Washington DC has special seasons. Cherry blossoms in the spring, tourists in the summer, and my personal favorite festival is the “Principles Be Damned” festival held every four years.
It’s a magical time as a new president takes office. We witness the surprising phenomenon of politicians learning that everything they were screaming about for four years was actually perfectly fine.
This winter will be no exception. Here are some of the convenient conversions:
Supreme Court “Reform”
Democrats have spent four years trying to convince Biden to take the Supreme Court, or at least implement a plan to replace conservative justices with liberals. They even formed a whole world of “watchdogs” to tarnish the court’s reputation and trigger such reforms.
Their sudden memory loss begins after 40 days. Only the most radical Republicans will raise the flag, and they will be branded “anti-democratic” by the remnants of the media machine.
executive order
Remember when Republicans thought Biden’s executive orders were one step away from full-blown Stalinism? Now watch how quickly “unconstitutional overreach” turns into “bold executive leadership.”
Meanwhile, Democrats who treated Biden’s $400 billion student vote-buying plan as if it were the second coming of the New Deal will suddenly discover that bypassing Congress is basically the creepy equivalent of heading to a fascist state.
Senate filibuster
“I was very clear: I think we need to eliminate the filibuster on Roe and get to the point where we need 51 votes.” — Kamala Harris, 2024
“The filibuster has deep roots in racism and should not be allowed to perform that function. “It is an evil tool used to kill legislation supported by the majority of Americans.” — Senator Elizabeth Warren, 2022
Don’t be surprised if Senator Warren suddenly supports racism and evil tools this January.
government spending
The current national debt of the United States is $95,000 per capita. Who cares? Only Rand Paul and either political party lost power.
Democrats who treated the Treasury like a casino ATM will suddenly unleash their inner Milton Friedman. The $31 trillion debt they ignored while funding gender research in Pakistan? This is a crisis.
Meanwhile, Republicans, who have been stunted for years by the debt limit, will rediscover the secret formula of spending more, using some kind of leveraged debt, and then applying magic coupons to reduce the debt. So don’t worry!
Ministry of Justice
Get ready for the fastest change since Bruce Jenner. From the moment the DOJ investigates a Democrat, it will go from a “defender of democracy” to a “threat to the republic.” (And yes, this may take some time.)
Bonus Quote:
“The president should take a senility test!”
“Man, how can the president take so much vacation and pretend to run the country?”
“Of course, the president and his staff must be protected by executive privilege.”
“Wow, the president’s kid is in jail because of that. Damn you.”
The list goes on, but you get the point. By spring this positional swap will be complete and both sides will act as if they have always been where they stand now.
In Washington, principles aren’t really principles. The principles are merely temporary talking points awaiting the next administration. And that may be the only honest thing in politics.
Ken LaCorte writes about censorship, media malfeasance, uncomfortable questions, and honest insights for people who wonder how the world really works. Follow Ken on Substack
