has effected transformations before? Or an Insider who knows how the current system works, understands the culture and where the skeletons lie? Arguments can be made for both.

The Trump presidency is geared to effect massive transformations on multiple fronts. Already, several appointments are being excoriated for having no hands on experience with the function they are slated to lead. Hegseth at Defense, Patel at FBI, Gabbard at DNI and others.

Experience has taught me that the Outsider is almost always the better bet. No matter how much experience the Insider might have with the current organization or how strongly he or she professes to support the new mission, there are always strings attached. Relationships, obligations, mistakes and transgressions from the past.

There is one key to success for the Outsider. The Outside leader of change must designate several Insider lieutenants whom he can trust, not only to be loyal to the mission, but also to help avoid the landmines. It is a balancing act but one that is essential to optimizing outcomes. Too many outsiders surround themselves with direct reports from their past who also have no insider knowledge. This leads to decisions in a vacuum and inevitably increases the risks of covert subterfuge, insidious resistance and outright failure.

No entity is more intractable than the Federal government with its thousands of career employees who simply dither while they stall and wait for a new Administration. Change leadership is crucial to success. Especially sustainable success.

(As an aside - I have been directly involved in eight different industries from an ownership standpoint and hundreds as a consultant. I know one does not have to grow up in a business to improve its performance.)

Don't forget the best Prez of all was a Movie Actor.

Naughty Al

A coalition of Black churches is calling on MSNBC to suspend and investigate Rev. Al Sharpton after his nonprofit accepted $500,000 in donations from Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign.

"This type of action puts a moral stain on the integrity of the Black Church," the National Black Church Initiative wrote Tuesday, urging MSNBC to investigate the Harris campaign's payment.

The coalition says it represents 150,000 churches and 27.7 million members across the country and "is very concerned that one of our leaders was selling our votes to Kamala Harris's campaign." 

How about a Nice Bookmobile

Pundits are speculating that Dem donors are so pissed at Biden that his presidential library may end up being a snazzy bookmobile. They blame him for losing (his marbles) and ending up with Kamala.

Another sterling example of liberal hypocrisy. These very same donors have known for 3.99 years that the man was mentally incompetent and yet they covered it up and dove in head first. Serves them oh so right! Just like throwing dollars at WOKE /DEI Alma maters.

Name the D Line after Him

Daniel Penny. Talk about leftwing lawfare. This US Marine stepped in to protect innocents on a NY Subway from a looney bin threatening to kill them and he's on trial. He should be getting a parade and a medal. Or better yet, a subway line named after him. Not prosecution. More legal garbage from the Big Apple.

UPDATE (Monday 12/9): A Christmas Miracle. Jury acquits. More Trump Effect! Despite crooked judges & prosecutors.

Maybe it's a sign when the policemen called to the scene of the crime decline to arrest, it says something about guilt. Ya think?

Chinee Eco Warfare

The Chinese Communist Party has destroyed millions of American jobs and stolen trillions of dollars in American intellectual property. Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio and Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley, (along with other Senators) have authored a comprehensive repeal of China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations. This new legislation would decouple the U.S. and Chinese economies and end China’s economic war on American workers and businesses. 

In 2000, Biden granted Permanent Normal Trade Relations to China and provided the CCCP with open access to the American economy. He and his leftwing cronies claimed China would become freer as it grew rich and that our companies would benefit from fair and free access to over 1.2 billion Chinese consumers. (especially the Biden Crime Family). What a joke? They just don't get it. Or just don't care. CHINA HATES US! WE ARE ENEMIES!!!!

What happened? The Chinese Communist Party became more repressive, and the Chinese people became less free. The Chinese government has committed every economic crime imaginable, treated our companies unfairly, and closed thousands of American factories. Since 2000, the United States has lost over 4 million manufacturing jobs, and it’s estimated that our country loses up to $600 billion in intellectual property theft every year, primarily to China.  

Beijing also uses its economic leverage to censor American leaders, American companies and even American movies, entertainment and news. Worst of all, China has used our stolen wealth to build the largest military in the world. Beijing could never have arrayed its present military might, without economic exploitation of our nation.  

Properly used, tariffs could go a long way to righting the ship. Tee shirts may cost more, but this thievery and abuse will be short circuited. Time to kick some Chinee ass. This really is a matter of National Security.

Liar, liar, pants...

Critics of Trump's plan to eliminate birthright citizenship conveniently omitted key words from the Constitution.

NBC Meet the Press host Kristen Welker said on Sunday that the 14th Amendment "states all persons in the United States are citizens. Can you get around the 14th Amendment with executive action?" she asked. Can you guess which words Ms. Welker left out?

"All persons born … in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, shall be citizens of the United States,".

Meanwhile pregnant mothers cross however illegally to give birth here. The last reliable count was 275,000 per year. Total rubbish. Has to stop. Once it does immediate impact will be obvious. As it was when Biden hung out the "All are Welcome" sign in 2020.

Speaking of falsehoods and gaffes, the Queen (Jean-Pierre) had one more as she slithers off the stage. She got the polls backwards and said 64% of Americans support the Hunter pardon. Actually it was a mere 34% of Americans (which I presume still includes Democrats, although I'm not quite sure why.)

Pinky Swear

Soon, soon, CME will shift from highlighting the foibles of the Biden/Harris experience and move on to the exciting future ahead. But I must be clear. It is not easy as Biden provides new fodder daily. It's somewhat ironic, isn't it? The guy is getting more done in his last 40 days than he did in the past four years. He is working 24/7 (10-4) to jam through as much spending and contra-America acts as he possibly can. Anything and everything to reward his cronies and thwart the agenda Americans voted for in record numbers. Such a dirt bag.

Just waiting for all the pardons for the rest of the Biden Crime Family. Bank records (despite herculean efforts to block by the FBI) show at least $23 million flowed to the Bidens from foreign sources. Trump builds hotels and buildings all over the world, so it's obvious where his revenue comes from. What did the Bidens ever do to earn $23 million plus? Trump, little doubt, sacrificed family wealth for America. Biden sacrificed America to line his pockets.

R-E-C-O-N-C-I-L-I-A-T-I-O-N

To Reconcile: "Restore Friendly Relations".

Well, in the US Congress, reconciliation means anything but. It is a mechanism first used in 1980 basically as a workaround. The concept is simple. Pass legislation with only 51% of votes. Its intent is simple too. Avoid the dreaded filibuster. Its necessity is based on the pathetic inability of our elected representatives to work together for the good of the country and its citizens.

Put into effect in 1974 (Congressional Budget Act), reconciliation has been used to enact 30 some bills. Included are such significant pieces of legislation as major deficit reduction bills in the 1980s and 1990s, welfare reform in 1996, the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, the Trump tax cuts in 2017, and the American Rescue Plan under Joe Biden. It also played a big role in shaping the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Republicans tried and failed to use reconciliation to repeal large parts of the Affordable Care Act in 2016 and 2017. President Obama vetoed the 2016 attempt and the “no” votes of three Republican senators blocked the 2017 effort.

Budget reconciliation bills can deal with spending, revenue, and the federal debt limit, and the Senate can pass one bill per year affecting each subject. Congress can thus pass a maximum of three reconciliation bills per year, though in practice it has often passed a single reconciliation bill affecting both spending and revenue.

Here's why reconciliation exists...Congress is supposed to pass a blueprint for tax and spending bills called a budget resolution. A budget resolution requires approval of a majority vote in the House and in the Senate. The Congressional Budget Act permits the use of the reconciliation process only if the House and Senate first agree on a budget resolution that includes “reconciliation instructions,” that is, dollar targets for committees to raise or lower spending or revenues for a given fiscal year or a period of years. Such resolutions do not detail what specific legislative changes a committee should adopt to meet its targets.

Congress has passed all of its required appropriations measures on time only four times in recent history. Fiscal 1977, 1989, 1995, and 1997. Four times in almost 50 years. Not once in the last 27 years. Talk about gridlock. How about we get some adults in the room?

Anyway, it is all but certain that Reconciliation will be used to jump start Trump's presidency. New majority Leader John Thune is pushing for two bites at the apple. The first Reconciliation would be used to resource the border and energy strategies and the second to ensure the Trump tax cuts (after some tweaking) are extended. Based on the plans and actions of idiots like Gavin Newsom (Trump-proofing CA), we have little choice. The fact that Trump won a convincing majority in the electoral college and even the popular vote is all but ignored by the enemy. Who cares what Americans want? Only the government knows best. So, let's reconcile!

Stop Here If You Don't Know What CFB Stands For

The Transfer Portal and NIL have completely changed College Football. Particularly the Portal, which Monday saw a record day. There's never quite been a day in the transfer portal's history.  As of Monday evening (the first day of the Portal), there are already 1,537 players FBS players listed in the NCAA database. Last year the first day saw 530 register.

It was such an overwhelming number that a key analytics database, which many schools use to track portal entrants, crashed for a good portion of the morning. The server couldn't handle the load.

The impact on CFB is inestimable. No longer is it possible to stockpile four and five star underclassmen. Studs are no longer willing to ride the pines for a year or two to play for Alabama or Ohio State. If a highly ranked freshman or sophomore doesn't start, kiss him good bye. Reminds me of One & Done in College Hoops.

Speaking of the Nutso in CFB, I had to laugh when I read Bill Belichick was reportedly hired ($10 mil) for the North Carolina job. Can you imagine that crusty old bastard sitting in a living room in south Alabama in February trying to sweet talk some 18 year old offensive tackle into coming to Chapel Hill? Worth the price of admission.