WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE BOYS, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? A REPUBLICAN TRAIN WRECK?

In 1917, Howard Johnson and Percy Wenrich wrote a song entitled, "Where do we go from here?"  The ditty became a popular refrain - especially the chorus - "Oh joy, oh boy, where do we go from here? - during the First World War. The United States had entered the "War to End All Wars" as then-President Woodrow Wilson described the conflict, and American spirit was high.  After all, we had yet to experience the horrors of trench warfare on the Western Front.  Young men by the thousands volunteered to join the ranks of our troops, eager to score a quick victory for the Allied effort. As they marched, songs were sung like this one and the famous "Over There" (1918).

Though I am up in years, I am not old enough to have been one of those marching volunteers in WWI.  But, as a teacher of American History decades later, I came across these tunes and they stuck.  I had not thought about them for decades - until now.  And, given the surprise (at least for me) victory of Donald Trump in the race for the presidency, I thought it was an appropriate question to ask - "where do we go from here?"  Whether Democrats, Progressives, Republicans, Liberals, Environmentalists, Independents, think tanks, union members, business owners, corporate types, or Republicans.... the same question applies and begs for an answer - "where do we go from here boys?"

REPUBLICANS:  Traditional Republicans, fully captured by the Conservative Party 20 years ago and re-enforced by the Tea Party, find that their "deficit hawk" theme, has been abandoned by the Trump juggernaut along with balanced budgets, and their want to dismantle government "activism". With Speaker Ryan - again - talking about privatizing Social Security, transforming Medicare into a voucher program with medical savings accounts, and making medicaid a state block grant (all resurrected from a decade and more ago), it appears that the House is on a collision course with soon-to-be-President Trump.  The Donald stated over and over during the course of the campaign that he seeks an INCREASE in Social Security, an EXPANSION of Medicare and opposes any suggestion that cuts to these social programs would be in order.  And, while Trump supports the repeal of Obamacare, his clear message is that it needs to be replaced with a BIGGER AND BETTER plan that includes "everyone."  Ryan's announced plan is to repeal Obamacare, eliminate the expansion of Medicaid, and replace it with NOTHING.  In other words, remove health care access to millions of Americans that have it today due to Obamacare and the subsidies that support it.  The Ryan plan and the Trump plan are polar opposites heading for a Trump Train wreck.  One might ask Speaker Ryan whether or not he has boarded the Trump Train yet.  You will recall that his ticket was barely "punched." Ryan is attempting to ignore facts or simply does not understand that the primary and general election victory of Donald Trump has transformed the Republican Party into a more activist and populist party and not the conservative, deficit-hawk posture that they have advocated for years.  And, just maybe, that is why Ryan is delighted that Mike Pence is heading the Transition Team..... Perhaps we are witnessing the very first policy coup as President Trump's agenda is undermined from within by his "allies" on the Hill.  So, lets take a look at some other the Ryan agenda:

1. Cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and any other "entitlement" social programs. Save cash.
2. Opposes increased spending on infrastructure projects as "boondoggles" that add to the deficit.
3. Supports increased spending, however, for military "build-up." This, of course, is in spite of the
    fact  that the US military is larger than the next largest 13 national military forces ADDED
    TOGETHER.  One can only speculate that military spending has no impact on the deficit?
    (Trump supports this position, largely because he is not a deficit-sensitive person.) 
4. Repeal Obamacare and replace it with nothing or with some yet-to-be determined scaled back
    program of medical savings accounts, tax credits for buying your own health care policy, and more
    of, "you-are-on-your-own" thinking.

With the exception of the military build-up, Trump is on the opposite side of all of these.  

These are just a few "flash points" that could start the fireworks between the Republican Presidency and the Republican Congress - the Ryan wing of the Party and the new Trump Republican brand.  So far, Mike Pence has succeeded in salting the new administration with Ryan/Pence congressional allies in top administration positions - a sort of "infiltration" of the more expansive populist Trump philosophy with the deficit-hawk slash and burn attitude.  Both sides are gathering up speed.  But, instead of traveling in the same policy direction, they appear to be on a collision course.  What happens when the sparks fly and the crash happens is anyone's guess at this point.  We may very well find out who the real President is - Trump or Ryan.  But, if I were a betting man, my money would be on the Trumpster.  Stay tuned. 

By the way, have you noticed that Mitch McConnell has been silent as these obvious differences inflate as we near January 20th?  Maybe he doesn't want to be standing on the tracks when these two engines collide.