Amidst the Bluster and the Angst. Donald Trump has
commenced his Victory/Thank You Tour
and the Democrats have continued their Bitching
and Moaning Tour; both are equally absurd.
For a good, historical perspective on just how decisive this past
presidential race was, check this great piece by Andrew C. McCarthy:
Trump
has every right to crow about his improbable win; it is always so much sweeter
to come out on top when most everyone has discounted your chances. On the other hand, as McCarthy points out,
his margin of victory is far from historic in scope. A victory nonetheless, it is certainly not a
mandate. However, what does constitute a mandate is the
undeniable move to Republican by state governments, the U.S. House of
Representatives, and the U.S. Senate.
The
fact that our government is bitterly divided on a partisan basis is not lost on
the American voter. Nor is it a mystery
that when we have a Congress and a White House split between the parties, our government has proven itself to be
incapable of functioning. While much is
to be said about “government is best that
governs least”, there is no doubt that most Americans are absolutely fed up
with the childish and sophomoric gridlock that has possessed WDC over the last
several presidential administrations. It
seems that the greatest opportunity for our political parties to misbehave and
show their worst side is when they are simultaneously in the Senate minority
and out of power in the presidency.
Oftentimes, there is a very thin line between principle and
obstructionism; it is most often defined by your perspective.
While
Trump’s victory was certainly no landslide, it was a win. The inability of
much of the Democratic faithful to accept their defeat at the hands of this…amateur politician...is unsavory and
reflects poorly upon their party. As
McCarthy aptly points out, the Democrats lost
the presidential race more than Trump winning
it. A strong argument can be made than
there were many Democratic candidates that could have easily beaten Trump; just
as there were many Republican candidates that could have likely beaten
Clinton. But if we enlarge the picture
and look at what happened to the partisan balance in the Senate, the House, and
in Governors’ seats and state legislatures across the nation, we can see a
truth that has consistently escaped the grasp of Democratic leadership and
president Obama. The electoral failure
of the Democratic Party in 2016, and in the recent past non-presidential races,
is not the tactics and strategies of the campaigns; it is the MESSAGE.
The
fact that America has put Republicans politically in charge of much of this
country is basically grounded in the fact that they are fed up with the liberal
mantra that calls for an ever-larger and more intrusive government. The electorate has come to understand that in
order for real, fundamental change to occur; one party must be put into the
proper positions to implement that change.
THAT is why Trump won; THAT is why the Republicans remain in control of
the House and Senate; THAT is why the numbers of Republican state Governors and
Legislators is growing. But the key
point here is for Republicans to understand that they have been put in this
position of authority not because of their glowing credentials and a high
degree of faith in their integrity. The
bottom line is that the liberal policies, both domestic and foreign, of the
Democratic Party have failed this country and people yearn for a change. The change agent is the Republican
Party. Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell,
Paul Ryan and all the other Republicans in positions of authority make a huge
and tragic mistake if they see the 2016 elections as a validation of themselves as great candidates. This past election was a perfect storm of
frustration and anger that has resulted in giving the Republican Party an opportunity to change the way this
nation does business. There is now
nowhere to run and nowhere to hide for the Republican Party. The only measuring device that matters for
the next few years will be how much positive change they can create for our
government. If they get lost in their
own importance; if they get enthralled by absolute power of all three branches
of government; if they get blinded by greed and ambition and the fever to hold on to the power…they too will face
a political apocalypse in the not too distant future.
Republicans
were not elected because they are so good;
they were elected mainly because the Democrats have been so bad. If
the Democratic Party can somehow get past their angst of defeat, pull their
heads out of the nether regions of their bodies, and face the reality of their
failed agenda, they will reassume the position of the loyal opposition in our
political process and be perfectly placed to re-assume the spot of “the lesser of two evils” once the
Republicans ultimately succumb to the corrupting enchantment of majority
control. Let me say this once again
differently in an attempt to be perfectly clear: Republicans were not elected
because of who they are; they were
elected because of what they
represent. If Republicans wish to
continue their 2016 electoral success into the foreseeable future, they damn
well better make good (substantive, not subjective)
things happen.
Do
not mistake Trump for a conservative warrior who has arrived on a magnificent
steed to slay the liberal dragon. His
whole lifetime, Trump has been only a breath or two from the Democratic mantra. His victory will not somehow transform him
into a bedrock conservative practitioner.
The policy differences between the Donald and Republicans in Congress
will periodically be deep and wide. No
matter how much we all yearn for our government to be run more like a business,
the fact is that it is NOT a business.
The President does not have the autonomy that a CEO has. The taxpayer is not the equivalent of a
shareholder. Business law does not
include conflicts of interest protections such as the Hatch Act. Trump can inject business practices and
principles into government that might very well improve its efficiency and
effectiveness; but he cannot run the government with an iron fist the way he
ran his business. If he tries to go down
that road, the end result will be disastrous for his administration and will
fritter away a wonderful opportunity for positive changes in the way America
does business. There are good reasons for a governmental balance
of power and people want to see that balance maintained. As impatient as they are for some positive progress,
they feel that government should work the way it was designed. The President should lead the nation, the House
should conjure up legislation, the Senate should refine that legislation, Congress
should send legislation to the President for his approval, and the SCOTUS should
sit in judgment regarding the constitutionality of said legislation. It will be interesting indeed to see what comes
after the Trump Bluster and the Democratic Angst recedes...assuming, of course,
that it does recede.
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