Sunday, January 15, 2017

Tell me: what next?

Speaking from Australia, I would love to know what American people think about the Presidential Election result.  What do think about Donald J. Trump winning office?
Since I'm not a U.S. citizen I won't take it on myself to comment. I'd like to know what others think. One thing I do believe, though. The trendy, left leaning, social justice warrior faction who assume they always know best have been told that not every one sees things their way.The same goes for the Brexit, my mother's home country rejecting the politically fashionable view and deciding to leave the European Union. So what's happening? Is it just angry disillusionment, or have millions of people finally decided they've had enough of a self styled intellectual elite telling them what to think?
As a Christian, I'm really tired of seeing what I hold sacred held up to contempt or laughingly declared obsolete, like the idea that men and women are made in certain ways quite different; they are one or the other, that can't really change; and matrimony is the union of one man and one woman; and that we are all accountable to God. If it's true that Hilary Clinton wanted Christians to disavow or change their beliefs to fit political fashion, then I'm glad she lost the election. There you are, I've said it. But of  course I don't have to live under what ever leadership American people choose, so I can't claim to say too much.

Any thoughts to share?

1 comment:

Marshal Art said...

Hello Andrew,

I voted for Trump. I did not vote for him the primary, as I saw Ted Cruz as the best candidate available by the time the primaries in my state (Illinois) was held. (Actually, he was always among my top three from the start.)

Trump was, and is, flawed in many ways. I don't expect him to be good on the social issues (SSM, transgender bathroom sharing, abortion and the like). I know he's really goofy on international trade, and his position on health care has always been toward single payer, government run systems, which are never good. (The recent withdrawal of the American Health Care Act from a vote was a good thing, as it was indeed just Obamacare with only minor variations of little consequence) He also seems to want to spend big time on infrastructure, plans for which include far, far too much that are state issues for which citizens of other states should not be forced to fund through federal taxes.

Yet in other ways, including some things that will shrink gov't (his infrastructure and health care positions notwithstanding), his stance on immigration, strengthening the military, and his choices for the judiciary (Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court is an extraordinarily stellar pick), he was by far the obviously better choice over Hillary Clinton and the next two remotely possible choices from the Libertarian and Green Parties. Tax reform seems to be the next battle, now that health care is being re-tooled, and we'll see how he intends to do that.

The left is wetting themselves constantly over his having been elected and moving so swiftly since the inauguration. The Democrat leadership is calling for a filibuster of Neil Gorsuch...which will be the first time for such a thing where a president's nominee for the post didn't have legitimate ethical/legal issues (Abe Fortas nominated by Lyndon Johnson). No one from either party denies that Gorsuch is eminently qualified. The left simply is petulantly whining due to the fact that their very own tactics are being used against them by the GOP. Dem leaders, like former V.P. Joe Biden and Senator Chuck Schumer, opposed nominating judges during a presidential campaign season when a former Republican president intended to fill a seat during that period. Now, with Obama's choice of Merrick Garland denied for the same reasons, the Democrats are whining that the open Supreme Court seat belongs to them, and not to Trump. Thus, their intention to filibuster is nothing more than a selfish, petulant tantrum. Typical.

Also, Trump faces opposition from a faction of his own party, as the AHCA failure is blamed upon the so-called "Freedom Caucus" of the GOP, a faction of staunch conservatives elected in part for their campaigning to repeal Obamacare. They stuck to their guns as the AHCA was rightly viewed as no better than a variation on the ACA theme, but they weren't the only Republicans to oppose. Now, it is said that the Trump administration has composed a "shit list" of those who have opposed AHCA, most of whom are fellow Republicans. Personally, I side with anyone who believes, and believes rightly in my opinion, that there is no "fix" that will make a silk purse of the sow's ear called ACA (Obamacare). Repeal is what is required and let the free market take care of health care. Again, I'm not confident that Trump has "evolved" away from his desire for government run health care.

Overall, and despite my misgivings, I am not given to believe I made the wrong choice in voting for Trump. I don't believe that Hillary would have done absolutely anything that I wouldn't have found problematic at best, and likely catastrophically harmful in reality. As such, Trump was truly the lesser of two evils who is doing some things well and other things...not so much. The duty of good Americans is to pay attention, support those in Congress who are doing right and encourage Trump to do as well.

One man's opinion.