I am 10 months from a birthday that ends in a 0. I will not be 50 and I will not be 70, beyond that I will not be specific. When I turned 18 I registered as a Republican and voted faithfully as one until this election. I did vote for our senator, Chuck Grassley, but I voted for an independent for president and refused to vote for my congressman (Steve King) because of some unconscionably racist comments he made recently and refused to apologize for. I have renounced my party affiliation and am now independent.
My timing is impeccable!
For the first time in a long time, the GOP will hold the House, the Senate, and the White House. In previous moments of opportunity, Republicans have stood at the plate, swung and missed. Let’s hope that this group can do better.
But let’s remember that for the first two years of Barack Obama’s presidency he also had a majority in both houses of Congress and he blew it. He got bogged down and the GOP was able to derail his agenda leading to a bloodbath election in 2010 that put the GOP in charge of Congress. It is a heady moment for the GOP, but it can also be a negative moment. Mess this up and 2018 will be the mother of all bloodbaths for the Republicans.
I’d like to offer some advice to the party I’ve abandoned, because my departure is more of a separation than a divorce. I still catch myself thinking as a Republican and I’m willing to come home if the party does well this time around. If you blow this, I won’t be the only one using the #formerGOP hashtag. If you squander this moment of potential, you will regret it.
So, I offer these words of advice. Hopefully, they will be more valuable than my predictions and advice during the election.
1. Unite!
Mr. Trump, I beg you, reach out to those who opposed you. You struck the right note last night in your middle-of-the-night acceptance speech; now let’s keep singing that song. Work with Paul Ryan. Ben Sasse is the smartest man in your party, and in my mind, possibly the best. He was also one of your loudest opponents. Don’t punish him – for the love of all that holy, USE HIM. He can be a great asset to your administration. Reconcile with Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich and the others. To Senators Sasse, Rubio, and Cruz, and to Governor Kasich, #NeverTrump is over. He has been elected. Our duty is to make him as successful as you can. Rise up and lay aside your hurt feelings. Put the nation ahead of your scars and wounds.
2. Stand tall.
America needs statesmen (and women) more than politicians. We have all laughed, and also cried, at the crude tone of this election. It was sad and disgusting. Shock the world by running the country with dignity and grace. Mr. Trump, I hope and pray that you will lay aside the nicknames and insults and walk above it. Let’s leave the pettiness, crassness, and ugliness in the past.
3. Time Travel.
The most disturbing thing in recent years has been the erosion of constitutional freedoms. This old codger is less interested in what you legislate as in what you protect.
Protect free speech. The left hates freedom of speech (except for theirs). There are massive attacks on free speech in our land. I am not a gun owner, but the Second Amendment is under threat. There are few freedoms that are not threatened today.
But the freedom that matters most to me is the freedom of religion. I heard Mrs. Clinton say in her concession speech that she believed in “freedom of worship.” That’s the problem. America doesn’t just give us the right to gather in our houses of worship and do our rites and rituals, but to practice our religious faith in the public square. That’s what is protected in the constitution and that is what is under attack.
I do not need you to legislate Christianity into law, but I hope you will act to protect freedom of religion – protect our right to live out our faith without government intrusion.
Please let your constitutionalism to be in deed and not only in word.
4. Scalia’s ghost.
The great tragedy of the last year was the sudden death of Antonin Scalia, which threatened the balance of the court. Please understand, Mr. Trump, you will be president because of that. I talked to so many people who voted for you because they thought you would appoint a constitutionalist conservative to the court. They voted for the ghost of Antonin Scalia more than for you, based on the list of nominees you provided. Please be faithful to that. This is not meant as a threat, but if you go back on your word, the voters will turn on your faster than you can imagine.
You can leave a lasting legacy in America simply by appointing good men and women to the court.
5. Life matters.
My biggest disappointment in my party, both in the presidents I’ve helped to elect and in the House and Senate majorities the GOP has sometimes had, has been the GOP’s failure to take the pro-life platform beyond words. Many of us are at a breaking point. This go-round, you had a great advantage: evangelicals so deeply disliked Hillary Clinton they were willing overlook much. But if you do not make real progress on pro-life issues, if you simply ignore the issue until the next election, more and more of us will decide not to be there for you next time.
6. Walls and Bridges
Immigration is a hot-button issue and we evangelicals do not speak with a united voice on this issue. We all tend to agree that the borders need to be secure, though the “wall” idea is not universally loved. Border security is imiportant.
But many of us – a growing number of us – want more than a “round them up and ship them home” approach to the 11 million or so people who are here illegally. In my city there are thousands of illegals and only a small percentage of them are a problem – probably the same percentage as the general population. Most are good families who cause no trouble. We need to find an just and compassionate solution for these people’s problem. I don’t know if citizenship is the answer, but certainly they could be granted legal residency with some penalties, once the border is truly secure.
And a growing number of us are committed to working with refugees and immigrants to help them assimilate into American life. They are not terrorists, not a danger, not a threat – despite the misinformation some on the far right have spread. They are FLEEING our enemies not SERVING them.
7. Black Lives Matter.
I have absolutely no respect for the political organization “Black Lives Matter.” I’ve read their statements and they are essentially Marxists. But there is a real problem with racial relationships in America. I want to be part of political party that holds to conservative values and ideals and also is committed to racial reconciliation and healing.
We do not have to deny the pain blacks have experienced in America to prize the value of our land. We live in a great nation that has done great things, but it has had a racial blind-spot. That needs to be corrected. This is not about choosing sides between young blacks and police, or supporting anyone’s agenda. It is about realizing that there is a reality in America that is uncomfortable – black people have not always been granted full partnership in the American experience. They were enslaved, oppressed, segregated, and discriminated against. The fruits of that remain today.
The GOP can be conservative without being defensive. Let’s work to make America great for all of us – red and yellow, black and white.
A Final Word
You can’t expect much help from the left side of aisle and the press will hate you no matter what you do. They will disrupt and try to stop your agenda. You must not be distracted from the task. For whatever reasons, America has given you a trust. Please don’t blow it. Do not squander the opportunity you have.
On my next birthday, I hope I’ll be proud of the work the party I’ve just left has done.
Serious question. You aren’t the first to hope that Trump morphs into an effective president we can be proud of. I hope that too. But he won the election by being the very opposite of most of the things you describe in your article. Don’t you think the folks who elected him will be outraged if he pivots? The very things we NeverTrumpers decried in him are what brought people flocking to him like moths to a flame. I’m not convinced they’ll like it if he suddenly becomes someone he’s not.
Hope springs eternal.
Dave, you are 10 months younger than being 10 years older than I…
…for what it’s worth.
Happy 50th Jim!
Thank you, Mike! My birthday isn’t actually until next week, but I figured I would attempt to rib Dave about his age.
I’m closer to him than you.. 59 in april
As far as I am concerned, if Trump repeals the ACA, places conservative justices on the Supreme Court, and helps the economy, he will have done a good job.
John, you say “repeals the ACA.” What then of the 20 million people who cannot afford a commercial health care policy? I think that the ACA needs much improvement, but have no idea what will replace it for those in need, do you?
Gerry, Were you asleep when everyone’s insurance went up 25-40%? My health insurance has almost doubled under Obamacare. It is a colossal failure.
I’m with Gerry. The ACA is an abomination, but there’s no question it has helped some people. I feel like once something has been given (affordable insurance) we can’t really take it away. If the ACA is repealed, there has to be a better bill ready to replace it, not just health savings accounts.
The way it was before the ACA is much better than it is now. Insurance was cheaper for everyone.
For most people, I agree. But not everyone.
Bill, that’s the way it should work, you help as many people as you can. You don’t help people by hurting others. My health insurance went from less than $700/month to $1,127/month. I’m just glad that the increases were announced in October so that people could think about that before they voted.
That I do agree with. I’ve never been an advocate of taking money from people just because they have it. I don’t mind paying some taxes to provide a health safety net for people, but there’s gotta be a better way than the ACA.
Allowing people to remain uncovered if they choose is a good start, as is the return of cheap, catastrophic health plans.
Dave,
I don’t think your political information is correct. Republicans won both houses in 2002 when Bush was president.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2002/11/06/republicans-win-control-congres-807760613.html
The Republicans have blown it before and I do not expect much from them now either.
cruel eld doth palsy his wits
That’s what I get for listening to Fox News.
Karl Rove said it was the first time the Republicans would control the house, senate and executive branch since something like 1928. He may have meant this was the first time an ingoing Republican president would inherit a Republican controlled senate and house since the 20’s.
I changed my post. When I heard that on Fox last night, I thought it sounded strange, but no one corrected him and my memory isn’t good. The Senate was razor thin and the house wasn’t much better. But they were as you say.
Bush #2 had a Republican House and Senate for 6 of his eight years. I don’t remember about his father.
Here’s a link to the wiki that charts it out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_divisions_of_United_States_Congresses
Thank you so much the sensitivity you show in this post. I am trying to grapple with the underlying message to people of color, women, and many others that evangelicals have given by electing Mr. Trump. I ran across an interesting article
that points out that Republican SCOTUS appointees passed Roe v. Wade by a margin of 5-2. They also voted to uphold it.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/formerlyfundie/the-christian-rights-false-hope-in-a-conservative-scotus/
I really think that if we are truly ‘evangelical’ we must act in such a way ‘draw all men (people groups) ‘ not repel most men, to Christ. Embracing our president elect’s mindset and having a heart to win all souls to Jesus at the same time will be quite the juggling act. Showing true charity toward life after birth and not counting on the Supreme Court et. al. to the true work of the ministry can be a great start.
Dave, there is another area you didn’t mention. As a veteran of the same age as Donald Trump, I am concerned that we now have as commander-in-chief of our military a man who avoided military service and attacks legitimate war heroes who served as POWs and Gold Star families. How are our military leaders going to react to taking orders from a man who described them as rubble and claims to know better how to fight ISIS that our generals?
I am currently in Asia and reading and listening to the reaction of other countries to this election. They are not aware of the importance of SCOTUS appointments but they do see us electing a president who wants to build a wall around America and keep others out and who wants to back out of our defense and economic treaties, opposes free trade and has threatened to start a trade war with China. They see us as a nation that has claimed Christian values but elected a President who brags about being a serial adulterer and has lived an immoral pagan life style. I can understand their concern and fears and share them.
I hope that Republican leaders in Congress like McCain, Graham and Ryan will hold him accountable to the American people to uphold the values our nation has respected and not the values he promoted in his campaign.
Some really good thoughts here. Here’s my take.
1. Trump should not hold any grudges and he should work with any Republicans who want to work with him. Democrats too.
But Trump should not fall into the trap of feeling like he needs to jeopardize his team or vision with detractors. Dance with the people who supported you. The leaders in his cabinet, staff etc. should be those who were supportive.
2. I think Trump will act with dignity, but it will be on a Trump scale. I would advise him to be himself. Reign it in, but don’t be too afraid to get after people, especially the press.
3. You nailed it. “Freedom to worship” is an intentional rephrasing of the First Amendment to say something other than what it says. Hopefully the FEC aggressive moves can be toned down. The Second Amendment is also huge. Clinton lied big time about this. Says she supports an individual right to bear arms but would turn right around and appoint a justice to the Supreme Court who did not believe in that.
4. I will buy you dinner if he messes this up. He made a list. This appointment will be good. I would like to see Ted Cruz! Unfortunately, Cruz may have blown that.
5. Trump is not super conservative on this, but it will be infinitely better than Clinton and Obama. Plus whatever he does will be in court immediately. Will probably go back to Bush’s positions.
6. Trump simply needs to do what he said he would do. Immigration is the issue that won him the nomination and Presidency. Follow his plan as outlined on his website. It would be the worst thing in the world to take advice from people who opposed him on this. They lost. He won. He was very clear. Do everything he can to keep his promise. If the people wanted pro amnesty, Jeb, McCain, Kasich, Graham, Clinton or some other pro amnesty pol would be President elect. Losers don’t get to suggest their policies.
7. We see eye to eye here, but tactics are important.
Go back to the black pastors that hosted your campaign and supported you.
Do not get tricked into seeking the aid or support of people who are hostile. It’s a fool’s errand.
Ben Carson is a model here. A great, accomplished African American. Start with him and work out. Do the same thing with Hispanics.
Discontinue Obama/Holder efforts to impede or harass local police departments.
I disagree about Carson. I see him as a scheming opportunist. He had just enough integrity to look uncomfortable when shilling for Trump, but that’s all.
On immigration, polls show that up to 80% of Americans now want a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who qualify, pay fines, etc. Evangelicals are also now at 80%. These percentages have gone up 10% or more over the past year. It is as much of a mandate as you will ever find in America and is essentially not controversial at all. Polls showed that 60% of Trump supporters wanted a pathway to citizenship.
Even more importantly, churches need to reach out to immigrants and minister to them with everything they have. Now is the time. Right now. Now later. Now.
Trump just pulled off the impossible with a very clear immigration plan.
It would be foolish and dishonest to then suddenly say that he is going to do something different based on recent polling data.
That is what makes people so fed up with DC.
I am sorry and I know that you did not like Trump’s immigration plan. But he was very specific and it was the centerpiece of his candidacy.
He should go hard after this an accomplish what he can. If the other pols don’t want border security, or they destroy it by putting it in a phony baloney “comprehensive plan “, then they can opppse what he tries to do.
We agree that churches should minister as you suggest.
I agree that Trump should carry out his immigration plan, when Mexico writes us a check for the wall. If he asks congress for a single dime to build a wall, they should remind him of his promise.
Thewre is ananswer to the illegal immigration n the USA (at least I think so).
I live in the middle east and hold a resident visa in the UAE. I cannot due to the law become a citizen of the UAE. I can though and I do, as stated abopve, have a residewnt visa and a work visa, a drivers lice3nse and health insurance.
Here is my suggestion.
1 – Give the illegals who are productive a resident visa without the option of becoming a citizen. If they come or have come illegally and abide by the other laws, put them in the system, let them be productive and wish them well.
2 – Hold them accountable to the laws we have,
3 – Do not give them citizen benifits (medicare and other stuff).
4 – If an illegal does not want to live under such rules, send them home.
5 – They have no say so in government politics
6 – All children born of illegals become citizens of their nationality, not American citizens, anmd usty get a passport from their country for their child within a specific number of days. That right is reserved for children of Americans.
Looking at this as an American citizen, living abroad without persecution or fear of being deported unless I do something wrong. It works here and such a system can work in the USA.
Bingo!
Jon, that’s an interesting idea I had not thought of.
Apologies for all the typos. I should have done in word first. Typing is not my spiritual gift. Creating typos seems to be.
I know Trump fought this, but settled practice now is that children born on American soil are US citizens regardless of their parentage. That’s not likely to change.
In my opinion, every person born our soil is an American citizen.
You may be correct. I would rather see the change, personally. We ghave to deal with the illegal issue somehow that is favorable to the USA and all those entering legally.
If deportation is not somethng we want to do or cannot do humanly, then what I shared is a possible healthy alternatiive to our problem.
John – Opinion noted. I would support a change that it does not have to be that way.
Easy Bill Mac.
Trump said Mexico would pay for it,
We may finance the initial construction, but will be paid back over time in other ways.
Consumers may not have built the restaurant, but as customers, they pay for it over time.
I hope this helps.
Is that what Trump promised?
Yes, that’s what he said.
Bill Mac:
Yes. That is what he promised.
You adding requirements- “Mexico will pay first, in advance” and “Mexico will write a check.”
I know that you don’t like Trump. That’s fine.
But your dislike shouldn’t cause you to trying to keep making small and inaccurate points.
Just sit back and watch.
You see I think we should absolutely let Trump be Trump. I don’t want to see an army of surrogates spinning the outrageous things he says into something resembling sensible. Politicians not keeping their promises is nothing new, but Trump is supposedly the ultimate outsider and won because people were sick of politics as usual. So let’s hold him tightly to the letter of his promises, without the spin. Let the wall be built with Mexico’s money. Let him immediately move to indict Hillary Clinton. Let him immediately remove the generals that he knows more than and calls losers. Let him target the families of terrorists and steal Iraq’s oil. Let him try to change the libel laws so he can more easily sue the media. Let’s start a trade war with China and cozy up to Russia and see if that brings manufacturing jobs back into the country. We’ve had almost 2 years to get a vision of Trump’s America and it is apparently what people want, so let’s enact it and see what happens. Let’s let him do everything he said he would do, right down to making sure everyone says “Merry Christmas”.
Bill, you sound as if you actually want actions to happen so they DT is held true to the promises, even if you disagree with what he promised. For instance, targeting families of terrorists. So you want innocent people harmed (as you interpreted his statements) so that DT is held to his promise? Can you explain what sounds like a vindictive spirit on your part?
Les: Haven’t you defended Trump on this issue? It seems to me that you said something like putting a little fear into them is not a bad thing.
You see my point? Trump said something outrageous. Everyone knew what he meant, but then a surrogate went out and sanitized it. Muslim ban? Same thing. Deportation force? Ditto. Well I say let him try. Let’s see if the military follows his orders to target civilians. Let’s see if they will be willing to lose their lives stealing Iraqi oil. Let’s see if Mexico will pony up for the wall. Everyone told us Trump would moderate once he got into office, but is that what the people who elected him want?
Bill I have defended DT on this, as I understand what he means by it when he clarified his statements. That fear in a terrorist’s mind is a good thing.
But back to my point. You have insisted he meant to kill wives and children of terrorists. Right? And now you want to see happen what you think he meant? That women and children should die to make a point? Come now Bill Mac. Say you’re just making overblown statements.
You’re right. I’m saying let him try. I’m guessing that the military who would be ordered to carry this out would have enough basic decency to defy these orders.
As for creating fear. Are you saying we should threaten to do things that we don’t intend to do? That sounds like Obama’s red line, and we know how well that worked.
I want Trump to be a good president, I really do. I don’t think he will be, or I would have voted for him, but now that he’s going to be president, how can I not want him to be a good one? The problem is that I don’t think he will be a good president if he carries out the things he promised to get elected as president. I despised Trump’s immorality, who but a few sycophants didn’t? But my opposition was as much to his policies, as amorphous and evolving as they turned out to be. I think, if he has his way, that he will plunge this country into another recession, just to name one thing.
No I don’t think we should make empty threats like O has. DT said he didn’t mean kill. But his clarification was wisely vague. Let the terrorists continue to wonder what he meant while our military seeks all lawful means to get them. But it’s troubling, at least to me,that you think he meant kill and you want him to keep that promise that you interpret as kill.
Well, as I say. I want him to try. Obviously I don’t think anyone would carry out these orders. If in fact our military carries out such an order, we have much bigger problems in this country.
Thanks Bill Mac. I’ve gotta get some other things done. Have a good day.
1. I’m not optimistic about this one.
2. Trump is not a statesman. I think the best we can hope for is that he surrounds himself with statesman-ey people.
3. I think Trump will move to protect the 2nd amendment, but not the first.
4. Despite his inconsistent relationship with the truth, I think he will keep this one. It costs him nothing to do so.
5. I think he may try to do something here, if for no other reason than to keep evangelicals on his side. Although I think we have seen in this election that no future Republican ever need worry about losing the evangelical vote.
6. I don’t know what he’ll do here. I don’t see a wall being built. I certainly don’t see Mexico paying for it. I envision a nightmare of government seizure of private and tribal property to make this happen. Maybe the Bundy’s will fight against this, now that they have successfully avoided justice.
7. I’ve often said that Trump is not as racist as he is made out to be. He hates a lot of people but I don’t think it is along racial lines. However he has a lot of support from racist elements in the country, so I don’t know where this will go. He may well abandon them now that he’s won.
One of my biggest issues is the economy, namely the debt and deficit. Neither Trump nor Clinton were planning anything that would address these issues. I wish someone would have the nerve to champion fiscal responsibility.
“now that they have successfully avoided justice.”
Nope
I think too many focus on some of the harsh campaign rhetoric to the point they forget a key point from the beginning of Trump’s campaign.
“I’m a deal maker and I will get things done.”
He will I believe. A wall will be built, congress is already planning for that. There will be deportations, but not 11 million. Other main GOP items such as repeal and replace, tax reform, rebuilding the military and many other things will get done as well.
But I also believe in a year or two, major conflict will arise with the GOP, and it should. They are a part of the cronyism as much as the Dems, and Trump will eventually take that on. I personally hope he does. It’s time for term limits, a main plank of the original contract with America 22 years ago. The cronyism on both sides will fight them but Trump will go over their heads to the people directly as he’s already shown he can do. It’s time to address the lobbying and money.
Trump will work with Dems on his bill of rights for black America and inner city investment probably with just a little GOP support and get things done in that regard apart from them. He’s a deal maker, and won’t be afraid to buck his own party.
Like it or not, and some of it I probably won’t like, especially in regards to some social issues, Trump is reshaping the GOP. That will continue. I still don’t consider him a Republican in all honesty.
But no one can say the man is not brilliant on many levels. He completely ignored the GOP’s post mortem of 2012 and saw things no one else did, and he won. A traditional GOP campaign would have lost to the worst candidate in history.
To expect him to govern along a traditional GOP line is to ignore everything that has happened. In some, many, ways that is possibly a good thing. The GOP has failed.
I have concerns like everyone else, but I’m also cautiously optimistic. I think he’ll get some things done no one expects. And if he does, the demographic map, especiallly in regards to blacks and Hispanics could be changed for a while, as they have been failed by both parties.
The reality is, the GOP would be smart to come towards him on many of these things. If they do, with the chaos and lack of any real, viable, non-socialist leader in the DNC, the GOP could set the course for many years to come
I do not know where you were, but my employer covered much of my insurance…are you saying that before the ACA you, personally were paying less? I find that hard to believe
Well, regardless if you believe it or not. I was paying less than $700/month before the ACA and starting January 1, 2017 I am paying $1,127/month. And anyone on this site knows that what I am saying is true.
And I am in an employers group plan.
I was paying more in premiums and had a higher deductible before I took out Obamacare, and that was without any Federal assistance. When you are 60+, Blue Cross eats you alive. I was priced out of SBC insurance quite a few years ago. My wife worked for a doctor so we got our insurance through him. Yes, Obamacare has gone up every year, but whose insurance has not?
John and Gerry, Obama’s plan is why I am paying $1127/month. I was paying half that before. And before Obama my insurance never went up 40% in a single year, ever.
If an insurance company is forced to cover people with preexisting conditions, then they have to raise prices across the board.
I guess that I am just dense, but how has the advent of the ACA caused employer assisted health care insurance to skyrocket?
Read Bill Mac’s comment above your, Gerry. Also, the ACA has stifled competition, which is how prices are stabilized in our economy. For groups less than 50, Blue Cross Blue Shield is the only insurance available in my state.
A big problem is, Trump likes the pre-existing condition clause, and I can certainly understand why it’s a godsend for sick people looking for insurance. I can only imagine what it’s like looking for health insurance if you’ve got cancer or some other major illness.
But if you force insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions, you are essentially ordering them to lose money on those people. They have to make it up somewhere else. That’s why the individual mandate (which Trump and nearly everyone else hates) is hard to separate from pre-existing conditions. The ACA relies heavily on healthy people buying insurance, and they simply aren’t. It’s much cheaper to pay the penalty.
The idea of the ACA was to hurt most people a little, in order to help some people. But it ended up hurting most people a lot, to help those people. I think most people would be fine with paying a little more in taxes if it meant covering every American, but they aren’t willing to lose their plan, their provider, and pay double or triple their premiums to do it.
Gerry, almost everyone I know is paying MUCH higher rates for their end of healthcare. Not sure what your point is.
His point was from a conversation between he and I up the comment stream. I said that the ACA needs to be repealed and he disagreed.
Sorry, I am technologically challenged…But Dave is making my point! Health insurance premiums are increasing everywhere. Not only the ACA holders but for everyone. Either the employer absorbs it or you pay more out of pocket. Before I went on Medicare my employer had Blue Cross- Blue Shield for employees and every year our premiums increased. So, my point to John is who will cover the health care needs of the 20 million now covered by ACA?
No Gerry, Dave is not making your point, because what you fail to understand is that those premiums are rising so sharply expressly because of Obamacare. Those 20 million could have purchased insurance cheaper before Obamacare.
It is a colossal failure and it will be dismantled.
“re you saying that before the ACA you, personally were paying less? ”
Yes. 50% increase in premiums this year. Last year I was forced to drop from the “enhanced” coverage to “standard” coverage to keep my increase down to 10%. It would have been a 50% increase last year also.
Elections have consequences. The #nevertrump folks don’t get to tell him what to do, nor do the dems.
He’s got 2 years to prove that his vision is the right one. The last thing he needs to do is compromise. That’s what the establishment has done, and they just got whooped.
Nate: So Trump is only the president of those who voted for him? What you are suggesting doesn’t sound very American. Actually, you don’t get to tell him what to do either. Didn’t rural America just rise up because they didn’t feel like they had a voice? Is that how you want Trump to govern against the other half of the country? Let’s hope he’s wiser than that.
Bill, this is exactly what Obama did in 2008. How do you think Obamacare got shoved through. The statement, “Elections have consequences,” was said by Obama. He said the Republicans can put it where the sun doesn’t shine, because they lost and he won.
My overall point is that this is Trump’s party and even key leaders understand this. Paul Ryan is now kissing up to him, as is Mitch McConnell. Furthermore, Trump can use his pen and phone (another Obama statement) just as effectively to dismantle all of Obama’s Executive Orders and issue his own, should he choose. He doesn’t need any Congressional approval to repeal any or all of Obama’s Executive Orders.
Republicans refused to stand up and stop Obama, and now you want them to stand up and stop Trump? Please!
I don’t get to tell him what to do. I agree. But there is no doubt the #nevertrump crowd will not be in the room making decisions about his agenda.
It would not surprise me if Trump was as vindictive and unilateral as Obama, but I hope he’s not. You’re right about the Repubs sucking up to him now. It’s pathetic. However I think you’re going to find that Trump learns very quickly how to be a politician. His surrogates are already hedging on taking legal action against Clinton, and he sat down with the man he called the Founder of ISIS and said he was a “very good man”.
I don’t expect Trump to elevate NeverTrumpers to his inner circle of advisors, but if he remains wilfully blind to all the reasons people became NeverTrumpers, then he’ll be no better than Obama. I would much rather be proven wrong than proven right. If NeverTrumpers are proven wrong, then we’re a little embarrassed. If we’re proven right, the whole country suffers.
Bill Mac, the GOP is terrified of him right now. He ignored all their advice, identified them as part of the problem as well, and won.
That huge swath of red across that election map in those rural areas most of them represent repudiated them and backed him.
You bet they’re kissing up, and when they do finally clash down the road; be it over term limits, or the infrastructure initiative, they’d better be careful. The Tea Party and such are going to have candidates ready to run against incumbents in two years.
So long as Trump continues to fight for what he laid out, his support isn’t going away. However, if Congress will meet him in the middle on some things, it won’t come to that.
Trump wants to make deals. It’s what he does. I think that’s the thing most can’t grasp. He ran like he negotiates. It’s in the “second greatest book” of all time according to him, lol
Jeff,
Making deals is what I hope Trump does, but that isn’t what some people are calling for. Making a deal means both sides get something and no one gets everything. I think that’s healthy.
Every poll I read said that many, perhaps even a majority of Trump voters were AGAINST Hillary more than FOR him. If he enters office with some kind of idea of his vast personal popularity and overwhelming support for all his ideas, that hubris will grind his administration to a halt in a NY minute.
Bill Mac, but it is what Trump does. He backed away from total deportation as the campaign progressed. Trump wants to get things done. A lot of what he campaigned on was straight GOP. That will get done, and during the process Trump will negotiate for some of the things he wants. If they are smart, they’ll meet him on some of them. It’s what’s best for all concerned.
The GOP has a genuine opportunity to expand it’s tent. When you look at the final exit polls, Trump got far more of the Latino vote than anyone expected and more of the black vote than any Republican since Reagan in 1984
Nate,
Congrats to you for “getting it”!
There is a difference between being unnecessarily ugly, and compromising without reason.
You win an election, and you lead.
Trump will have to horse trade at times. That’s part of the system.
But you don’t start a negotiation when you’re the winner.
Half of Congress are Dems. They all hate him. Half or more of the GOP doesn’t like him.
Trump is president, not king. If he tries to bully Congress they will show him how well that works.
Nate and Louis, you guys love Trump. Few of the folks I know that voted for him do. They held their noses and voted for him because he’s not Hillary.
He does not have some kind of mandate to run the country like czar. If he thinks like you seem to, that he has some kind of mandate to do as he pleases, he will learn quickly how representative government works.
If he takes your advice and continues to behave as a lout, the off election bloodbath might get ugly.
Your attitude – we won, let’s shove it in their faces, lacks both grace and wisdom.
Better to seek to govern well, not to gloat and grind your enemies.
Let’s hope Donald seeks to government all of America, not just the alt right.
Actually, you have misread what I was implying. I don’t want or think Trump will shove all things down people’s throats. But I think you are wrong to believe that he doesn’t have mandates.
He ran on very specific issues. Appeal Obamacare, better help to veterans, border security, repeal Obama’s executive orders, cut Corporate Tax to 15%, and better Trade Deals. These are his mandates and even Paul Ryan acknowledged that yesterday if you heard the interview with him. If Trump doesn’t do these things, he will have lied to those who voted for him and he will be just like the Establishment he ran against.
I think you are wrong that half the GOP doesn’t like him. There aren’t that many #nevertrump reps and senators still claiming to be so. They are afraid they might lose their seats in 2018 if Trump’s mandates actually turn the country around. Thankfully, Trump has killed the Bush, Clinton, and Obama dynasties in one fell swoop.
Republicans in the past have failed to seize their opportunities when they had them. 2010 and 2014 are prime examples. They were given a mandate and they let Obama walk all over them and convince them they needed to play nice with the Dems. The Democrats never do this when they get their chances to lead, and Trump better seize on his opportunity in these first 2 years. If he fails, the Mid Term elections of 2018 will prove the country wasn’t willing to follow him.
One other thing. You can continue to say this was a vote against Hillary which is certainly your opinion and right. However, remember this. Trump received more Electoral votes than President Bush did in either of his election victories. He came very close to Obama’s total. This wasn’t a squeaker he pulled out of his hat. He resoundingly beat Hillary. You don’t win that way merely by an anti-vote against the other party.
He resoundingly beat Clinton in the electoral college, but I think Clinton is still winning the popular vote. I still think he has the right to pursue his agenda, but we shouldn’t pretend he has a mandate like Reagan had.
I didn’t think much about this before he was elected. I was more concerned with his temperament and dishonesty. Now I’m more concerned about the debt and deficit and I don’t see Trump as someone who champions fiscal responsibility (ditto for the last several presidents).
Considering the popular vote is not what gets a President elected, it really isn’t an issue. So if 40% of the country lived in California, they should decide for the rest. We live in a Republic, not a Democracy.
Reagan was derided and made fun of in 1980. How can an actor be president? How can a divorced man be moral? On, and on. He didn’t have an across the board mandate, and was in fact ridiculed and opposed for most of his 1st term. The Democrats hated and despised him.
All I’m saying about the popular vote is so far, more people who voted wanted Clinton over Trump. But Trump won according to our system and that’s fine. I didn’t want Clinton to win either. I’m just saying it’s not like Trump is the “people’s favorite”.
As far as the Reagan mandate, I was talking about his second term.
Serious question: Do you think Trump’s policies will address the debt and deficit? I’m beginning to think people aren’t even concerned with them anymore.
Yes, I specifically think reducing the Corporate Tax rate to 15% along with allowing the Repatriation of Funds back into the country for the purposes of starting manufacturing and other businesses will address this. These kind of tax reductions are exactly what Reagan did. Also, tearing up the rotten trade deals and no longer allowing the Chinese, Mexico and others to continue to rob us on trade will make a huge difference. How about Energy independence? Do you not think that will spur jobs and also eliminate debt? Repealing Obamacare will also free up small businesses and not force them to provide across the board coverage to their employees while they are trying to get their businesses off the ground.
I agree Nate – if all those things happen – the economy will take off like a jetliner and add to that the ending of deficit spending – the debt Will certainly go on a downward spiral.
Dave,
I have said the exact opposite of what you say I said.
If we are going to have a productive discussion, we cannot misrepresent each other’s views.
I said that he should NOT be ugly and demanding.
But there is a difference between being ugly and compromising your own position from the start.
When Reagan was elected, he ran on a very specific platform.
Upon election, Reagan presented HIS economic plan to Congress, with the Democrats controlling the house. He did not get everything he wanted, but he also did not undercut his position at the start by offering something less than what he had campaigned on.
My point is that Trump doesn’t need to act like a loser. He won. He should act like a gracious winner. There will be push back. He will have to negotiate.
But the losers should not be given special status by being consulted and fawned over in advance.
Trump has handled Paul Ryan beautifully, and Ryan has responded.
Trump will do the same with McConnell, McCain, Rubio etc. And they will respond.
Trump has demonstrated incredible resilience and leadership in this election. He has lived a lifetime in the business world.
He will have to adjust to politics, but if the past is any indication, I believe he will do that.
If Trump doesn’t change his tone and soften his views on some things, he will be in trouble.
If he doesn’t work with them, he is toast.
And Louis, the Republicans in the House and Senate are not losers. They are office holders. Hillary lost, but Dems hold legitimate office.
If Trump follows your advice and treats them like losers, they will show him. No president has had less support in Congress than Trump.
He ran AGAINST congressional Republicans. Now he has to work with them. Things have changed. Belligerence and petulance are not going to accomplish anything.
And did anyone notice that Canada and Mexico have already stated they are willing to sit down and look at NAFTA? The “Art of the Deal” already at work
Dave,
I agree. Republicans in both houses who are elected are not losers.
Those Republicans who worked against Trump’s election after he obtained the nomination are among the losers.
Lots of Republicans came around.
I agree he should avoid belligerence and petulance.
Bill Mac, Trump does have a mandate, within the GOP. And with control of the Presidency and Congress that’s what matters. It is his party. Even Ryan is crediting his coat tails.
Dave mentioned the Dems will hate him, and many will. But he has a long standing relationship with Shumer who is the Senate minority leader now, and he’s supported Pelosi in the past with donations. We’ve never had a situation quite like this one.
Dem leadership has already stated they are for the infrastructure suggestions he has made, even though increasingly irrelevant conservative groups like Club for Growth, which was #nevertrump have come out against it.
But if Trump can get the money(from where is the question) then be all GOP and block grant it to the states for infrastructure use only, not some parking garage with a congressmen’s name on it, he has a chance to get bipartisan support. This can happen on several other things as well.
We’re in a strange new world. I’m hopeful some things no one expects can get done. My biggest concern is foreign policy, but I think his campaign rhetoric in many cases was just bluster, and he’ll listen to good people.
Trump has more flaws than can be counted, but he also has some intriguing strengths. Not the least of which is he knows how to manage people and get deals done. It could be a really positive thing, but if he can’t control himself, it could be an unmitigated disaster, especially overseas.
It’s where we are, and time will tell. But can anyone say the status quo was working?
Jeff:
Those are good observations.
This will be an interesting 4 years.
I am optimistic, but cautiously so.
I predict some success and some losses.
Depending on what the Fed does, we could end up with a freight train economically. You can sense the energy in the business community.
But if the economy does poorly, it will be tough.
Despite a gracious speech from Clinton and good words from Obama, the Dems are good and rough politicians. They are coming after Trump with the long knives and we now know with media assistance and coordination.
The Republicans are harder to gauge. I suspect they’ll want to bask in the glow, so they’ll go along. People forget how much the Republican Party insiders hated Reagan.
If things get rough, Republicans may abandon him.
The religious people who don’t like him will never make peace with him or say anything positive about him. Sex and gambling are at the top of the sin list for many people.
But I have found that by and large most religious people still voted for Trump, and some religious leaders will never be able to absorb that or understand that in a charitable way. It will always be with a huge dose of bewilderment at best and anger at worst.
Louis, there are some comparisons to Reagan, though Trump certainly isn’t a rock ribbed conservative. He is a macro-manager like Reagan however, which I believe is what a President must be. You set the agenda and let the wonks work out the details.
Trump enters though with something Reagan never had, no Republican since 1928, both houses of Congress. That didn’t turn out well then as 1929 came quickly and the Great Depression followed. Honestly, our economy is a shell game right now, and through no fault of his own, a collapse could occur.
If Obama were serious about helping a transition the Fed would raise interest rates today, as these zero rates are unsustainable and everyone knows it. A correction is inevitable, and Trump has said so. But Obama’s own legacy is to important to him so that will never happen. There is to much to be gained politically for Dems as well, which is exactly what is wrong with Washington. The long term good is set aside for short term political gain.
Reagan’s first two years were rough, and Trump’s could be as well due to nothing he has done.
There is much danger ahead. He has his work cut out for him
No doubt.
His first Supreme Court pick will say a lot.
My suspicion is that after this campaign, Trump knows how vicious and intolerant liberals can be.
He is not afraid of the press or push back.
I heard he just made Mike Pence head of the transition team.
Great move.
In fact, I have not seen a better VP pick on the Republican side in my lifetime.
Pence is a good man and performed admirably under really tough circumstances.
The first test will be Trump’s cabinet picks. He has promised to drain the swamp. If he surrounds himself with career politicians and lobbyists he won’t be off to a good start.
I’m also interested in seeing who he may be able to draw from the corporate world in regards to trade and technology.
Newt may not have an official title, but he’ll be a close advisor. You could see his fingerprints all over the ethics reform suggestions and the new Bill of Rights with black America. BTW, both of those were dead on right.
We know Rudy, Carson and Christie will figure in somewhere. People like Conway and maybe even Bannon as well. They’ve earned his trust
He’ll have to bring in some of the establishment to fill the 4000 total positions
Good point, Bill Mac.
There are some politicians that should be in the cabinet that, in my view, would be draining the swamp. Like Rudy as Attorney General.
The tension is always to get experience without getting DC culture.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.
I have heard Larry Kudlow might be a Treasury. That would be great.
I would like to see John Bolton at the State Department. He has spent many years there, but is not part of the DC swamp.
I would like to see Cruz nominated to the Supreme Court. But I don’t think that Cruz is very popular with his fellow senators, and he did not act appropriately at the Convention.
I thinking bringing in Bannon would be a mistake. I hope he cuts ties with the alt-right as soon as he can. I’m not a fan of Guiliani or Gingrich. The White House is going to start looking like the old white philanderers club, but I forget that we don’t care about stuff like that anymore. I think Gingrich has no integrity, but he’s intelligent and politically smart, and although he was a Trump surrogate, did occasionally criticize Trump, whereas Guiliani was straight up sycophant. I know cabinet positions are typically quid pro quo for campaign support, but it would be nice to take another approach. I think you’re going to see Christie fade out of the picture.
I saw Sarah Palin’s name floated for something. God help us. Seriously.
It took to 11:00 p.m. on election night for me to read the first comments about how sad it is the church is still racist. The proof of the racism was Trump winning the election.
I believe it is lazy for thinkers to grab xenophobe, racist, and whitelash as the reason Trump won.
A few observations about the election from the sad rural part of the country.
1) The Nevertrumpers though a proud group didn’t have any impact on the election. There simply was not a mass exodus out of the Republican party.
2) A greater percentage of minorities voted for Trump than Romney.
3) This election swung on people who voted for a black man named Barack Hussein Obama who chose to vote for Trump this election. Surely these people can’t be labeled as racist.
Trump won the election because: 1) Hillary Clinton was his opponent. It is hard to believe the Democrats could find a poorer choice for their nominee. 2) Trump seems to love America. In the heartland people have grown tired of people criticizing, ridiculing, and apologizing for America. His gung-ho for America resonated. 3) The middle-class has been decimated. The Dems thought Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin were their birthright. Dems from these three states and probably Iowa who voted for President Obama twice chose to vote for Trump. I suggest racism had absolutely nothing to do with their change.
obviously in the wrong thread.
Dean,
“I believe it is lazy for thinkers to grab xenophobe, racist, and whitelash as the reason Trump won.”
I believe you are correct. We were not on the same page with Trump’s candidacy but we are in agreement here. I do not think those things are THE reason he won, or even a main reason that he won. I do believe that SOME voted for him for that reason just as there were some of darker skin tone who voted for Hillary because Barack Obama said to. Racism plays a part in all elections, no one denies that, but to say that it is the the reason Trump got elected is asinine.
I too presented some of the same observations you’ve made here in a post on this forum earlier today…of course I too post form a “sad rural part of the country” as well.
BillMac and I agreed that “rural-lash” is a more accurate term than “white-lash”.
Rural areas of the country have been devastated by liberal policies, over regulation, govt. corruption and bad trade deals – all of which were the anti-songs that Trump was singing.
I could not pull the trigger for Trump for a number of reasons that it would be unnecessary to rehash – but I can see why so many of my friends and neighbors did – and heralding “Yay Whitey” was not one of the reasons I heard from my real friends, church members and family. Although, I must admit that a few of my Facebook “friends” had that notion in their ramblings…
Tar Heel, rust belt lash as well
Yep. Reminds me of Bill Clinton’s campaign against HW Bush:
“it’s the economy, stupid.”
Dean:
The racism thing is a post-election narrative that the media and some of the losers are trying to push. There’s no real support for it. It has to be argued with, I believe.
This election was about a handful of issues that the American people care about. Immigration is what got Trump the nomination. There are other issues, as well.
We are in new times. Will have to see how this goes. I am cautiously optimistic.