Happy Anniversary

Be careful what you wish for – you might just get it.

One of my wishes was always to meet a politician that spoke their mind without political filters. But in President Trump, I got more than I bargained for (or wanted).

Yet at the one-year anniversary of his presidency, I find myself starting to settle into his style. It’s like in the Shawshank Redemption when Morgan Freeman, playing the part of Red, says:

“These walls are funny. First you hate ‘em, then you get used to ‘em, enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized.

I’ve been institutionalized.

I still hate it when Trump sounds off with some comment that is unfair, untrue or uncouth. But I have to admit, I like seeing a politician who is not cowed into silence by political correctness. I think it’s fun watching liberals pale at his brazen, brash, and often outrageous comebacks.

Unlike the leftist media, I actually care more about what he does than what he says. So let’s take a look at the Trump’s first year:

The good

• He kept his word and nominated a fantastic Supreme Court Justice. Since then, he has gotten a record number of Federal Appellate Judges through the nomination process.
• The economy is booming for the first time in years, thanks, in large part, to an improved attitude among savers, shoppers and sellers who believe that with tax cuts and less government regulation the economy is bound to improve.
• He is enforcing immigration law and attacking what John Wohlstetter, writing in The American Spectator, calls “the unholy Trinity [of illegal immigration], the visa lottery tilted towards migrants from culturally incompatible places; unchecked ‘chain migration’ of distant relatives; and keeping open a largely unprotected Southwest border.”
• He is taking meaningful action to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons in North Korea and Iran.
• He has put the UN and NATO on notice that financing men and money to keep the world safe is not just a U.S. responsibility.
• He has strengthened the relationship between the United States and Israel by recognizing Jerusalem as their capital.
• He is not the despot many worried he would be.

The Bad

• Obamacare still exists (although weakened).
• The far left and the far right are even farther apart and even less willing to negotiate.
• Political drama is crushing any good news on policy achievements.
• As one blogger put it, “Trump uses Twitter like cat owners use laser pointers.”
• As of this writing, the government is shut down.

The Politics

The controversy surrounding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is the “official” reason for the government shutdown.

Democrats say the Republicans will not negotiate on fixing DACA. Republicans say DACA has no place in budget negotiations. However, the Republican argument is weakened by the fact that they did the same thing in 2013 when they held the budget hostage to negotiations over Obamacare.

According to a recent CNN poll taken just before the government shutdown, a majority of Americans (56 percent) say finding a solution for the DACA program should not be allowed to derail a budget plan that keeps the government operating. However, that same poll finds that a slim majority of Americans will still blame the Republicans for any shutdown.

Here is an email I got from the Democratic Party (I keep my eye on what they are doing):

It’s official — Republicans have shut down the federal government.

They control the White House and both chambers of Congress, and under their watch, they haven’t been able to govern and keep the lights on.

If they’re not capable of doing the job they were elected to do, we know plenty of Democrats running across the country who are up to the task.

Pitch in $10 right now to throw Republicans out and elect Democrats who will get the job done.

With your help, we’ll make Republicans pay for this.

Thanks,

The Democrats

It’s all a political game designed to raise money.

However, like my wish for a straight talking politician, Democrats may not get exactly what they want. Without the news screaming how terrible the shutdown is, most Americans will never notice the loss of these “non-essential services.” Realizing that, instead of turning against Trump, they might instead start supporting his government trimming.

Achieving world peace and perpetual prosperity could not convince the far left that Trump is anything but an obnoxious entertainer who snuck into office because of stupid clingers and haters. Reasonable conservatives, however, will probably now admit that Trump’s first year, overall, was pretty good. If the economy continues to improve and we don’t end up at war with North Korea, his first term has a good chance of success.

That is a big change in where I stand. What do you think?

Read Full Post »