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Here’s my theory on the parade, based on only news that we are aware of and my own intuition. Without personal knowledge of the reasons by the principals involved, all of us are speculating.

I think he wanted to do it on Nov 11 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1, and to show that the military is loved, strong and patriotic. The scenery heading down PA Avenue towards the Capitol building would be stirring to most people, irritating to liberals. He also expected by then to be farther along in the process of draining the swamp, and would do it as a little bit of a victory lap. He also was very confident in the midterms.

Mueller has slowed down the timeline a little bit. There may be a few little victories before then, but the big reveal will have to wait. Congress is essential in the plan, and Ryan has not been helpful. The midterms are pretty sure but not a certainty. Arranging the parade 5 days after the election will distract from the goal of retaining control of Congress. So Trump will attend the big celebration in France, which is where all the fighting and dying occurred, and there will still be good optics. As some have noted, we can all work in our communities for local parades and celebrations, and we should.

With respect to the budget, as mentioned by Q, I think that is a factor as well, for one reason. Trump wants to be able to shut down the government in October if Congress does not give him his wall. It would be bad optics to shut down the government while preparing for a $100 million parade. If the shutdown means the planning must stop, that also makes having the parade difficult. Either way, it may make sense to put the parade off. So, the good news is that delaying the parade may mean that the President is planning to shut down the government.

I want to say something about the notion of Democrats taking the House. As I recall, the number of flips needed by Democrats is 23. Democrats have taken a number of steps to reduce that number, using redrawn districts in some states and prosecuting Republicans in safe districts and things like that. In California, leftists by the millions will invade the conservative districts and work to flip those, and there are a significant number that are in jeopardy. So, it could happen, and if not, it could get us down to a small majority. In those situations, Dems are good at flipping the phony Republicans. We need a margin of at least 10 to get anything done.

However, take heart, Freeqs. Even if the Dems had the House, it would not have any impact on the big reveal. If it’s real, and we are here because we think it is, then the President and his DOJ can prosecute all the crimes they want, and what will matter when that starts happening is what the criminals did and the evidence that supports it. Most of the cases are open and shut. Those can proceed, even as ol’ Maxine is ginning up impeachment.

The President can continue to do his trade deals and conduct his foreign policy, and nothing there need change. Allies and opponents will learn that a President with an annoying Congress is still President. Lots of Admin time will be spent dealing with the yappers, but ultimately, nothing need be different. The biggest downside is that nothing will happen legislatively. Trump still has the shutdown option. If the Senate holds, judges will still get confirmed.

So, just know, whatever happens things will be ok. And I personally think we will hold the House. It would be easier without McConnell and Ryan, but we will hold in spite of them, because of Trump. Courage!