Returning from vacation with the flu

It's not the souvenir you want to bring back. Just coming out of my haze, however, I have some thoughts on goings-on in the new year.

Hello all, and Happy New Year.

As you know, I was away for the holiday week, enjoying a short vacation in Paris. It was wonderful, and a great break. That is, until I suddenly developed a fever and cough and, well, you know the rest.

Luckily for me, it was on the last day of my trip. I spent the entire flight back asleep, alternating between chills and sweats, and then spent the past 36 hours or so in bed at home. All I keep hearing from people is that there’s a lot of influenza out there, even if you have your vaccine—which I have—and so my situation isn’t unique, I guess. I’m sure you have your own stories.

Anyway, just coming out of my stupor today. The great Joe Sudbay will thankfully be guest-hosting my SiriusXM program as I’m not quite 100%, but I will join him on air in the last hour of the show. And I’ll be back to hosting tomorrow.

A few very random thoughts I have as 2025 is now here, some of which I also noted on social media:

The year begins with violence—the American way—between the terror attack in New Orleans that killed 15 people and the Tesla Cybertruck explosion at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.

And of course the response has been lies and hate from Trump and the GOP. Both alleged perpetrators, now dead, were U.S. citizens who are decorated military men, one active duty, the other a veteran. But, at least in the case of the New Orleans attacker, Trump blamed it on “open borders,” as did House Speaker Mike Johnson and others, implying that the alleged attacker, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, was an immigrant when he was born and bred in Texas.

But Trump and Republicans do not care if you point out the alleged attacker is a U.S. citizen. Their whole point is that these kinds of brown people shouldn't be citizens, and their parents or grandparents shouldn't have been allowed into the country.

Anyone saying we should try to work with RFK Jr. because “he has some good ideas" is rewarding a dangerous conspiracy theorist. Democrats have got to drop this line of thinking immediately and fight this nomination tooth and nail, finding a few Republicans to join them.

Kennedy is not going to put aside the vast majority of insane ideas he has about public health—to which he is zealously committed—and only follow through on the three things you find palatable. Giving him any legitimacy is opening the door to allowing him put all of our lives at risk.

Some Democrats are saying, "We shouldn't hope Trump fails." Or some kind of variation of it, such as we shouldn’t hope “the president” fails. I get it. But come on.

First off, Trump was a failed president and will be a failed president again. No hope needed.

Secondly, what is the measure of a successful Trump presidency? That he fulfills promises to his base, installs an authoritarian state, deports millions who’ve lived in this country with their families, rips apart government agencies, slashes Social Security and Medicare, ejects transgender people from the military, and punishes his perceived enemies? Then I hope he fails.

Tomorrow is the vote for House speaker, and it looks like Mike Johnson may be in trouble, even with Trump’s support.

Between this, the MAGA civil war over H1-B visas, and the recent shutdown debacle in which Elon Musk hijacked Trump’s agenda, we’re seeing how Trump is not in control and doesn’t have his hand on the wheel.

But with regard to Johnson possibly being put through vote after vote—which could take days—and maybe not ever getting enough votes, it could put off the certification of the election. January 6th is Monday. David Dayen at the American Prospect points out the dynamics:

One problem for Republicans is that they only have three days to get the Speaker in place before January 6, when the presidential electors are confirmed by Congress, rolls around. The typical scenario for the House is that they must select a Speaker first and only move forward afterward. Members-elect aren’t even sworn in as members of the House until there’s a Speaker…

The much bigger issue is what the still-uncertain Speaker race, at this late date, says about whether a Republican trifecta can get anything done. The current leadership in the House and Senate has no track record, zero, of legislative success.

So this is all going to be very interesting.

And that’s it for now, folks. Back to resting up a bit. And I’ll be popping on the show with Joe in the third hour for those of you who are listeners and back to hosting tomorrow.