Well... At least that part is over. Not quite what I expected, but it is what it is. At this juncture, there are two different ways the Dems can go. But I don’t think either will by itself help defeat Putin’s Poodle in the 2020 race...

1) The Dems can fight this tooth and nail, and raise all kind of questions about Barr, his previous stances on Presidential power and so forth. They can double down (like the Poodle always does), and push hard for more investigations, ad nauseam. I fear this tactic will only embolden the Poodles base to become more vindictive, and it will piss off a lot off middle of the road people who really want to put this to bed and move on to other important issues. Also, I don’t think doubling down in this fight won’t help defeat the Poodle in this case, as he’ll just use these pronouncements as campaign ads, and proclaim further investigations as more of the same... Which I think will make his re-election a sure bet. Which would be really disastrous.

2) On the other hand, the Dems can move on to the pressing issues of some importance. We definitely need some major action on health care - almost ALL of the newly elected congressmen and women ran on this issue, and it needs to be addressed thoroughly and carefully... The country desperately needs an infrastructure bill to repair the crumbling roads and bridges nationwide, and although the GOP often balks on spending, they might go along with some kind of action here...  Immigration reform should also be high on the list of issues that needs to be fixed. This one however, is probably the most difficult to achieve in this current anti-immigration political climate. And last but not least, they should work on reforming the ‘tax reform’ laws which gave away billions in taxpayer money to the richest people in America. Unfortunately, even IF the Dems could do some good work on ALL of these, I don’t think it helps any particular candidate to defeat the Groper in Chief come November 2020. He probably wins re-election, and again with Putin’s help.

The only caveat in this whole analysis, is the economy. Expanding business cycles don’t continue forever - first law of Economics. They ALL come to an end, and the timing of that end could be the only thing that derails the Poodle’s re-election. He needs a trade deal with China, and he needs it fairly soon. The farmers across the US are hurting, and with the recent flooding in the midwest, many are on the verge of being wiped out - literally. US Automakers are in a major funk (largely due to their own ineptitude), and are also feeling massive pressure due to the tariffs - form both sides of the oceans. Germany, which is already in a slowdown, could be hurt even more if their alt-right party gains more ground in their government. Additionally, if the UK does a ‘hard Brexit’ - which looks more and more likely - they’ll go south so fast, it’ll make all previous downturns look mild. Many business analysts are already seeing a slowdown here in the US, and although market analysts think it won’t last too long, if no deal is reached with China, coupled with a hard Brexit and a slower Germany, things could get dicey and fast. In a scenario like this, it might be possible for the right Dem to defeat the Poodle. MIGHT....

So what does that leave us with ? ... IDK.. I admit that I was disappointed with the outcome. But to continue to beat a dead horse will not produce a better outcome (or even a mediocre one) nor change the current situation, nor will it help re-unite a very divided populace - and it certainly won’t help my blood pressure. So I think the best course of action is to take a deep breath (and hold your nose), step away from the ledge and press on towards getting some decent legislation passed, as I described in the 2) option above... Let some time pass and re-assess the situation in 6 to 8 months.

The bottom line is, we are now living in an age where the minority (in population) has the upper hand and is ruling the country. Ironically, this was the case in the lead up to the Civil War. The minority (slave holders in the south) had outsized power in Washington due to the constitutional rules (at that time), and the majority who lived in the north were saddled with these antiquated and obsolete laws and rules set up to maintain that status quo. In fact, It’s one of the main reasons the Whig party was floundering, and just at this moment, a new GOP party was formed in an effort to steer the nation in a new direction - away from the power of slave holders (states rights), and more generally towards liberal and progressive ideas to benefit the small guy, and small business.