Harry 'Grandpa' Newby Sr. is still influential

Harry “Grandpa” Newby Sr. took a liking to me early in my career at his son’s law office. I’m not sure why, but we got along very well and had many happy arguments over the years, up to just two days before he passed away in 2002. One of his last wishes was for us to continue the cable access TV show, “Harry’s Gang,” which he started in about 1983. He suggested that we rename the show “Pete’s Gang” but such heresy would not be tolerated. It’s still called “Harry’s Gang” and always will be.

One of Grandpa Newby’s year-end shows always included predictions for the New Year. In honor of the man and as a service to readers of the Pine Knot News and viewers of “Harry’s Gang,” here are mine:

Will President Trump be impeached? Will he get his wall? Will the Mueller investigation affect his presidency? Will Congress get anything done? Will the economy continue to grow?

Well, Congress always gets a lot of work done. Most people don’t realize how much influence Congress has over our everyday lives. Senators and representatives have large staffs that work hard all year-round, and — despite what you hear on talk radio and on gossip media — they really do accomplish a lot.

Of course, the hot-button issues get all the press, so: No, Trump will not get his wall in 2019. Congress will allocate funds for border security, of course, because that’s part of the job responsibility. No one, not Democrats or Republicans, wants “open borders” and both parties support the military and homeland security. Trump doesn’t even really want a wall: it was just a silly campaign stunt that got out of control, and now he’s forced to pretend a wall is vital to national security.

It’s not, of course; some barriers at the border make sense, but an expensive wall stretching along the entire border makes no sense and will do nothing to thwart problems at the border. In a few weeks, Trump will have figured out how to “spin” his defeat over this wall funding, blame the Democrats, and move on.

Mueller’s investigation will likely show evidence that Trump lied, cheated, and broke laws in his run for the presidency. And my prediction: Trump will be humiliated, and will lose the support of his Republican base. I even predict that longtime Harry’s Gang panelist and Cloquet civic leader Barry Bergquist will admit that Trump as president was a mistake. Trump will continue to get the support of hate-filled, racist extremists (of which there are, fortunately, just a few).

Impeachment? It would be very unwise for Congress to impeach the president. If it is revealed that Trump has, indeed, committed high crimes and misdemeanors, he will likely resign and spin it as if it were his idea. After all, he never really wanted to lead our country; he just wanted the ego-satisfaction of winning the seat. Now that he’s accomplished that, he can resign (much like Sarah Palin did, mid-term) and claim victory.

The economy will crash, or, at best, “correct.” Very few people will understand that tax cuts for the wealthy and runaway stock markets must eventually lead to a more normal economy, and many of those people will lose a bundle.

Meanwhile, here in Carlton County, we’ll all continue to get along reasonably well. We’ll gather for community events; celebrate victories and accomplishments; raise our families in harmony with our neighbors, and smile at each other in the grocery stores. And some of us will argue politics and current events, with glee; and, dear readers and viewers, we hope you will join in our fun.

Pete Radosevich is the publisher of the Pine Knot News community newspaper and an attorney in Esko who hosts the talk show Harry’s Gang on CAT-7. He can be reached at [email protected].