By Kimberley A. Strassel

" Trump has a solid record, but he’s too busy making noise to tout it. "

" If a tree falls in a noisy circus, does it make a sound? If the Trump administration announces its largest deregulatory effort to date while the president is in the throes of a Twitter rampage, will anybody pay attention?

No, and thereon may hang the balance of Republican congressional control. It’s never clear where Donald Trump gets political advice, if he does at all. What is clear is that this White House is doing an able job of whiffing one of the best political messages in decades, a reality that is demoralizing administration insiders and GOP candidates alike.

The following are just a few pieces of news out of Washington, all of which hold enormous promise for Americans. The Environmental Protection Agency and Transportation Department released a plan—announced on the website of these pages—to ax the Obama administration’s car-emissions standards, saving consumers $500 billion. Dollarwise, it may be the biggest deregulation ever.

The Treasury has recommended rescinding the “payday lending” rule, which threatened to cut off the poorest Americans from viable credit. The Interior Department proposed the first real reforms to the Endangered Species Act in decades, offering hope to tens of thousands of landowners. The National Labor Relations Board is revisiting a 2014 decision that allowed unions to poach employer email systems, part of the board’s plan to review any case that overruled precedent in the name of Obama union backers. The Internal Revenue Service lifted a political threat to nonprofits by allowing them to shield the names of their donors.

The Department of Health and Human Services finalized its rule allowing more non-ObamaCare insurance options to millions of Americans. The Senate sent a $717 billion defense authorization bill to the White House, increasing active-duty strength and providing troops their largest pay raise in nine years. The Senate also confirmed the 24th Trump circuit-court judge.

The Labor Department released new numbers showing worker compensation increased 2.8% year over year, the fastest pace in a decade. Average home values are rising at twice that pace. Unemployment hit record lows. Second-quarter economic growth came in at 4.1%.


If all this sounds wonderful, it is, though many Americans have heard little about it. The headlines? Mr. Trump publicly lecturing his attorney general. Mr. Trump hashing Charles Koch. More about Russian collusion, provoked by the president’s call for the firing of special counsel Robert Mueller. China tariffs. Border strife. Michael Cohen. Paul Manafort.

Yes, the mainstream media relentlessly drives anti-Trump stories. But what’s new? Republicans have long known they don’t get a fair hearing from the press, which is why they shifted to talk radio and other alternative media. Mr. Trump understands that better than most—thus his heavy use of Twitter, live rallies and press conferences.

It’s the content that is mystifying. To hold the House and increase their Senate majority, Republicans must do two things: get out their base and bring along the center. The president, with an unrivaled bully pulpit, has instituted policies that provide him a near-perfect message for those tasks. He can rally supporters by banging home his promises kept and warning that only their vote this fall will allow him to continue his mission. And he can court the undecided with constant reminders of their new prosperity and freedom, and a vow that this is only the beginning.

The president is certainly focused on his base, though with an eye to whipping them up with rallies focused primarily on the polarizing issues of trade and immigration. His tweets revolve around the same issues—those and Mr. Mueller—and are often defensive or whiny.

This House midterm will hinge on marginal districts—suburban or exurban areas where Hillary Clinton outpolled Mr. Trump or came close. Those races in turn will hinge on centrist voters. If Mr. Trump makes those centrists believe this election is about family separation, Republicans lose. If he refocuses it on voters’ newly thriving prospects, Republicans have a shot.

That aforementioned list of accomplishments is only from the past few weeks. One remarkable aspect of the Trump administration is its productivity. The cabinet set a pace of reform in its openings weeks that has never lagged. If Mr. Trump isn’t going to spend every day embracing, elevating and making this product of his own presidency the dominant discussion, then no one will. The press isn’t going to do it. Democrats sure aren’t. And no other Republican has that megaphone.

Some will doubt whether Mr. Trump’s unconventional style even allows him to deliver such a message. But meditating in his farewell address on his nickname, the Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan said: “I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content.” The content—the results—of this administration is right there, waiting for the president to communicate. "

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" The vast annual military operation known as the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (or RIMPAC in Pentagon jargon) just concluded on the beaches of Southern California with a huge demonstration of an amphibious assault, which involves sending troops ashore from warships at sea — a highly complex maneuver whether D-Day or present day.

The exercise is held every two years and is the largest international maritime exercise in the world. It is globally regarded by naval officers as the Olympic Games of naval power. Run by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which is headquartered in Pearl Harbor, it normally includes warships and troops from every branch of the U.S. armed forces and those of than 20 foreign nations.

As a junior officer, I participated in several of these huge war games and found them profoundly important for national security. They have been held since the early 1970s and include nations not only from the Western Pacific rim — Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and so on — but also from the Pacific coast of South America, including Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia.

India, an emerging maritime power, had a significant operational role for the first time this year. Several European allies with interests in the Pacific, including the U.K., France and Germany, also send ships. Israel sends a small staff contingent.

RIMPAC is an incredibly important opportunity for allies to practice complex maneuvers: amphibious landings, long-range aircraft strikes, counterpiracy, antisubmarine warfare, counterterrorism, anti-air missile shoots and humanitarian responses to large natural disasters.

It is also, above all, a visible signal of the most important militaries of the vast Pacific Basin being willing to share training, tactics and technology. With some 50 ships from a couple of dozen nations sharing and learning from each other, the opportunities to improve warfighting capability are rich. We are able to exercise our powerful tactical ballistic-missile submarines, which can launch Tomahawk missiles. And through exercises like this we can also find the best way to operate our new Littoral Combat Ships — frigate-sized warships capable of working in relatively shallow seas — in tight regional conflict.

But this year, in a break with recent tradition, China was “disinvited” in May because of its militarization of a variety of artificial islands in the volatile South China sea, where it is sending troops and setting up combat-aircraft, runways and missile systems. There was also a distinct undercurrent of opposition to China’s presence by the Donald Trump administration, which sensibly criticizes Beijing for trade practices and theft of intellectual property.

While I’ve repeatedly criticized Trump for his dealings with allies and foes, cutting Beijing “out of the pattern” this year was the right decision. It deprived China not only of the chance to observe and learn about allied naval practices, but also of the prestige of engaging with the top navies in the world. The increasing involvement of India, the obvious strategic counterweight to China, as well as this year’s addition of Vietnam, a growing naval actor deeply concerned about Chinese dominance in the South China Sea, sends a powerful signal.



All of this underlines how important military exercises are to our ability to project power; maintain sea control (and therefore ensure that shipping lanes around the world remain open); and exert influence on allies, friends and partners. It also shows why Trump’s decision to stop U.S. military exercises with South Korea, in return for a few vague promises from North Korea, is a bad idea.

Such military exercises have three principal functions, and RIMPAC is at the top level of such events:

First, they provide a strategic context to our overall policies in a given region, and no region is probably more critical than the Western Pacific. This is all the more vital because the Trump administration made a significant mistake by pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Leaving aside the economic issues attendant to that call, it was a major geopolitical foot fault. We can mitigate some of the damage that decision inflicted on our leadership role in the region by conducting robust, meaningful exercises like RIMPAC, while excluding China.

Second, warfighting “practice sessions” give us real insight into not just allied military capabilities, but also those of adversaries. They help reveal the surveillance and intelligence-gathering abilities of opponents like China

Third, RIMPAC is a “carrot” that over time may be applied to China. If we are to avoid the Thucydides Trap, which holds that war between the dominant power and a rising rival is inevitable, we will need a strategy over time to offer China opportunities to be included in meaningful security cooperation. If we can dissuade Beijing from continuing unacceptable behavior in cyber, the South China Sea and intellectual property theft, the situation may become less fraught in the long throw.

Overall, this year’s exercises were a resounding strategic success and a tactical treasure trove of information. We should continue to exclude China, hold our opponents close, add new partners and make inclusion in RIMPAC something that Beijing so wants to be part of it will change its ways.  "

I met up with my Good Friend Emperor Xi at the Brazen Head PROMPTLY at 10:00 PM  ; CDT  .  However , I did arrive at the Establishment 1/2 hour earlier in order to make sure Emperor Xi was able to sit at his favorite spot right in front of Bar Manager Christy . After a few Guinnesses and a couple of ' Car Bombs '  and some shots of Jager  ,  Xi asked me why Pocahontas is no longer on Morning Joe these days ?  "  Oh , you noticed that too ! "  I brayed  . Xi asked me if Senator Warren is really Native American ? I mentioned to him that Warren  always defends her completely undocumented Native American heritage claims quite expansively and impassionately . I stated to Xi  ,  "  Senator Warren's Mother told her she simply MUST have Cherokee Blood due to her high cheekbones . "  Upon hearing this bit of news , Emperor Xi literally , LITERALLY burst out laughing and even spit up a Lil' Guinness on his one hundred percent silk tie   --  I quickly took a napkin and dabbed off the booze for him . Xi goes ,  "  .... Perhaps they can develop some sort of specialized ' Kit ' that will prove her Native American Ancestry . "  I excitedly bellowed  ,  " That is what President Trump talked about a few weeks ago !!!!!  We can give Pocahontas a  ' Lil' Kit  !!!!!    ....... A Lil' KIT !!!!!!!! '  whilst she is up on stage droning on ...and on  ..... and on ..... to her sedative , tranquilized and soporific audience about how she was the daughter of a janitor who went on to medical school , cured polio , stormed the beaches of Normandy , Inchon  , five tours of duty in the 'Nam  , Iraq and Afghanistan   ......... etc .  "  Xi and myself were laughing so hard we nearly fell off our Bar Stools   -- we both agreed President Trump is friggin hilarious and that  "  Pocahontas "  and "  Lyin' Ted  "  are some of his Greatest Campaign Moments . Xi and myself began to shout in unison ,  " Lyin' Ted     ..... LYIN' Ted  ---- He Holds that Bible WAY up High , then brings it down and watch him Lie !!!!!   ..... Oh , He Lie !!!!!   ..... HE LIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  "      FUNNY !!!!!!   .... Xi and myself both concured that President Trump should run against Pocahontas in 2020   --- The President will win ALL Fifty States  . EASY !!!!


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It was at that EXACT moment Bar Manager Christy walked past Xi and myself and then turned around and gave Xi  " THE LOOK !!!! "  .  Emperor Xi promptly excused himself , and disappeared with Christy into the ' Robert Emmet Room ' never to be seen for the rest of the evening .


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