Not that anyone will have noticed, but I haven’t had much to say recently. Truth be told, middle daughter gave her technologically challenged dad one of those gizmos that turns your television into a “smart” TV. As a result, I have been binge-watching old series that I never watched when they first ran years ago.

I admit, not a very productive use of time, but it is good to know that Alfred and Uhtred saved Wessex from the Danes, and that there are enough Star Trek offshoots out there to save us from any number of predator species wandering through this, or any other, galaxy.

I have not become a total recluse, but whenever I poke my nose out to sniff the prevailing political winds, nothing much seems to have changed.

Our president remains true to form, and that form still seems at times to border (no pun intended) on the grotesque. In a recent example, where was the percentage in holding government workers’ paychecks hostage in an attempt to force funding for a wall, fence, barrier, or whatever it is called in the moment, when the president failed to get that same funding during the two years his political party controlled the House and Senate, as well as the property at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

And as sure as God made little green apples, his loyalists remain true.

To be honest, from time to time I find myself more than a little envious of the Trump faithful. It must be a comfort to see everything in black and white and have a president ready to instruct the faithful as to which is which—whether it is or is not. It avoids the inconvenient discomfort and uncertainty of attempting to acquire, process, and act upon information as an individual.  Many of the Trump faithful seem to need nothing more than a robust round of chanting “Stand fast, Mr. President” to substitute for any semblance of critical thinking.

And then there is the Congress. On one side of the aisle, there are too many members, fearing a primary challenge, who are unwilling to do the job to which they were elected – as if their own individual political fate is more important than the fate of the country, they took an oath to serve and defend. On the other side, there is a hyper-energetic class of freshmen legislators who seem to lack the patience required to learn to walk before they begin the sprint towards 2020, running the risk of falling flat on their faces, which, given their collective potential, would be a national tragedy.

And 2020 looms over everything.

If our president wants re-nomination, in a monochromatic party dominated by his faithful and representing an ever-shrinking slice of the electorate, he has it.

As for the Democrats, they see a weakened president ripe to be beaten. Because of his perceived vulnerability, there is no shortage of Democrat challengers. They should bear some things in mind.

First, the president is not as weak as some Democrats think he is. He retains the absolute loyalty of at least one-third (and probably a little more) of the electorate. Democrat candidates would kill to have that many votes in the bank before the campaign even begins.

Second, speaking of killing, as the multitude of Democrat candidates elbow and gouge out each other’s eyes in order to gain advantage, or resort to political correctness run amuck, the real possibility exists that the survivor may enter the fall campaign as damaged goods. Challenge each other’s ideas but avoid gratuitous swipes at each other’s character. Ronald Reagan got that one right.

Third, there is yet another billionaire businessman out there making noises about an independent run for the presidency. Don’t ignore him. The political legacy of George Wallace, Ross Perot, John Anderson, Jill Stein, and Ralph Nader could repeat itself—in spades.

Finally, according to the nation’s professional investigators of crime, the evidence is conclusive that there was foreign involvement aimed at influencing the outcome of the 2016 election. Being forewarned should encourage being forearmed. Spend what it takes to beef up security. Reportedly, members of the Obama Administration had information about foreign involvement but said little to avoid charges of trying to influence the race themselves. That was a mistake that should only be made once. As the current wisdom goes, “if you see something, say something.”

And as for myself, I’ll be around, but while I’m a bit embarrassed to admit to it, I am really getting into “Poldark.”