For first-time readers, this blog is set in the future (sometime after 2020).  This entry assumes the Revenge Revolution has occurred.  For more information about the anticipated 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution — and more background about the author, Entry #1.  One another note: almost all characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.  You’ll catch on quickly.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments. 

Scene: Congressional Country Club.  Jordan was invited to play golf with former Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader.  Continuation of Entry #149.

John Boy: “OK, we’ve played nine holes…and no more OB’s. I hate being out-of-bounds. Let’s talk some more.”

Mackey: “Jordan, you implied you weren’t surprised by the Revenge Revolution? Tell me the truth.”

Jordan: “You know I always tell you what I think is the truth…and not some mumbo jumbo based on some ideology.”

John Boy: “We know. That’s why we called you. Were you surprised by the Revenge Revolution?”

Jordan: “Truthfully, no. Signs of the revolution were evident for a long time.”

Mackey: “Long time? How long? Are you the Great Carnac or some psychic?”

John Boy: “When did you first think about the possibility of a revolution?”

Jordan: “The idea start kicking around in my head. Then I decided to start putting ideas on paper.”

Mackey: “When was that?”

Jordan: “Mid-2013.”

Mackey: “You’re kidding, mid-2013.”

Jordan: “I started a blog later in 2013. The blog was more of a sense check for me about the idea of a revolution.”

John Boy: “Did you promote the blog?”

Jordan: “Not really. I told some people about the blog but, like I said, I wrote it for my own edification.”

John Boy: “Alright, you start the blog some later in 2013. When did the idea of a revolution migrate from maybe, coulda’, sorta’ to more likely? Most people really don’t look at situations like you do.”

Mackey: “Right. When do you think John Boy and I should have started to smell the problem?”

Jordan: “By mid-2015, there were lots of signs.”

John Boy: “Tell me one.”

Jordan: “The most obvious was when Trump entered the race to become the Republican presidential nominee…and then shot to the top of the polls among Republicans.”

John Boy: “I still don’t understand how Trump became the leading candidate. What was his appeal?”

Jordan: “Trump epitomized everything the Republicans had been promoting. Except he didn’t have a muzzle on his mouth or care about pleasing large donors.”

John Boy: “He was bad for Republicans.”

Jordan: “You say he was bad but think about what the Donald said. On almost every issue, he just blurted out the unvarnished version of what many Republicans had said for years.”

John Boy: “Unfortunately, you’re right. The Donald didn’t sugarcoat anything. He was raw, unedited footage.”

Jordan: “Reminded me of how we used to talk at the fraternity house…but without all the expletives.”

Mackey: “The liberal media had a field day, manipulating a lot of what Trump said.”

Jordan: “C’mon Mackey. Trump was an expert at self-promotion. If anything he manipulated the media, not the other way around.”

John Boy: “Alright, the Donald lays bare what the Republicans had been promoting for years…but much more subtly, of course. So what’s new about that?”

Jordan: “The Republican majority at the time…”

Mackey: “…and we were in charge then…”

Jordan: “…the Republican majority begins to realize the ideas were contrary to their best interests. Without the sugar-coating, the real positions become clear. But the Donald wasn’t the real problem. The Donald was a symptom, not the cause.”

John Boy: “You mean like Republicans promoting tax cuts for the wealthy, trying to kill Obamacare, trying to kill Medicare and Social Security. You think that was the problem?”

Jordan: “Exactly what I mean. The Republican base started to realize the Republican Party did not have their best interest in mind.”

John Boy: “It took a while for the base to wake up to the real intent of the Republican agenda…and that the effects of many Republican programs were really ‘take-aways’ and not benefits for most of the people.”

Jordan: “With one more fatal flaw. The Republican position on gun control. You’ve got an armed camp that’s not happy and very hungry.”

Mackey: “You know, John Boy, we forgot the adage about keeping the voters’ stomachs full. You can get away with a lot of things when people have full stomachs.”

John Boy: “Republicans got more concerned about satisfying rich donors…Koch brothers, Adleson and some others…than we did about doing the right thing.”

Mackey: “So, over the years we arm a bunch of people, then start to take away from them income, healthcare and retirement benefits. And we wonder why they got upset?”

John Boy: “Any other insights, Jordan?”

Jordan: “Not now. I think you answered your own question about why the Republican base became part of the Revenge Revolution.”

John Boy: “Unfortunately, yes. And it seems so simple to understand. How did we miss it?”

Jordan: “Now, how ’bout $2 Nassau on the back nine?”

Mackey: “I can’t concentrate. I’m frustrated. All the signs of the Revenge Revolution were there…and we, Republican we, did nothing to change our behavior.”

John Boy: “Well at least we’ve admitted our mistake. Mackey, I think it’s time we repented publicly.”

Mackey: “You’re on the tee box, Jordan.”