My Personal Side
By Craig Hastings
I would be much better off if I could find a way to lose all interest in Washington, D.C. I’ve said this before; I’m a simple man with mostly simple ideas and have never claimed to be any more than of average intelligence. But, today, Thursday Jan. 3, is the day the newly elected members of Congress were sworn to the oath of their respective offices. There has been much press coverage of the debates over whether Nancy Pelosi would once again be sworn in as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Would her fellow Democratic House members by a majority support her or would the younger members rally to nominate someone else? Someone that might bring new ideas and a new meaning of what the party represents. If you followed the primary election debates leading up to the November general election you will recall many democratic candidates promising not to support Ms. Pelosi as their choice for Speaker. Today democrats and republicans alike witnessed some more of the “lie to get elected” strategy of many newly elected democrats and the democrat reruns of last fall. Yes, without a snag Ms. Pelosi was confirmed House Speaker.
I don’t care one grain of sand that Ms. Pelosi is the newest Speaker of the House. I do care so many people running for office lied about their intentions to push for a new, more in touch, majority leader. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the ignition key for the motor that drives the Democratic Party. I think today could have been the first day moving in a new direction for the Democratic Party. I was hoping the newer foundation blocks would put pressure on the crumbling blocks of old and start the rebuilding of the party for the sake of the nation’s future. Two years ago the republican voters, tired of the worthless, frail, and ineffective by choice, and rooted in Congressional members of both bodies, voted for the genesis of their party. I believe to this day, two years later, people that voted for Donald Trump on election day were not voting for the man Donald Trump, but for new ideas.
How could we? Not many really knew Donald Trump other than a rich land developer with his name on a bunch of high-end motels and hotels. Donald Trump for sure hadn’t proved his worth in the political ring of Washington, D.C. or even Mayberry RFD. He hadn’t run to be elected to anything that any of us knew about. He wasn’t considered a long shot to win; he was counted as a no shot by all the experts that call these things. These guys and gals even laughed when questioned by media about his chances to win. Donald Trump won the republican nomination because the odor emitting from him wasn’t as bad as the stench of the other 16 candidates. Voters had reached an opinion of “How could he be any worse than what we’ve lived with for the past 20 years?” The voting by odor continued through to the general election. By Election Day the Clintons had gassed the room so badly that the voters were running for their lives. Donald Trump had been elected President of the United States before circulating fans could clear the room.
I think because democrats have control of The House they have been afforded an opportunity to turn voter opinion around. With some cooperation with the republicans, democrats could show that they have the country’s best interests in mind and help move this country forward. Even if you can’t stand President Trump’s character, there is no denying he has gotten America up and running again after years of stagnation. Foreign powers fear American military power again. America is no longer paying every other country’s tab as it pertains to the expense to maintain world order. My strategy as a democrat would be to work with republicans in order to be considered an equal partner in the prosperity of America by 2020.
If the democrats could do this, and they could, the only matter at hand for the 2020 presidential election would be to find a candidate that’s squeaky clean, soft-spoken, humble when humiliated, and doesn’t tweet! How could they lose? Let’s all admit that Donald Trump is not the most likable person we ever met. He might not even be the hundredth most likable person we ever met! What he is, is hard working, tireless, and he loves America. The best thing that could have happened for Donald Trump in his bid to be reelected in 2020 was for Nancy Pelosi to be voted Speaker of the House. And she was.