Unprecedented

Littlechild@emperorsnuclothes.com/ May 16, 2017/ Uncategorized

I would concede that, at times, the Trump administration can seem disorganized. A large part of that perception has to do, I believe, with the false and misleading way Presidential news coverage of Mr. Trump is presented to the American people. A recent simple example of such misleading coverage is the way the media has covered their efforts at health care reform. The media has crowed over the “failure” of the Trump administration to enact promised health care legislation during its first 100 days. NOT MENTIONED, however, is the fact that the Obama administration took 17 months to pass the Affordable Care Act, and, according to Nancy Pelosi, didn’t even know what was in it at the time it was passed! In light of this omitted simple fact, Mr. Trump’s health care initiatives, at the 3 month interval, don’t seem quite so bad.

But, I think that, although a large portion of the administration’s seeming disorganization is explained by hostile media, I DO feel that SOME of it is because the administration actually IS a bit disorganized. And, I think that there are several very justifiable reasons why this is so.

The first reason is that the Trump Administration personnel are, predominantly, new comers. At the polls this past November, America indicated quite clearly that it wanted a fresh approach to our many problems. A fresh approach requires new decision makers, and a “learning curve” is, under these circumstances, NOT surprising.

The second reason has to do with the sheer MAGNITUDE of the task that lies in front of them. They inherited a nation that was stagnating economically, sinking militarily, increasingly unproductive, increasing lawless, increasingly dependent on government largess, increasingly unsure of itself in foriegn policy, and increasingly ambivalent toward any and all behavioral norms. In short, we were sinking fast. This “malaise” (to quote that former pied piper of national decline, Jimmy Carter), was very far advanced, and NOT something that can be cured easily in the “first 100 days”.

The third reason is that the problems facing America right now are difficult, thorny ones. The right answer or even the best answer to many of these problems isn’t easily found. How DO we deal fairly with illegal immigrants, who, although they are here illegally, are otherwise decent and law abiding people. How do we lower the tax burden to get the economy moving again while still providing for the weak and vulnerable in our midst. How do we protect ourselves from ill intentioned foreigners? How do we carry out adequate surveillance without sacrificing basic liberties? None of these questions have easy answers. When tackling them, a certain amount of disorganization is not only understandable, it’s unavoidable.

The fourth reason is that the Trump Administration gets LITTLE OR NO HELP in the immense tasks that lie ahead. America has always worked best when it puts forth a common goal and when many parts of our nation work toward that goal. The defeat of Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan are examples. Winning the Cold War and the Conquest of Space are other excellent examples. When America bands together to achieve a common goal, great things can be accomplished. And, although solving America’s problems is complicated, establishing common goals isn’t. How about agreeing, for example, that we ALL want a safe, secure and prosperous country governed by the rule of law? Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it? That’s our goal. Every American should support and work toward it.

But, that’s NOT the situation we have now. Not only is the Trump Administration not helped by many institutions in our country (radio, TV, academia, Hollywood) it is, in fact, under attack from these institutions. The degree of obstructionism we have right now in our country is UNPRECEDENTED. There were calls for Mr. Trump’s IMPEACHMENT only weeks after the inauguration, and well before anyone had even figured out what the GROUNDS for such an impeachment would be! There have been calls for INVESTIGATIONS and SPECIAL PROSECUTORS for IMPLAUSIBLE scenarios (such as collusion with Russia) for which NO evidence or even RATIONALE has convincingly been offered! There was an ill considered filibuster against the nomination to the Supreme Court of Judge Neil Gorsuch, an extremely well qualified and honorable and man, simply because, apparently, President Trump had picked him. At no time during my lifetime, and, more likely, during our country’s lifetime, has this degree of disunity been so proudly on display. While, I think that the majority of citizens are actually repulsed by the hysterical and violent “demonstrators” on our streets, and the majority of citizens have become rightfully wary of the obviously stilted news coverage from our media, young and naive college students seem particularly vulnerable to the divisive rhetoric they are spoon fed on campus and from the media. The unemployed or underemployed (bitter fruits of Obama economics) are also susceptible.

None of the hurdles I’ve described above, however, are insurmountable. The Trump Administration, must face them and persevere. Some degree of disorganization will be inevitable along the way. Instead of obstructionism, the “resistance” might consider joining the effort to help rebuild the Nation they claim to love.