I recall when Barack Obama was elected president in November of 2008; it was a remarkable time. Even though I chose to vote for his opponent in that election, like most Americans I applauded his achievement. He ran a highly effective campaign, advocated for hope and change, and the nation openly celebrated the historical significance of electing our first black president. There was an undeniable spirit across our country that there might be real potential for substantial and positive changes in our government that had not seemed feasible before. The extraordinary support for Obama and the fact that he entered into the presidency with Democrat control of Congress combined to create an atmosphere where impossibilities were suddenly considered possible. Unfortunately, history shows us that this wonderful opportunity was squandered.
Obama
chose personal glory, bald-faced ideology, and hardball politics over
bipartisan consensus and statesmanship.
He and his party shoved Obamacare down the throats of America without
thought, consideration, concern for the adverse consequences, or Republican input. Once the extraordinary
legislative passage of the
Affordable Care Act was accomplished, the partisan negative effects remaining
from it poisoned the political well in Washington, DC and we have been swimming
in it ever since. At some point midway
through his first term, Obama realized that doing the heavy legislative lifting
required to change our government in fundamental ways takes a lot of effort,
sacrifice, and trust. He chose not to pursue that path and instead
veered towards the idealistic and
arrogant option of executive action.
Once again, that set in motion a pattern that we have been living with
through today.
Obama
served as president from January 20, 2009 until January 20, 2017. By defeating Hillary Clinton in the
subsequent election, Donald Trump served as president for four years. Obama, the Democrat Party, and their allies
of all stripes combined to sabotage the presidency of Trump and taking full advantage
of the fact that he came into office fully unprepared, they jumped on him early
and often to effectively hamstring his administration. This unholy alliance of deep state forces
managed to somehow cling to governmental power and authority throughout the
first Trump Administration and was in a prime position to pick right back up
where they left off when Joe Biden was elected president. They burrowed into and were protected by
the civil service personnel system.
When
Joe Biden entered the presidency on January 20, 2021, the band was officially back together: https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_us-politics_control-white-house-and-congress-democrats-have-2-years-make-big-changes/6201047.html
. Joe Biden was a literal marionette for
the Obama faction that had somehow remained viable throughout the preceding
Trump Administration. Given the fact
that at that time, it was commonly thought that Biden would be a one-term
president, this group hit the ground running. Given their understanding and strategic
control of the governmental apparatus, they immediately began to implement the type of liberal and
progressive ideals that had only been dreamed
about during Obama’s run in the presidency.
They knew what their window of
opportunity was. When Joe Biden
leaves the presidency on January 20, 2025, he will close the book on what was
essentially 12 years of Obamaesque ideology with an intervening 4 years of
Obamaesque meddling and sabotage.
History
has passed its judgment on this time period.
You may spin it as you like, but there is little doubt that the results
of the 2024 November general elections serve as an emphatic rejection of this
radical form of liberalism and progressive thinking that traces its sources
directly back to Barack Obama. The final
verdict on Obama’s first-term attitude of “my
way or the highway” is in, and the conclusion is “the highway”…for him and his ideals. It was slow and agonizingly painful, but the
American people finally got so sick and tired of the way things were that they
voted for a substantial change in the way our country will be run.
Donald
Trump now enters into his second term as president with the wind at his
back…very reminiscent of Obama’s first term.
His election is also based on hope
and change; the result of people hoping
for a positive change from the status quo. Like Obama, he will come into office with a
tenuous partisan control of the House and Senate. The big question is this: Will Trump fall
back into the very things (different ideals
but same methods) that fostered the Obamacentric sixteen-year period of
executive office abuse, corruption, and malfeasance…or…will he seize the moment
to implement fundamental and positive change in government that can reach
across partisan and ideological divides to effectively change the course of our
nation in positive ways?
Trump
has no excuses for failing this opportunity.
This time around he is experienced, he should be prepared, and most
importantly…he possesses the same abundance
of public goodwill that surrounded Obama upon his entry into the White
House. Can Trump resist the temptations
of evening the score from past mistreatments? Will he yield to the colossal
executive power of the Executive Branch?
Will he succumb to the all too common ego-feeding impulses that drive us all? The ceiling is high and reachable; but
getting there will require contributions from many differing factions and interests.
Can Donald Trump be the President who can bring these factions together?
We can only hope and pray that somewhere
in the political swamp of Washington, DC, there are enough elected and appointed
representatives with sufficient integrity to construct a new course for our
nation…a path that will put us back on the constitutional, moral, and ethical road
from which we have strayed.
Where does it begin? It must begin with cultural change, government spending, and bureaucratic reform.
The
Acolyte Election - The American Mind
https://amgreatness.com/2024/12/01/what-is-the-administrative-state/
https://amgreatness.com/2024/11/30/tocqueville-and-americas-spending-problem/
https://reason.com/2024/11/29/congress-is-fiscally-reckless-will-lawmakers-step-up/
https://amgreatness.com/2024/12/05/what-the-trump-nominees-have-not-done-and-will-not-do/
https://amgreatness.com/2024/12/03/trumps-wild-bunch-is-ready-for-action/
https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2024-11-29-the-real-insurrectionists-the-federal-workforce
American
foreign policy and military readiness
must be reconsidered and find its way back to fundamental purposes and values. This has to begin with strong, pragmatic, and
principled leadership from our Secretaries of State and Defense and our President.
https://amgreatness.com/2024/12/03/trump-needs-to-make-an-example-of-general-milley/
https://americanmind.org/salvo/women-should-not-die-on-the-battlefield/
https://amgreatness.com/2024/11/27/russias-existential-threat-is-china-not-america/
https://amgreatness.com/2024/12/01/the-new-cold-war-is-at-sea/
https://www.jns.org/trump-voices-the-moral-clarity-on-hostages-the-world-needed/
The
entire concept of justice, fairness, and purpose must be re-established in our
Department of Justice. We can only hope that Pam Bondi, if
confirmed, is up to the task.
https://nypost.com/2024/11/24/opinion/tragic-ashli-babbitt-and-the-buried-jan-6-truth/
The
areas of global politics, militarization, and trade are inextricably linked.
Navigating the challenges presented by this complex dynamic is going to
be an immediate concern for the incoming Trump Administration.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/04/economy/trade-trump-tariffs-mexico-canada/index.html
https://reason.com/2024/12/06/trump-vs-cleveland-a-tale-of-two-tariff-strategies/
https://amgreatness.com/2024/12/02/yes-mexico-knows-exactly-what-it-is-doing/
https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/12/trump-blocking-u-s-steel-deal-would-be-a-mistake/
https://reason.com/2024/12/03/trumps-vow-to-block-u-s-steels-sale-sends-stock-tumbling/
https://mrctv.org/blog/craig-bannister/jobs-lost-retail-trade-push-unemployment-rate-higher-november
The
proper role for our federal government in the areas of education is going to be discussed and acted
upon. How that is managed and where it
leads us is of critical importance to our nation, our people, and most importantly…our
children.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/looking-expectantly-ahead-for-higher-ed-reform/
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/should-colleges-adopt-a-differential-tuition-policy/
https://amgreatness.com/2024/11/28/universities-have-a-2025-rendezvous-with-reality/
Three other areas of government
that will be placed under the microscope…
Health:
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/11/the-doctor-who-came-in-from-the-fringe.php
Energy:
https://reason.com/2024/11/29/nuclear-power-saves-lives/
Let’s close out this piece with a
great “feel good” video…enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crAgnI9BF6M
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