My concern lies with the folks out there who voted for Trump and are more happy that the smug liberals and crooked Hillary lost than their guy won. I'm not even convinced that they like Trump all that much. They just wanted people like me to lose because they are tired of being told what's best for them. Even if they know, deep down, that it is best for them, they don't want to do it. Why?
Because they are 12 fucking years old.
I'm more concerned that this immaturity is going to hang around for fuck up after fuck up from the Trump administration simply because they are completely incapable of admitting fault. Worse, I'm very concerned that Republicans in Congress are going to excuse Trump as along as they can because they know that they can use him as a puppet to push their agenda. How much damage will this cause our great nation? Their behavior up to this point starkly illustrates this.
- They have ignored the very intelligence agencies they wholeheartedly embraced during the Iraq war and essentially have concluded that Russia and its totalitarian leader are now OK.
- They have ignored repeated warnings over the rise of xenophobic nationalism and its similarity to Germany in the 1920s and 1930s.
- They have excused Trumps non draining of the swamp and ignored his Wall Street appointments and cronyism.
- They have ignored Trump's clear business conflicts with his presidency and think it's just fine for him to not release his tax returns nor remove himself from his empire, apparently not understanding what third world dictators used to look like.
Honestly, they should be more grateful. As they take over the reins of governing, they are inheriting the following from Barack Obama.
The economy grew at a solid 3.5 percent clip in the third quarter, and is now significantly larger than it was before the Great Recession. The jobless rate is down to 4.6 percent, which almost qualifies as full employment. The stock market and high school graduation rate are at all-time highs, while the uninsured rate, abortion rate and teen pregnancy rate are at all-time lows. Oil imports, crime and health care inflation are also near historic lows, with carbon emissions, foreclosures and illegal immigration falling, too. Meanwhile, retirement assets, auto sales and renewable power have skyrocketed, and the once-teetering Medicare Trust Fund has stabilized.
All of this, despite their intransigence and complete opposition to the president. Of course, this also begs the question...why was this "not great?" Regardless, this is my closing year message to those folks who voted from Trump and are now happy that the smug liberals got their walking papers:
You get to govern now. That means it's all on you and you have to own it. When the responsibility of governing gets to be too tough for you and your guy, we'll do what all responsible adults do when teenagers are home alone for the weekend. We'll clean up after you while you continue to howl at us for thinking that "we are so smart" and "know what's best for you."
That's what people of good nature do.