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| speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on February 10, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
President Barack Obama, in what must have been an awkward situation considering that he supported Democrat Hillary Clinton during the campaign, welcomed Republican Trump to the White House last Thursday to begin the transfer of power. Both seemed to be on good terms, if photo-ops can be believed. The President later expressed hope that the weight of responsibilities that come with this office might mellow Trump a bit.
Trump, despite the ugly rhetoric he had been dishing out during the campaign, did his best to soften his tone. The President-elect now says he might keep some of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, such as prohibiting insurers from excluding those with pre-existing conditions, instead of blowing it up. As for that wall across the Mexican border? Some of it might be just a higher fence.
But then Trump had to undo all that by naming Steve Bannon, a hero of the alt-right and white supremecist groups who ran the conservative Breitbart News site, to be his chief adviser. This move justifies fears that the new administration will be catering to the more racist among us. Calls for Bannon's removal will undoubtedly go unheeded. Also Reince Preibus, who ran the Republican National Committee, will serve as chief of staff.
Despite promises of "draining the swamp", it looks like some members of Trump's Cabinet might be coming from the Washington establishment, as in names you never thought you'd hear from again:
Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton (who was United Nations ambassador under President George W. Bush) are all reportedly in the running for Secretary of State.
It also sounds like, despite nepotism laws, Trump's children are going to have a role in the White House. Already daughter Ivanka's been using valuable network TV time to subtly promote her $10,000 jewelry on CBS' "60 Minutes". Besides turning over the family business to them, their father is pushing to let his adult children have a peek at some state secrets.
As for the Democrats, now's the time for soul searching. Clinton lost the election despite winning the popular vote because: (1) She and her party took the base for granted, failing to fully grasp the discontent among white voters and Bernie Sanders supporters. (2) As Clinton herself admitted, FBI director James Comey's decision 11 days before the election to reopen the inquiry into her private e-mails was a big factor in her defeat.
It might not be until at least 2020 or 2022 before the Democrats regain power in Washington. Unless Trump screws up big-time, he has the makings of a two-term President.
Trump has promised to be a president for all the people, and that there is nothing to fear. Clinton and Obama have also said as much. So why are we seeing demonstrations all over the country? They may or may not be "professional protesters" egged on by the media, as Trump once tweeted, but they seem to believe they have the most to lose in the new administration. Immigrants from other countries, Muslims, women, LGBTQs, African Americans, Latinos and anyone else who has been offended by Trump in the past have been marching down streets and blocking freeways to express their displeasure.
Meanwhile on social media, Trump supporters have been gloating over the devastation among Clinton supporters, calling them "crybabies", "welfare suckers" and other terms not worth repeating. Offline, there have been incidents of intimidation, bullying and swastika sightings aimed at minorities. If these supposedly mature adults could understand what the other side is going through, , maybe they wouldn't be so quick to commit this abuse of the First Amendment.
President-elect Donald Trump has been charged with the task of bringing the country together. We'll believe it when we see it, and it's going to take more than saying "stop it" on TV to the bigots who are acting in his name. As the Dixie Chicks would put it, we're not ready to make nice just yet.
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