Shortly before the presidential election, I published a commentary raising a political era-defining question: If the trains run on time, traveling in the right direction towards a bright, prosperous future; if they’re secure, well-maintained and there’s a seat on-board for all lawful passengers; does it matter if the conductor is neither a poet nor a wordsmith?
In electing Donald Trump, the American people answered that question unequivocally. Clearly, Trump is not as well-spoken as many of his predecessors and no one would ever describe him as eloquent. But he is a very successful businessman, whom the electorate trusts to restore our economy, defend the homeland and lead the nation to prosperity.
So, with the real estate mogul prepared to take office January 20th, now is a good time to look ahead. No matter how extensive a president’s curricula vitae, his success is never preordained. There are simply too many unknowns. But one thing is clear: As the world forges a path into the future, only America is equipped to lead it.
What kind of leadership, then, should the greatest nation on earth require?
That question must be contextualized and viewed through the prism of our nascent epoch. It’s no exaggeration to say that we are truly on the cusp of the greatest age of discovery in the history of our species. To date, some 4700 exoplanets have been identified; some are still awaiting verification. Our Milky Way Galaxy alone is understood to have at least 200 billion stars and there are billions of galaxies known to exist in the Universe. It’s becoming clear that planets outside our solar system are ubiquitous. There must be tens of trillions of them.
Now you can reach whatever conclusions you like from these facts. But here’s the point: The next 10, 20, 30 years will present unimaginable opportunity and breakthroughs at a mind-numbing pace. If we are to remain true to our ideals and fulfill our destiny, we must only accept seasoned leaders with proven, tangible, concrete accomplishments.
The day and age of phony, manufactured credentials, born of identity politics and victimization must be relegated to the scrap heap. Barack Obama, one of the best examples to date, had no previous, relevant chief executive officer experience. Flying by the seat of his pants, making policy through guess-work in lieu of decision-making from personal experience, coupled with a committed left-wing ideology, his results were predictable. Moreover, he is just the latest example of the Democratic Party’s paucity of genuine achievement.
Yet, to find inspiration for our future, we should look to the past and, ironically, to the last great Democrat president. The scion of a prominent Massachusetts family set the tenor of his administration early on, admonishing the American people to “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” (Can you imagine Obama or Hillary Clinton or John Kerry, or any modern-day national Democrat, urging their supporters to ask that question?)
Most notably, in 1961 John F. Kennedy, in a speech to a special joint session of Congress, committed the United Sates to send men to the moon and return them safely to earth before the decade was out. A little known fact at the time was that America did not have the technology to accomplish Kennedy’s goal. Scientists weren’t sure if it was even possible. There was real concern that any man or spaceship on the surface of the moon would sink into the 4.6 billion-year-old lunar dust, never to be heard from again.
But none of that mattered because America had a can-do spirit. We took it on faith that we could overcome any obstacle. Out of necessity, we conceived the Manhattan Project. We defied the odds and led the allies to victory against fascism in World War II. We learned how to harness nuclear power for peaceful purposes and spearheaded the Golden Age of Capitalism, emerging as the undisputed leader of the free world, even as the Soviet Union’s dictators threatened Armageddon.
We contained communism at great cost, and today lead the fight against Islamic-fanaticism. We’ve spread the word far and wide that freedom and human rights are universal in their appeal. As the Golden Age gave way to the Information Age, once again America was in the forefront, leading in innovation and development of new technologies. America’s efforts dramatically raised the standard of living across the board, not only here at home but for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Our core principles of self-determination and free enterprise are so well enshrined, in fact, that they’ve reached into the darkest corners of Communist China, lifting millions out of abject poverty.
With a pedigree of such monumental accomplishments, it’s understandable how perplexing to the American people the federal government’s conduct is today. Who could’ve anticipated that its focus and obsession would be: choosing the bathrooms transsexuals and transvestites frequent; treating gays as if they were the same as a married couple; insisting every hamburger joint in America should give its entry-level employees a big raise; eliminating our border, for all intents and purposes; and micromanaging healthcare, acting as if the needs of 320 million are exactly the same and one size fits all?
No wonder the current Democrat party and its leadership has been repudiated by large swaths of the electorate – and many observers abroad.
As a final act of incompetence, or maybe defiance, Obama threw our close ally, Israel, under the bus – again — and has needlessly exacerbated tensions with Russia, a nuclear power. The next president will have to pick up the pieces and mollify the targets of Obama’s temper tantrum. Fortunately Donald Trump, despite his shortcomings and shoot-from-the-hip style, is a man of considerable experience and action.
Regarding Putin, the fringe left has argued hysterically that Trump’s “fascination” with him is motivated by Trump’s desire to be a strongman, like the Russian president.
The reality of course is entirely different. Trump is a realist. The former KGB agent is a world leader, whether we like it or not. Forming a personal relationship with the Russian is a strategic move, not an endorsement. Putin’s been receptive to Trump’s overtures and has put his prestige on the line, extolling the billionaire’s leadership and character. Should Putin misbehave in a manner that harms America’s interests, Trump can take the moral high ground and hold him accountable in a way the current administration never could.
Now some of you may be thinking “but Trump’s approach will not work.” Well, that’s interesting. You see, it already has. As a parting shot, Obama imposed sanctions against Russia, confiscating valuable real estate for their alleged hacking, a charge Putin vehemently denies. Realizing the Obama administration is on the way out and the Trump administration is on the way in, Putin accepted his punishment — and decided not to retaliate.