The Day After
So, as it turns out, Trump won. Maybe you heard.
I live in California, one of the most diverse and eclectic states in the Union. Hillary Clinton earned over 60% of our votes, and we are a big reason for her slight lead in the popular vote. My being from California likely skewed my perceptions of Trump’s national appeal. I shortchanged the deep distrust for Clinton in other parts of the country, especially in the rural areas of each state. I see now that the Evangelicals had stayed away from Romney, the Mormon, but rallied in surprising numbers for Trump.
I stand by my blogs. I believe Trump is ill-prepared to be president. In California, we experimented with having a political novice be governor. The six years of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration did not go well – in the end, both Republicans and Democrats were mad at him for different things - and we are still paying debts that he kicked down the road. I can’t imagine Trump’s presidency being any better. It is likely, in fact, to be quite worse. There’s just that much more to get in trouble with being President of the United States.
One of my many worries today was the fact that the Democrats failed in their bid to re-take the Senate. We had this same scenario in 2001-2006, when the Republicans controlled both the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House. The Country got badly off the rails in those six years without the Democrats providing a counterweight.
The main difference in this case is that George W. Bush worked quite well with his Congress, while Trump’s relationships with Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are strained. It remains an open question which of Trump’s notions and wild boasts will become law and which were “just words.”
Tax breaks for the super-wealthy seem quite likely, now. (This will drive up the deficit and push the economy into a ditch, just as it did under George W. Bush). Trump’s apologists are already backing away from the Big Wall idea. We’ll see, now that she is likely finished as a politician, if the Republicans continue to harass Clinton with lawsuits and criminal charges.
What will happen when Trump faces litigation himself in the case of Trump University? The idea of a sitting president being charged with fraud is troubling, and may create a constitutional rat’s nest. He is due to testify in court on November 28th.
In the coming days, there will be much soul searching and finger pointing among the Democrats. (I will not belabor the soul-searching nor participate in the finger-pointing.) When Trump takes office, I suggest Nancy Pelosi and company not take up the obstructionist mantle from their Republican counterparts. Allow the Republicans have their way for a bit, let the train start to go off the rails again, and then hit them hard in the midterms. Let’s find someone energetic and progressive to run for President in 2020.
Will love Trump hate? Only if we make it so. I had words of comfort for an Afghani friend this morning. She was afraid she would be separated from her husband and deported. Despite nervous chatter on Twitter, I saw a Muslim woman today wearing her hajib. If this is part of your faith, you should stick to it, and God be with you. For the rest of us, we need to stand up to bigotry wherever we encounter it.
Have courage, and take care. The years ahead will be challenging.
I live in California, one of the most diverse and eclectic states in the Union. Hillary Clinton earned over 60% of our votes, and we are a big reason for her slight lead in the popular vote. My being from California likely skewed my perceptions of Trump’s national appeal. I shortchanged the deep distrust for Clinton in other parts of the country, especially in the rural areas of each state. I see now that the Evangelicals had stayed away from Romney, the Mormon, but rallied in surprising numbers for Trump.
I stand by my blogs. I believe Trump is ill-prepared to be president. In California, we experimented with having a political novice be governor. The six years of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration did not go well – in the end, both Republicans and Democrats were mad at him for different things - and we are still paying debts that he kicked down the road. I can’t imagine Trump’s presidency being any better. It is likely, in fact, to be quite worse. There’s just that much more to get in trouble with being President of the United States.
One of my many worries today was the fact that the Democrats failed in their bid to re-take the Senate. We had this same scenario in 2001-2006, when the Republicans controlled both the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House. The Country got badly off the rails in those six years without the Democrats providing a counterweight.
The main difference in this case is that George W. Bush worked quite well with his Congress, while Trump’s relationships with Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are strained. It remains an open question which of Trump’s notions and wild boasts will become law and which were “just words.”
Tax breaks for the super-wealthy seem quite likely, now. (This will drive up the deficit and push the economy into a ditch, just as it did under George W. Bush). Trump’s apologists are already backing away from the Big Wall idea. We’ll see, now that she is likely finished as a politician, if the Republicans continue to harass Clinton with lawsuits and criminal charges.
What will happen when Trump faces litigation himself in the case of Trump University? The idea of a sitting president being charged with fraud is troubling, and may create a constitutional rat’s nest. He is due to testify in court on November 28th.
In the coming days, there will be much soul searching and finger pointing among the Democrats. (I will not belabor the soul-searching nor participate in the finger-pointing.) When Trump takes office, I suggest Nancy Pelosi and company not take up the obstructionist mantle from their Republican counterparts. Allow the Republicans have their way for a bit, let the train start to go off the rails again, and then hit them hard in the midterms. Let’s find someone energetic and progressive to run for President in 2020.
Will love Trump hate? Only if we make it so. I had words of comfort for an Afghani friend this morning. She was afraid she would be separated from her husband and deported. Despite nervous chatter on Twitter, I saw a Muslim woman today wearing her hajib. If this is part of your faith, you should stick to it, and God be with you. For the rest of us, we need to stand up to bigotry wherever we encounter it.
Have courage, and take care. The years ahead will be challenging.
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