The Old Republican Party is Dead

This past Tuesday, May 5th, Indiana held its primary elections.  Those who went to bed early woke up to find that Trump endorsed candidates had swept at the ballot box with five out of seven challengers beating incumbent state senators.  Outside of that, one state senator who voted against redistricting lost to a non-Trump backed candidate while a Trump backed candidate won a three way primary.  The President had a good night this week and one that will play a key role in shaping future policy in the state.

This marks a continued trend, though, of Trump backed candidates winning across the country as he has had a high success rate with his endorsement over the past decade.  After all, his candidates have won 90% of primaries and more than a majority in the general elections of both midterms and Presidential election years.  Sure, one could say this doesn’t matter as much since much of his domestic agenda has stalled in Congress and many of his backed candidates could have won anyway.  However, those points are irrelevant as Trump is reshaping the Republican party with his endorsed candidates getting elected, which means the party will be the vehicle for his platform going forward long after he’s out of the White House while the old party fades away.

Now Trump’s not purely the reason that a lot of incumbents are finding themselves facing early retirement.  The truth is that most of them are just old and out of touch with where the times are.  Several of them were in politics for decades and times have changed.  Finding themselves out of touch, it was only a matter of time before they found themselves either leaving gracefully or being pulled out of their offices.

Indiana is a reflection of that better than any state as most of the redistricting opponents have been there for decades.  Both Sens. Jim Buck and Greg Walker originally intended to retire this year, which probably made sense since the latter was in the state senate for about two decades and the former was in the state legislature for three.  Sen. Travis Holdman, who claimed his district opposed redistricting efforts, has been a state senator since 2008 and was also removed.  Meanwhile, the only two non-redistricting senators that survived the primary, Sens. Greg Goode and Spencer Deery, only became senators within the last five years.  So a lot of the election was a replacement of the old guard.

That’s generally happening across the U.S. political spectrum as a whole.  Various Trump critics/opponents that had positions in the GOP like Robert Mueller, Dick Cheney, and John McCain have all passed away.  Others, like Mitt Romney, John Boehner, and John Kasich have all retired.  In reality, a lot of Trump critics were the ones from the yesteryears of either the Bush or Clinton administrations, and they’re finding themselves removed because they’re simply too old.  So a lot of what’s happening under Trump is just the natural transition of the old guard leaving.

Unfortunately for NeverTrumpers, the fact that incumbents are leaving or being aged out doesn’t mean that this isn’t beneficial to the President.  Far from it as he is the one replacing them.  As mentioned earlier, many of his candidates are winning primaries, and, even if they don’t win the general election, having so many successful candidates win nominations means that the party will be taken over by people open to the President’s agenda.

After all, elections have consequences and they can cause ripple effects.  In Indiana, there’s already calls to replace the Senate Pro Tempore from his position.  Also, new discussions on redistricting once he’s gone are coming up, which means Trump could get his new districts in the state of Indiana.  Unsurprisingly, the states of Florida, Tennessee, and more seem to have gotten the message and are now approving new districts.  We’ll see if they survive potential court challenges, but this will set precedents for redistricting that will outlast the President.  So his influence will be far reaching because it will set a precedent for future politicians or legal precedent for rejecting such legislation.

That is reflected in the makeup of the national party as well.  Already, the future candidates for President and thus leadership of the party include members of his administration like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance so the 2028 nominee will likely be a continuation of the Trump era.  Their candidacies are also worth noting because many former critics of his administration like them and Lindsey Graham are now strong supporters of his Presidency.  Meanwhile, former supporters like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Joe Kent that have turned hardcore critics are no longer in office anymore and can only complain about him to the media and on podcasts.  Also, certain politicians like Sen. Rand Paul and Congressman Thomas Massie are still in office (at the time of writing this post), but they’re simply individuals that don’t seem to be influencing future nominees for office (yet).  So in the long run, it looks like Trump is going to influence the party for a while as his candidates win.

So, now that Donald Trump is taking over the Republican party, what does that mean for the future of the average voter?  Will the Republican become the shining example of patriotic nationalism dedicated to bringing about an almost religious love of the United States?  Will many NeverTrumpers make peace with the Democrats and mount a counter offensive, relegating the Republican party to a junior party nationally?

Well, that’s a question for another day, but some of the implications might be discussed in a future blogpost.

Michelle Davis for State Senate

Today I’m writing to endorse Michelle Davis for State Senate.  She’s a proud Hoosier with a passion for public service and a dedication for the wellbeing of the general public.  From serving as the Director of Adult Education at the Central Nine Career Center to her position as State Representative in the Indiana General Assembly, she will take that experience and continue to work for her constituents in the state senate.

As a legislator, she’s also backed policies to protect Hoosiers and their heritage.  She’s a proud supporter of the second amendment, authored the bill to keep men out of women’s sports, pushed legislation to allow the display of the Ten Commandments in schools, and promises to defend life from conception to natural death.  That’s why she’s received the endorsement of Senator Jim Banks, Governor Mike Braun, Congresswoman Erin Houchin, Right to Life Indiana, and State Treasurer Daniel Elliott.  There is no person better suited to support a conservative agenda, promoting public safety, and improving education in the state.  For that reason, remember to vote Michelle Davis for State Senate on Tuesday, May 5th.

What the Heck is Going on at the Pentagon?

Strange things are going on at the Pentagon.  That’s hardly surprising knowing the U.S. government, but the actions taken under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have been confounding.  I could mention the fact that the Pentagon is now soliciting car manufacturers to start building weapons, or I could mention how much they were spending on lobster, but neither is the point of this blogpost.  No, the purpose of this blogpost is to discuss the strange religious news that keeps coming from the US’s military.

Most prominently, there was an announcement of lawsuits claiming that various military commanders were saying that Trump had been anointed by God to start Armageddon by invading Iran.  Those who have studied the book of Revelation would know that that’s not how the apocalypse works, and the lack of magisterial sanctioning should be more than enough cause for its rejection.  However this was not the only strange spiritual statement coming from the Pentagon.

This year, Hegseth also had a pastor lead a worship service at the Pentagon, and that same pastor later called for bans on Eucharistic processions for being idolatry.  Also, Pete Hegseth quoted a Bible verse from Pulp Fiction that was only based on a verse from the book of Ezekiel.  So there seems to be a recurring theme of religious fervor at the Pentagon, but none of it is based on a sound foundation.

It would be easier if this could be blamed purely on one cabinet official, but this has expanded beyond the War Department.  For whatever reason, the President decided to post an image of himself as Jesus on social media, and his senior advisor to the White House Faith Office once said “saying no to Trump would be saying no to God.”  So there is a growing spirituality in the White House that seems to idolize the President.

One could wonder why these events are happening.  It’s possible that we may be living in a country where the leader believes himself to be a God, but he has denied as much and claimed the Jesus image was an accident so there’s no direct evidence of that.  It would be easy to write this off as a self-serving manipulation of scripture to serve his agenda, but the line between fanaticism and selfishness has traditionally been a very confusing one.  It’s possible then that there is some genuine attempt at spirituality, though a tragically misguided one.

After all, there has been discussion of the President’s spirituality.  Former Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan once said that Trump takes his faith seriously.  Similarly, the President had created a religious freedom board that included multiple prominent bishops, including Bishop Barron, who has both worked with and opposed him at times, and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, whose diocese is one of the few in the U.S. that is providing new priests above replacement.  So it’s not as simple to write this off as completely disingenuous unless we doubt the sincerity of these bishops as well.

Also, there are members of his administration who have been outwardly religious and yet not in a self-serving way.  Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. once said before getting his position that he prays 30 minutes a day.  Similarly, JD Vance converted to Catholicism long before running for senate.  He’s had his contentions with the church, such as his spat with Pope Francis, yet he met with the pope shortly before his passing and has apologized for other spats.  So there is a case that there is sincerity in the faith of these men.

So that does beg the question then as to what might be motivating these strange actions from Washington.  Well, I’m not talking to these people so I couldn’t guess what’s in their hearts.  Still, these have been strange actions indeed and it should cause concern for the average Christian.

Now, before leaving, I’m going to leave advice when navigating these troubled times.  First of all, the book of Psalms warns “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help.”  All humans are fallible and prone to sin, so putting them as the center of salvation inevitably ends in destruction.  It’s why we need to trust in God above all things.

Second, St. Faustina once wrote that “Satan can even clothe himself in a cloak of humility, but he does not know how to wear the cloak of obedience.” Whatever is said by anyone, a person must always be in obedience to God’s will first and foremost.  When they reject it, it will usually reveal evil and for that reason must be ignored.

Finally, Proverbs 19:21 states “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.”  Whatever we choose to put our support behind, it is God’s  Will that we must prioritize.  So when choosing which side to be on, we should always do our best to prioritize that.  If we abide by those three rules, I think we’ll turn out alright.

A Trip to St. Meinrad

Last month, I had the good fortune to go visit St. Meinrad, an Archabbey in southern Indiana.  I make the pilgrimage out there normally once per year, but this time it was different.  This time I went with members of my church.

Now, before we continue, I’m going to give the backstory on the Archabbey.  St. Meinrad was founded in 1854 by Benedictine Monks who came to Indiana at the request of a local priest who needed help serving the pastoral needs of the local German community and help preparing future priests.  The layout of the main building includes a church connected to the monastery that houses the monks, and it is also connected to a multi-story school that houses artwork, classrooms, offices, and whatever the school needs.  Across from the entrance of the school is the campus library and across from the side of the school opposite the monastery is a theater for live performances and films (which is where I first saw Minions 4).  Besides that, there’s a pub behind the library that is run by seminarians, and a guest house up the road that most guests stay at that provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the retreat.  It’s a short walk to the church from the guest house with a statue of St. Meinrad between the two.

Saint Meinrad of Einsiedeln the man was himself a Benedictine monk who is known as the martyr of hospitality.  Living as a hermit, people would come to visit him for spiritual guidance and give him gifts that he passed along to others.  Two men later murdered him in the hope they could get the gifts he was being given, thus being attacked for his good will towards those he knew.  St. Meinrad the Archabbey, meanwhile, embodies the ethic of the saint and his hospitality by providing food, housing, and spiritual experiences for guests who arrive and come visit.

Going back to visiting, most of my past experiences had been very self-guided.  There was always a tour and opportunities for spiritual direction, but most of it was built more on getting away from the rest of the world and spending time with God.  Going to the one through my current church though, had more events and was more group oriented.

I was initially going to drive alone, but the fellow who was serving as the point of contact for the event had suggested going on a carpool as a way to help build fraternity.  After reconsideration, I took up the suggestion and asked for a ride.  So I took a trip down with a fellow from my church who was originally born in Germany.

We had good conversations; discussing politics, religion, philosophy, and just about any topic that came up.  He and I did not always agree, but that made it all the more interesting.  After that, we stopped by the Monte Cassino Shrine, a small chapel not far from the Archabbey’s campus, and did a rosary together.  It was a real pleasure to do all that with him and made me all the more grateful I agreed to take a ride.

Besides that, there were a lot of opportunities to spend time with the other members of the retreat.  I got to talk to members of my church (and a neighboring one) at the Archabbey pub, the dining room, and a retreat room where we shared drinks.  I even got to see a friend of mine from the Knights of Columbus become an Oblate in a Benedictine lay group.  We got to share our interests, beliefs, hobbies, and just about anything else.  It gave me a real sense of connection with my church and faith community, one that can’t really be put into words but of which, I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Nevertheless, the highlight of the trip was the talks given by Brother Zachary.  The theme of his talks were on hope and its meaning.  Specifically, hope is not merely a good feeling that things might turn out alright.  It is to wait.

God has promised us that we will be reunited with him when we die.  That all our suffering does matter and that we are connected to him, even when we can’t feel it.  We have hope that God will make good on his promise to us, come hell or high water, because he loves us and promises us his glory.

Now, there are many obstacles to hope that test us and drip us on our path.  People leaving the faith, the decline of institutions, and personal tragedies that can make us lose sight of God, and thus lose hope.  Yet, if what God says is true, then we will get through it and, through the Holy Spirit, he will give us the power to do so.

Which is why we must remain obedient (one of the key values of the Benedictine order) to the will of God.  We must do as he commands, and trust in his plan, even when it seems impossible or makes no sense.  So we as Christians have to trust in him, remain obedient (to listen), and keep moving forward in service to him.  For we believe that there is something waiting for us when this is over, and it will be worth every hardship, or even because of them.

Well, the final day came and the retreat ended with Mass.  The Gospel reading was on the transfiguration, and the fellow I rode with had a lot of thoughts on it so it was fun to pick his brain.  We stuck around for lunch, had one last round of conversations, and then went home.  An all around perfect end to a perfect weekend.

I told several people there that I was going to write this when it was over.  I didn’t want the trip just to be an event that happened and then I moved on from there.  I wanted the experiences and Br. Zachary’s words to stay with me, and the memories made with the people I met to stick around.  So, I’m happy to report I accomplished that.

To those given a similar opportunity to go on a retreat, a conference, or a trip with your church, definitely try to take it.  It’s an opportunity to make friends, grow in faith, and maybe even learn something about yourself.  These are experiences that can’t be quantified, but are definitely worthwhile.

Is Marco Rubio Running the White House?

The headline is extremely clickbaity, but it’s a question that might be worth asking.  Since being confirmed as Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has been heavily involved in some of the most important international political events of the still developing 21st century, and his influence only seems to be expanding with each passing day as more situations globally keep developing.  It might be worth investigating how much influence he has, then, and how his role continues to develop.

So to start off with, a little background on Marco Rubio.  Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, Rubio would go on to serve on the Senate Committee on Intelligence (where he was the acting chair and then ranking member) and the Committee on Foreign Relations.  He also served on the Committee on Appropriations, which, while not directly dealing with foreign affairs, does have full jurisdiction over all discretionary spending and military spending constitutes 56% of the federal discretionary budget.  So he was very heavily influential in government legislative committees that focused on foreign and military affairs.

Of note, he had a particularly prominent history of supporting military intervention in foreign affairs.  In the senate, he supported the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, supported giving ammunition to Syrian rebels during the civil war under Bashar al-Assad, pushed against establishing diplomatic ties with Cuba during the Obama administration, called for revolution in Venezuela and met with an opposition leader that was accused of attempting a coup by the Maduro government, supported increased military ties with China’s neighbors (and enemies), etc.  Of note, during the 2016 presidential primaries, he was the candidate who called for use of military force third most out of all of them according to the CATO institute (Trump was dead in the center between most calls and least calls).  So he has a history of wanting to use military force to accomplish America’s foreign policy objectives.

This is noticeable because since he’s become Secretary of State and National Security Advisor (the first to hold both positions at the same time since Henry Kissinger back in the 70s), the Trump administration has taken a noticeably more hawkish tone since its first term.  Similarly, many of Rubio’s policy agendas when he was in the senate have been coming to fruition.  During his tenure as Secretary of State, the US has captured now former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, placed an oil embargo on Cuba while talking about regime change, and placed steeper tariffs on China while pushing stronger military relations with Japan.  In addition, the US has pushed to take Greenland and has created the largest military buildup in the middle east around since the Iraq War due to a growing possibility of war with Iran (a country which Senator Rubio supported sanctions on).  So it seems like much of Rubio’s agenda in the senate is being reflected by the Trump administration.

Now, one could argue that Trump possibly changed his mind during his four years out of the office.  Besides, many of these countries are ones he clashed with during his first term as President.  After all, he did take out the leader of Iran’s Quds force, struck Syria, and recognized Venezuela’s opposition leader as the real head of the country’s government during his first term.  He’s also been a long term critic of China so being strong against them isn’t all that surprising.  Therefore, Trump’s actions are not definitive proof that Rubio is in complete control of the US’s foreign policy.

However, the fact that Rubio is getting most of his foreign policy agenda as a senator made a priority by the current administration does show the impact and influence he is having.  Likewise, he has publicly disagreed with his boss, noticeably when he downplayed military options to take Greenland when Trump refused to rule that out and took a more collaborative tone towards working with Europe than did JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference.  The fact that he is able to push back on those with higher authority than himself when disagreement has led to firing of officials in the past shows that Rubio may be in a safe position.

Similarly, there have been reports about Trump’s dependence on those closest to him.  There was a saying that during Trump’s first term, the last person he spoke with was usually the one he agreed with at the time.  Keeping in mind that Trump had never been elected before, it’s not surprising that he wanted to take advice from people with more experience than himself in the governmental field.  However, Rubio was not a direct member of Trump’s administration during his first term so that means he has a lot more opportunity to influence the President.

The final point to consider is the weakness of Trump’s ability to accomplish his domestic agenda.  Noticeably, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has struggled to get legislation passed, making an inactivity record, which makes it hard to pass domestic policy since most of that is in the hands of the legislature.  Similarly, a lot of the early policies of the Trump administration was supported by investigations from the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative championed by Elon Musk.  However, Musk is no longer part of the administration so that initiative seems no longer to be front and center in Trump’s administration.  Increasingly, Trump’s agenda is moving away from what requires congress’s help and is becoming more focused on how he can assert himself internationally.  That means that much of the Trump administration’s second term will be defined by Marco Rubio.

In fairness, there’s a saying that leadership is about getting the right people in the right positions.  If Rubio is directing the White House’s current agendas, then that isn’t a statement of weakness on the President since his goal is to lead the executive branch and make sure the right people are doing the job he requires of them.  However, this blog post should show how much influence Secretary of State Marco Rubio has and how much he can shape the direction of the president.  So it is likely he might be the one actually determining US policy, at least internationally, going forward.  Regardless, whatever his influence, a biography on him will likely be a fascinating read, and a must for anyone who wants to understand US foreign policy in the 21st century.