The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Is a Hollow Ceremony in the Age of Presidential Dictatorship
The One Big Beautiful Bill was passed by the House today, and is therefore headed to Trump’s desk for signature. If you didn’t think Congressional legislation is obsolete before this, you might want to reconsider. They got it done for Trump’s 4th of July celebration, which will surely be filled with rushed and sloppily planned grand ceremony, filled with pomp and circumstance. You can hear the left-wing commentariat already decrying this as dooming America for generations. FOX News will blast them as radical liberal communists who want government to control everything.
Both sides will talk past one another.
Neither side will be right.
Both sides will be wrong.
In a world where Trump bypasses Congress with everything and anything, using a tweet or an executive order, doesn’t this whole ritual feel eerily pointless?
“Shakedown 1979…” – The Smashing Pumpkins
Congress still acts like it’s 1979: massive, opaque, procedural.
Meanwhile, Trump rules with swift executive fiat: tariffs go up or down at the drop of a hat, funding comes and goes for corrupt bribery schemes, and he even issued war negotiation updates live via “Truth” Social.
The fact that he is choosing to sign this bill rather than simply execute its contents off the record begs the question – why is he even preserving the charade?
“Daddy” (War Bucks) Trump & His Congressional Children
I struggle explaining to people how Donald Trump has financially and politically controlled both political parties. They are either incapable of seeing the ills of Democrats being on par with Republicans (they are) or they don’t get how the parties collude against the American people. If you think of Trump as Congress’ daddy, it makes a lot of sense.
Trump’s global image as “Daddy” – a leader of Congress – is more than metaphor. At the recent NATO Summit, Secretary‑General Mark Rutte publicly referred to Trump as “Daddy,” praising his strong language toward Israel and Iran. This prompted viral memes, “Daddy’s home” videos, and more merchandise.
This dynamic isn’t isolated: over the years, numerous Republicans have invoked “Daddy” in reverence or mockery, reinforcing Trump’s cult of submission.
In this power play, Democrats act like passive aggressive children: complaining loudly, but refusing to wield their power – especially when enforcement would require disciplining their own ranks. They do fake opposition which creates real dysfunction.
Republicans are the suckup kid who says whatever daddy wants to hear, and will sell out their other siblings if it helps them get ahead in the pecking order.
Trump’s Legislation Is A Fake Achievement & Stalled Impeachment
The bill’s signing ceremony will serve as a distraction just as the debate did. Though the efforts are lame, and unsupported event by Democrats, there are multiple impeachment articles submitted in the House. This ridiculous bill was spun up faster than the Alligator Alcatraz project, in response to impeachment inquiry coming down the pike in a way he could not control the way he did in 2021 and 2019.
Again, if he could just author everything himself, why do this?
Worse, future Congresses or presidents can wipe it clean overnight. The whole spectacle amounts to a placeholder, not progress.
Congress Members Refusal to Evolve Out of Cowardice & Ineptitude
Congress is choosing irrelevance. Not because the institution itself is broken or incapable of acting. The people in our current Congress (and many who have been there fore a while) prefer the status quo.
With Trump being the bad guy, and allowing them to join him or fake fight him, they all dodge legislative responsibility, favoring the ease of blaming or thanking “Daddy” while fundraising and posturing.
Who Cares?
When Trump controls everything from the Oval Office, past ceremonial signings mean nothing. He didn’t need to do this. The question hangs: Why did he play along? Was it to deflect criticism, inspire photo ops, fool the public – or something more strategic? He could have simply executed this by decree – illegal or not.
Instead, he embraced the pretense.
Leave room for uncertainty.
It is not clear why this happened.
Congress Doesn’t Have To Be So Useless
Congressional legislation and debate has become a content production opportunity for people in the most revered legislative body in America. Case in point, Hakeem Jeffries dominated the floor to deliver the longest speech on the House floor, just like his buddy in the Senate Cory Booker who broke the filibuster record. Neither man accomplished anything for the public, but they padded their metaphorical stat sheet.
What was meant to be a showing of fight, was a transparently self-centered stunt.
Democratic voters know that, and most of them are souring on Jeffries for things like this. Trump didn’t need this bill but he took it to the stage. With voters distracted and governance hollowed, the ritual serves only to maintain illusions. The real power belongs elsewhere – where Congress chooses not to go. So we’re left with an uncomfortable, unresolved question:
If the President wields total control, why do we even have a Congress?
They are just ghosts marching in a false ceremony. This bill’s passage should serve as a reminder of the obsolescence of this Congress, and it should be taken as a sign that democracy’s real engine has stalled.
If Congress refuses to evolve, The People have to rally together in a way we have never seen before.
