Historically, there has been an ebb and flow to politics in the US. Political philosophies and voters’ attitudes and preferences swing from liberal to conservative, from “left” to “right” like a pendulum. With respect to political parties, the Party that loses a presidential election, and often Congress as well, appears to be in trouble, but then it normally rallies in the next one, usually in two years. In politics nothing is forever. A few months can be a lifetime.
More recently, just think back to the political landscape in 2016. The Dems were dominant. Obama had just completed two terms. His presumptive successor, Hillary Clinton, was on the cusp of winning the presidency, which would likely mean eight more years of Dem dominance. She was comfortably ahead in all the pre-election polls. Apparently, she was going to be the first female president.
The GOP was in disarray. nearly a dozen candidates had vied for the nomination. Most of them, like Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Scott Walker, were solid, experienced politicians. However, the ultimate nominee was an upstart, an outsider with no political experience, Donald Trump. He was perceived by many to be an ego-driven buffoon, who was certain to lose and drag his Party down with him. But lo and behold he came from nowhere, to win a “Trumanesque” election victory. Trump turned out to be a reformer. He accomplished much, but he was hamstrung by the Dems, the “swamp” dwellers, the mainstream media, and even some in his own Party.
Four years later he was defeated. The Dems were back. They were ascendant as was their philosophy of progressivism, wokeism, DEI, white-guilt and worldview. Americans were told they should sacrifice to help the unfortunate even those in other countries. Stop drilling for fossil fuels to save the planet. Adhere to the precepts of the Green New Deal. The legal system became corrupted. Critics and perceived enemies of the Administration were hounded and punished, often based on false information. Constitutional rights such as free speech and the right to bear arms were being whittled away slowly but surely. A cancel culture developed to punish those who did not toe the line. Open the borders, let everyone in, not just legitimate amnesty-seekers, but also criminals, drug dealers, terrorists and psychos. Come one, come all. Well, all that was unsustainable. It was bound to fail sooner or later, and it did.
Now, Trump is back. Now the voters’ attitude has swung 180 degrees. The pendulum has swung the other way again. Now the mantra is “America first,” “America strong, “close the borders, deport illegals, “drill, baby, drill,” etc.
Now, once again, it is the Dems who are in disarray. History shows they should bounce back, maybe as soon as 2026, and maybe they will. But at the moment in my opinion, it does not appear that way. Here’s why:
- We all know that the first step in solving a problem is to admit you have one. Think of drug addicts and alcoholics. The Dems have not ascertained why and how they lost the 2024 election. They refuse to acknowledge their mistakes. The election was not a nail-biter. It was a wipe-out, a landslide. Trump won the popular vote, which has been rare for a Republican. He swept the swing states. He made huge inroads into traditionally Dem voting blocs such as blacks, Hispanics, blue collar workers, and youngsters. This has the feel of a lasting change. These blocs had been reliably Dem supporters since 1932. The GOP now controls both houses of Congress. Truly, the Dems have a big problem and must effect major changes in order to win the next election.
- The Party is not in the mainstream. It is dominated by its small, but vocal, far left wing. All we see in the news and read about are radicals such as AOC, Elizabeth Warren, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Maxine Waters and Linda Sanchez.
- The Party has no visible leader. No one has stepped up to rally the troops. No one appears to be capable of uniting all of the various factions. Former President Biden and former VP Kamala Harris have been discredited and have virtually disappeared. The Obamas and the Clintons have lost much of their influence. Bernie Sanders has reverted to his former role of the crazy radical uncle you hide in the attic when company comes to visit. CA Governor Gavin Newsome, the once heir-apparent, has been exposed as an ineffective governor who has bankrupted his once flourishing state with his extreme wokeism and allowed large portions of it literally to burn to the ground. In lieu of accomplishments he is banking on his looks and glib personality. As they say in Texas, he is “all hat and no cattle.” Chuck Schumer has been an ineffective Senate Majority leader. He has become a caricature, hanging out with the far-left radicals, cursing f**k Trump, chanting slogans and singing on national tv.
- They are perceived to be on the wrong side of every significant issue. For example, Trump is in tune with what 80+% of Americans want, “America first,” MAGA, a strong foreign policy, energy independence, paring the bloated bureaucracy, parental rights, separation of girls and boys in sports, bathrooms and locker rooms, and, generally, “common sense,” among many others. That’s what the voters voted for, that’s what they want, and that is what he is giving them. Instinctively, the Dems continue to reject anything Trump says or does. All they do is criticize. They fail to offer any alternatives. They are the party of “no.” He continues to live rent-free in their minds. Consequently, they have been forced into opposing those highly popular philosophies. Somehow, they have become the Party in favor of migrants, transgender rights, the Green New Deal, and allowing boys access to girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms and to compete against them in sports.
- Their strident opposition to DOGE is particularly ill-advised. Polls have shown consistently that over 80% of Americans want to eliminate government fraud, waste and abuse, and why not? What normal rational person could be against that? They have fully embraced Trump’s and Elon Musk’s efforts to do so. The Dems’ strong, unwavering opposition makes one think that they are afraid of what will be uncovered. It makes them seem like the abettors and perpetrators of the aforementioned fraud, waste and abuse (and maybe many of them are). To borrow a famous phrase from William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet,” they “Doth protest too much” meaning that it seems as if they have something to hide and leads one to doubt the veracity of what they’re saying.
- Their criticism of Musk, who incidentally has declined to accept a salary, as being unelected is ridiculous given the plethora of nameless, faceless, unelected bureaucrats who have been running the government for years, especially under the Biden presidency.
- Most critically, their allies in the media have been exposed as biased and rendered ineffective. Ratings at CNN and MSNBC have declined precipitously. The NYT and Washington Post have lost much of their luster in the eyes of the public.
Conclusion
Trump has managed to accomplish more in under four weeks than Biden did in his entire presidency. He has been a strong, effective leader. Once again, America is respected by its friends and allies and feared by its enemies. He means what he says and says what he means. He has repeatedly demonstrated his acumen as a businessman and negotiator. Everything is negotiable, tariffs, hostage releases, cease fires. EVERYTHING.
Virtually all of his Executive Department nominees have been approved, and their departments are running full throttle to accomplish their respective agendas. He has executed numerous Executive Orders. He is negotiating major legislation with a reluctant Congress. He has been a whirling dervish of activity. His critics can’t keep up. By the time they organize a protest to one of his EOs he has signed three more. He seems to be everywhere. Americans love it! His approval rating has consistently been over 50%.
AMERICA IS BACK!
We Built It Blog by Larry Jacob 