Just to confirm reality, the sun did in fact rise in the east the day after President Trump was sworn into office. Even though the day was cool and overcast, many turned out in support of the Million Woman March in Washington, DC and around not only the nation but across the entire World. Amid the backdrop of this monumental event, the newly minted White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer extended the sentiments of his boss by delivering a scathing rebuke of the media for allegedly misreporting the size of President Trump’s inauguration crowd. It seems the media, at least media other than Fox News and other noted conservative leaning outlets, is now the scapegoat for failures of the Trump regime, in effect becoming their new Emmanuel Goldstein. In the quest to sort out fake news from the real McCoy, there was a meme circulating on social media on Friday for the purpose of noting for future reference:
Inauguration Day
Gas $2.33
Dow 19,819
NASDAQ 5560.7
Unemployment 4.7%
Given that President Trump rode a wave of electoral success by telling so many disaffected voters what he thought they wanted to hear, things about the homicide rate “being the highest in 45 years” and repeatedly claiming that “our country is stagnant,” let us establish the benchmark of exactly what he has been left by his predecessor:
Are there areas that could be better? Absolutely. In spite of the poverty and upward trending crime numbers and with all bombast and rhetoric aside, the nation is not in nearly as dire straits as his campaign bluster would indicate. Trump takes over with seventy-five months of steady job growth preceding him. This economy is now his to improve or to ruin. It would have been helpful in allaying the angst of many had he gotten on the stick with appointing cabinet secretaries and other appointed posts before taking the oath. President Trump takes office with lowest number of appointees in place in several years, only two of fifteen cabinet members approved and only 29 of some 660 executive appointees confirmed.
For better or worse, the Trump Administration is underway. I will go on record now and state that as a retired Naval Reserve officer I have the deepest and utmost respect for the Office of Commander-In-Chief. It is incumbent on the office holder to earn the respect of all subordinates via their exercise of personal conduct and decision making discretion becoming of the office. The campaign is over now it is time to govern. It would be helpful for the new President to choose his battles wisely and avoid putting himself in situations where he has to demand respect. When he takes issue with what in the larger scheme of things are petty arguments and must demand his way on them or else, he fails to command any respect. This is also a benchmark and one on which I intend to follow his progress. Now more than ever, America needs an enlightened leader who can learn from mistakes and always act in the best interest of the entire nation. If the first 48 hours is any indication, the Trump Administration has a lot of work to do in the days and weeks ahead.
Andrew, there are no corrections needed. A benchmark is just that, the numbers/values/signs for better or worse at a designated starting place. All your commentary is strictly opinion.
That said, look forward to my next post which will deal with the issue of voter remorse.
A few.corrections are needed here. The stock exchange is not entirely Obamas as it surged right after Trump won the election. Second, although the unemployment rates have indeed lowered, so have wages. People are making less in this economy. Many have had their hours cut back so the employers don’t have to pay for medical insurance. My wife experienced that first hand and she took a second p/t job to make up the difference even though she’s insured thru me. Third, on appointees in the cabinet, he has submitted them, the confirmations are what is slowing it down. More partisan fighting in Washington is partially to blame. Fourth, you refer to Trumps win as an electoral win, as though it somehow minimizes it. Bear in mind, Hillary didn’t win the popular vote as you might assume. She won the most popular votes in an electoral election. Big difference. In reality she probably would have lost a popular vote election as well. I’ll explain it in another post if you like. But it wasn’t a close election. Last, I’ll finish with this. The media has been playing games for a long time when it comes to candidates on the right. A lot of misinformation and propaganda. This was very evident after reading the Wikileaks. In fact, I’ll step out here and suggest that the media, and the DNC actually created Trumps success and it got out of hand. There are emails that were sent to influential news agency’s telling them to lighten up on Trump and focus on the other candidates. They wanted Trump to win the primaries because they felt they could destroy him once the primaries were over. They created a monster that they couldn’t control. The media needs to be reeled in. This is one of the important battles to be fought and it needs to be fought sooner than later, otherwise it will get out of hand. It’s no secret the mainstream media outlets loathe Trump. It’s no secret they report him with bias. The problem the media has is that a lot of Americans see this and now do not trust them. So Trump is using this to keep them a bit more honest. I believe we are heading for a positive time. I think when you flash those statistics again (and you’re correct, they are great statistics compared to what Obama inherited) they will be even better!!!
I have never been so relieved that a campaign period has ended and the time for serious leadership has arrived as I am right now. I have never been so uplifted by human actions as I felt the day following Inauguration Day as millions expressed love and concern for the rights of women and immigrants and LGBTQ people. I have never been so appalled as I am by the statement made by KellyAnne Conway during Meet the Press regarding the use of “alternative facts” when making public statements to the press and the people. I was taught to honor and respect my government leaders. Now I obviously cannot trust my President. What will happen to my psyche when I feel bombarded with lies from authority figures? What will happen to the nation and the world? May we unite and never give up the ideals of “liberty and justice for all.” Thank you, President Trump, for making me a more fiercely concerned and involved citizen of the world. By showing me what I do not want to happen to my country and my world, you have made clear to me the rights and freedoms I value and hold fast to my heart and soul.