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FEB 6, 2017

UNCHARTED WATERS

Less than a month into the Presidency of Donald Trump, the United States finds itself sailing in uncharted waters. Trump has triggered an active and vocal opposition movement that is expressing itself in the traditional avenues of those who believe we are careening in the wrong direction.

There are massive rallies in support of women’s rights, and, in opposition to Trump’s immigration policies. These rallies are attracting massive media coverage. The opposition’s strategy is based on the premise that any politician is sensitive to anything that might affect his re-election and has proven effective in driving Presidents out of office or making their re-election impossible.

While these tactics have worked in the past in areas such as civil rights, women’s suffrage, and ending the Vietnam War, they will not succeed with Donald Trump. Trump, unlike most politicians, is not overly concerned with public opinion or re-election. His primary strategy is simple. Disregard re-election and make basic changes to the direction of government and ignore the press and public opinion.

Does that mean Trump does not want to be re-elected? Not at all. Of course, he’ll run for reelection and will expect to win. He is confident that the changes he is making resonate with a majority of Americans, Americans who feel that we are in a life or death struggle with radical Islam and that we have been the victim of our kind nature. He will aggressively fight this war diplomatically, economically, and militarily.

Tying the policies of his administration to our self-defense will give Trump the political cover to act all across the board to move America sharply to the right, and he has a broad base of support for this. Will there be growing opposition? No doubt, but, until that resistance discovers that rallies and mainstream media coverage are ineffective, he will continue his policies unchecked.

Does this mean that all opposition is futile? No, but it does mean that the opposition strategy must change. While Donald Trump is not focused on re-election, the rest of the politicians are. They watch the polls daily. These Congressman and Senators hold the constitutional reins of power, and, in the end, they will determine if Trump can change the political landscape enough to make his re-election inevitable. To be effective, the opposition will have to find bipartisan leadership in three areas: elected officials on the National and State level; the civil service system that actually runs this country on a day to day basis; and the mainstream media.

This leadership will have to form a coalition willing to put party issues aside and act together. The U.S. Constitution provides the pathway to a coalition that can not only temper Trump’s programs but can also change his leadership. Do I think this will happen? Only Donald Trump can decide that. If he persists in shooting from the hip and picking fights he doesn’t need, then yes, I suspect it will.