By Gary Bennett
It is not news to anyone that this presidency is emphatically different than ones we’ve known in the past. To be sure, ‘different’ is what many people voted for, and we’ve certainly gotten it. But, I can’t help wondering, is what we are getting now what we all bargained for?
As seen in the Frederick News-Post Saturday, April 6, 2019.
There were high hopes that Mr. Trump would drain the swamp, give a voice to the voiceless, and put an end to political correctness. We are swampier than ever, of course, with many of his close aids either indicted or currently serving time, but there is no doubt that he has shaken the political establishment. Before he was elected, we were less sure about the actual policies he would pursue. After all, Mr. Trump is a former democrat who had no previous voting record and had previously espoused such non-conservative principles as the right to choose.
During the primary campaign and general election we heard him talk about strengthening border security, lowering taxes, and bringing back good-paying manufacturing jobs, to name a few. I think we can all agree that he has tried to keep his promises but I also think we can agree that he has not been very successful in enacting the legislation that would make them so. He has done much better with executive orders, but of course they can be easily reversed upon the election of a president with opposing views, and most probably will be.
So, how did we get here? Is it just a recalcitrant Congress that stands in his way? It can’t be that. The president’s party controlled all levers of government in 2017 and 2018 and still not much got accomplished. Is it obstructionist federal judges who can stop executive orders in their tracks with the wave of a pen? To some extent, yes. But I believe the biggest barrier is that we elected a businessman/television star with zero political and governmental experience. He simply doesn’t have the wherewithal to do well in this job and is not very good at picking people who can stay out of trouble and help him. Mom always told me that anyone could grow up to be president. But, that doesn’t mean anyone should.
To believe that someone with no government experience can get a majority of Americans and a majority of Congress to accept or at least tolerate his policies is to believe that there is not an art or science to governing. My old political science professors at Frostburg State University would be aghast and tell you otherwise. Horse trading, building consensus, persuasion, and good old-fashioned compromise are the building blocks of good governance. This is what our forefathers envisioned.
This president is woefully inadequate in all these areas. When you combine these shortcomings with his penchant for insult and ridicule, it is no wonder there is constant turmoil and few legislative successes to point to. Would you go along with someone who constantly insulted you? No, me neither. What may have worked well in a closely held business does not work well in government.
Some may say that Mr. Trump has been unfairly scrutinized and challenged at every turn. I say that is exactly what democracy is all about. Mr. Obama, Mr. Bush, and Mr. Clinton (you can go all the way back to Mr. Washington if you like) were all challenged to the fullest extent possible. That is what helps make America great and keeps us from becoming a dictatorship. You can bet that if Mr. Obama’s closest associates had been indicted and imprisoned like Mr. Trump’s, Congressional Republicans would be doing exactly what Democrats are doing now. As citizens we should insist upon nothing less.
I’m old enough to remember the Clinton Administration being continuously challenged at every turn by a newly energetic Republican Congressional majority in 1994. What did they do? The Clinton Administration redoubled efforts to look for areas of agreement and compromise wherever possible. For the current administration, compromise seems to be a dirty word. Mr. Trump doesn’t seem to want to play the game. For him, there can only be winners and losers.
The reason that Mr. Clinton could rebound and govern effectively, turning over a roaring economy and budget surplus to Mr. Bush in 2001 was that his presidency was the culmination of his government experience, not the launching point. The same can be said for most presidents except the current one. Experience does matter. If you don’t think so, try applying to be the publisher of this newspaper.
I don’t blame the Americans who voted for Mr. Trump in the handful of key states that decided the election for the lack of legislative progress and the constant rancor and turmoil we now live under. Given the choice between Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton – a highly flawed, unlikable, tainted candidate that represented the old guard — I can see where many Americans would want to take a chance on the exciting new irreverent star on the political scene.
What I don‘t understand and what I would love for my Republican friends to explain to me is why they chose Trump as their nominee over the better-prepared, better qualified conservative Republican candidates available at the time. After all, most held similar beliefs to Mr. Trump but also had a history in government and a record of getting things done in government that Mr. Trump did not. Does anyone not think that John Kasich, for example, would have fought hard for conservative principles but been willing to compromise to move this country forward?
Please tell us all what it is about Mr. Trump that most Americans are missing and leaves us embarrassed for our country at the end of each evening. Is it the absurd political theater that Mr. Trump provides? Is it the political incorrectness? Is it that he was untainted by Washington’s ways? Is it his purported business acumen?
As a moderate Democrat, I will admit I was entertained by the insults and name calling Mr. Trump leveled at the other Republican candidates. Like most, I didn’t see any way he could be nominated. And after he was nominated, I didn’t see any way he could be elected. Of course, like a lot of people I was very much wrong.
But I’m wondering if after two years of constant turmoil and not getting much accomplished perhaps even Republicans have had enough. I think possibly some but probably not very many. My guess is, however, that most independents who voted for Mr. Trump in 2016 will not do so again. Words, demeanor, grace, and yes results matter even if Mr. Trump is pursuing policies you agree with.
If Mr. Trump showed up my door this evening I’m not sure I would invite him in and show him the respect his office should demand. That is because I’m not sure he respects the office himself. He certainly shows no respect to those who disagree with him. And I do mean everyone and not just opposing politicians. Just ask the Gold Star father. Rather, his opposition is considered unpatriotic and presidential harassers.
I have lived happily through many presidents from both parties. You could question their policies but never their good intentions, respect for the office and all Americans, and their wish to bring us together. I don’t think you can say that about this president. He doesn’t seem to want to be the president for all Americans.