Watercooler 8/2 Open Thread: Contract Assessment, August '17 Edition

#NotInMYNameWelcome back to another installment of the Watercooler, RedState’s daily Open Thread! Today, we’ve got…

The Contract Assessed, August 2017 Edition

In light of the apparent lack of progress on the Legislative Agenda and the apparent lack of readership, unless otherwise requested this feature will be going On Hiatus until status needs update on one or more items.

Item:

Accomplished/Fail

Six measures to clean up the corruption and special interest collusion in Washington

4/6, 1 started

Constitutional Amendment: Term Limits (requires Congress and State action or Article V Convention)

Undetermined

Hiring Freeze On Federal Employees

DONE – Pres. Memo 82 FR 8493

Eliminate 2 Regulations For Every New 1

DONE – Exec. Order 13771

5 Year ban on revolving door

DONE – EO 13770

Lifetime Ban On Foreign Lobbying

DONE – EO 13770

Remove Foreign Money From Elections

STARTED – Foreign Lobbying Restrictions of EO 13770

Seven actions to protect American workers

1/7, 5 started

Announce intention to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal under Article 2205

STARTED – Renegotiation

Announce withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership

DONE – PM 82 FR 8497.

Label China A Currency Manipulator

UNLIKELY

Trade Rep To Prosecute All Foreign Trade Abuses

STARTED – EO 13786

Lift Restrictions On American Energy Reserves

STARTED – EO 13766 and PM’s 82 FR 8659, 8661 and 8663

Remove Regulations On Energy Infrastructure

STARTED – PM’s 82 FR 8659, 8661 and 8663; EO 13783

Cancel Payments To U.N. For Climate Change

STARTED Announced in 6/1 speech

Five actions to restore security and the constitutional rule of law

3/5, 2 started

Cancel Obama’s Unconstitutional Exec Orders

STARTED – PM’s 82 FR 8346 and 8667

Select Constitutionalist To Replace Scalia

DONE – Gorsuch

Cancel All Federal Funding For Sanctuary Cities

DONE – EO 13768

Begin Deporting Two Million + Illegal Immigrants

DONE – EO 13768

Suspend Immigration From Terror Regions

STARTED – EO 13769 and replacements

Legislative Agenda

0/10 – 1 started, 1 FAIL

Middle Class Tax Relief And Simplification

Undetermined

End Offshoring By Tariffs

Undetermined

Infrastructure: Trillion$ In Spending Over 10 years

Undetermined

School Choice And Education Act

Undetermined

Repeal Obamacare

BREACHED – “Swampcare”

Affordable Child And Elder Care

Undetermined

Build The Wall

See Notes Below

(Fed dollars for local law enforcement)

Undetermined

Rebuild The Military

STARTED – Budget Request; HR244 $21 billion added to DOD

Clean Up Corruption In Washington DC

Undetermined

Other Campaign Promises/Planks

1/2

From Debate: Prosecute Hillary

UNLIKELY

Outside Statement: Select SCOTUS Nominee From This List

DONE – Gorsuch

ObamaCare Repeal is STILL hindered by Swamp Turtle McConnell’s desperate campaign to go back to Minority Leader, including trying to preserve the hated Individual Mandate. “Build The Wall”… well, we STILL don’t have major construction on a physical barrier, BUT with huge drops in the numbers of illegal crossings I’m inclined to give a half-point on this one, caring more about the Ends than the Means used to achieve it. Note that I am not stating a position for or against any of these policies, simply keeping score on Promises Made vs. Promises Kept.

This Month’s Score: (9×1) + (10×0.5) – (2×0.5) – (1×1) = 12/30.

DONE	Started	Undetermined	Unlikely	FAIL
9	10	7	2	1

Special thanks to Watercooler teammate Joliphant for coding the table.

Shameless Plug For a Good Cause

As our wingnut readers might recall, a Wichita-based organization has diligently worked for many years to restore a second WWII B-29 Superfortress to flight status, and Doc’s appearance at Oshkosh this year is proof of their ability to deliver on promises. Now they’re fundraising to build a hangar and education center as “home base,” with a goal of $100,000 raised by September 16. If you’re interested, check the project out at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1344227353/give-doc-a-home-build-a-home-for-b-29-doc/ (It’s worth noting that these guys are the only reason I maintain a Kickstarter account after KS’s virulent hostility to conservative causes–I met the Doc’s Friends leadership back in ’02 when I crashed the B-52 Golden Anniversary party, and have made what modest contribution I could when budget’s allowed from then to now.)

This Week In History

Sunday, 7/30: USS Indianapolis lost, 1945; last “Classic” VW Beetle built, 2003
Monday, 7/31: Lafayette made unpaid Major General, 1777; Hoffa vanishes, 1975; Nolan Ryan’s 300th win, 1990
Tuesday, 8/1: PT-109 sunk, 1943; Shane premieres, 1953; first Six Flags park opens, 1961
Wednesday, 8/2: First US Census begins, 1790; first San Francisco cable car enters service, 1873; Wild Bill Hickock’s last gunfight, 1876
Thursday, 8/3: Firestone founded, 1900; Chambers accuses Hiss as Soviet spy, 1948; Tandy launches TRS-80 personal computer, 1977
Friday, 8/4: Revenue Cutter Service (now USCG) established, 1790; Saturday Evening Post first published, 1821; Tonkin Gulf Incident, 1964*
Saturday, 8/5: First Federal income tax levied, 1861; Battle of Mobile Bay, 1864; Reagan fires PATCO, 1981

*Turner Joy, one of the destroyers involved, is preserved today as a museum in Bremerton, Washington. The other ship, Maddox, was transferred to Taiwan in 1973 and scrapped in 1985.

Today’s Birthdays: Filmmaker Wes Craven and former Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, 1939; pundit Dennis Prager, 1948

Holidays Around the World: Macedonia celebrates Republic Day, and both Ukraine and Russia hold observances for their airmobile ground forces.

This Week In History is compiled with assistance from History.com and Wikipedia. Something interesting not listed here? Please share in the Comments section–this is an Audience Participation Encouraged featurette.

Quote of the Day

“[C]oming in behind an anthropomorphic talking pile of fecal matter has to be seen as a negative.”–Brad Slager, last weekend’s RedState Box Office Report

As always, the Watercooler is an Open Thread. Now that you’ve had a chance to sample today’s offerings from me, the Comment Thread is wide open and waiting for your own tasty tidbits.

#NoQuarter #TheParty’sOver