There
was a Presidential Election held in November of 2016. Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. Now for many, this fact is difficult to
grasp. To say it was surprising is a
monumental understatement. Several people
are still in the primary stage of recovery, dealing with the acknowledgement of
denial. But obliviousness will never be
an effective solution in politics and it typically leads to an unceremonious
collapse. Anyway…Trump is President and most
likely will be for at least another two years.
One
other quick and salient point: Donald Trump won a NATIONAL election for
President held in every voting precinct across our country. Nancy Pelosi was elected to the House of
Representatives from District 12 in California; a District that is contained entirely within the city and county of
San Francisco. There is absolutely no
equivalency between President Trump and Speaker Pelosi. A handful of liberals elected Pelosi. A nation of citizens elected Trump. The Constitution provides three co-equal
branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary. Contrary to what she may believe, Pelosi is
not the sole and primary representative of the Legislative branch. She represents one House of Congress, a
portion of one county and city in California, and was elected Speaker by
similar Democratic Representatives in the House. She is not Madame President, an equal to the
Chief Executive, or the ruling authority of Congress. Take a reality check, Nancy. Now…back to the subject at hand. A bit of musical analogy…
Well I don't know why I came here tonight
Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right, here I am
People who were
adamantly opposed to Trump being President sounded multiple alarms about the
dangers he might pose to this nation if elected. They proclaimed he was grossly unprepared for
the political and diplomatic challenges that face a President. They questioned the application of his
corporate experience in the machinations of government. Some that were more fervently distressed
about Trump’s ascension to Chief Executive publicly aired chapters of his past
that portrayed his character as something less than ideal. Following his election, many accepted the
verdict of the Electoral College as an example of choosing the least of two
evils; but a choice nonetheless. There
are many who have never accepted that fait accompli and continue today in an
effort to invalidate, undermine, and even overturn that legitimate election
result. I think that any of us who are
paying attention, any small degree of attention, to national politics realize
that something ain’t right. This is NOT the way our government should
operate. Loyal opposition in our
political system is an important staple in its recipe for success. Ruthless and partisan sabotage that places
political aims above those of good government policy has no place in our
country. Some may be scared. I think most are simply dismayed at the
current state of national political affairs.
One thing is for certain in the current climate…there are clowns on Left
and jokers on the Right.
Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place
How many of us, at one
time or another over the last couple of years, have not had a smile on our
face? Hey…sometimes you have to laugh to
keep from crying. And as our government
spirals ever closer to being out of control; we as citizens are tossed about
all over the place. It is so very
difficult to find a center of gravity in the vortex of this bureaucratic
carnival (try being a federal employee
during a government shutdown). We
have seen political upheaval before; Watergate with Nixon and Impeachment with
Clinton. But have we ever seen the level
of animus and venom directed towards a sitting President as we are witnessing
today with President Trump? At some point, the humorous aspects of the
political theater dissipate and we are left only with the tragedy.
And your friends, they all come crawlin'
Slap you on the back and say
Please, please
Self made man? Donald Trump?
I don’t think so. But there is
certainly no shortage of Republicans standing in line to slap him on the back…regardless
of his occasional outrageousness…because HE is the one keeping them in a
position of power and influence. After
all, politicians are prone to becoming enthralled with winning. I, myself, am completely guilty of buying into
support of his policies while subjugating his many fallacies to lesser levels
of concern. I continue to hope and pray
that he will mature and grow into the job…but time is running out. The Republicans are certainly guilty of
swallowing Trump whole in spite of his failings. The Democrats are certainly guilty of
opposing Trump simply because he defeated their chosen candidate in a
monumental upset and reminds them of that fact at every opportunity…in word, deed,
and presence.
After two years of
trying to make some sense out of our government with Trumpmania versus the
Resist Movement and how it dysfunctions,
how many of us have basically surrendered?
Is it OK to simply give up caring and start to mentally sleep on the
floor? Is a pacifist approach to
democracy acceptable when things get this crazy? At what point can we as individual voters
legitimately throw up our hands in disgust and shout to the world…What is the point?
Well I don't know why I came here tonight
Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right, here I am
In spite of this
refrain, it is NOT cool to give up
on our government and allow the weariness to make observers out of us. We MUST
do our research, become informed voters, and remove the clowns and the jokers
from the halls of Congress, the Judiciary, and the Executive Branch. In spite of partisan differences, we MUST acknowledge the hard shifts of
power that regularly occur in our form of government and accept that change
graciously when our party moves
between the positions of power and subservience. We MUST
come to grips with the art of tolerating differences of opinion (looking at you, AOC) and engaging in
civil discussion; yet not allow ourselves to be cowered into the blind
acceptance of radical ideals when they are patently stupid and baseless. We MUST
understand that the human creature is a fallible being; that it is perhaps true
that a saint might not make the best President, and we must accept a certain
reasonable degree of imperfection from our politicians.
I hope and pray that
there are a lot…a LOT…of people out
there like me who feel like they are stuck in the middle between the far left
and the far right…with Trump in the White House. And as the classic lyrics of the Stealers
Wheel song go, it can be extremely disorienting and depressing. We must all cling to the truth that our
allegiance to America is much larger than that we may owe to any elected
official or Party. All things pass…and
this political madness too shall pass.
Don’t miss the next post! Follow
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@centerlineright. If you enjoy
the blog, pass it on to your friends.
BTW…the Scottish and
Irish flavor of songs such as the Stealers Wheel subject material, are a
refreshing change from much of today’s pablumatic mush that passes for
music. If you are interested in some
lyrical exploration, I recommend starting with Crossing the River by the Devlins.
And just to clarify my poke at Ms. Ocasio-Cortez…I frankly find her
refreshing and interesting. Yes, she is
shallow and bubble-headed on many occasions; but she is speaking her mind with
conviction without running it through some hypocritical-how
will this make me look-is it politically correct-how will this sit with my
Party leaders filter before talking.
In spite of her ill-conceived policy proposals (New Green Deal….Really??), her enthusiasm for democracy is dynamic
and her willingness to speak from the heart is a novelty in today’s political
climate. Also…I find nothing whatsoever
wrong with her dancing and for those who do…get
a life.
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