Don’t
lose heart
We're roughly two months into the Trump Presidency, and it is
the worst start to a time in office I have ever seen. I am not alone in this
conclusion. Many Presidential scholars are saying it’s the worst start of any
Presidency in the history of the country.
Now William Henry Harrison in 1841 talked too long in the cold
of his inauguration. He caught pneumonia and died a month later. So, yes, I
suppose you could say that his time was worse.
Rutherford B. Hayes had a tough time taking over in his first
and only term (1877) after a convulsive, controversial election by the House.
But worse than President Trump’s first months? Doubtful at best.
Abraham Lincoln had a terrible time at the beginning—states
withdrawing from the Union, civil war beginning and early political mistakes.
But he was laying the groundwork for his becoming one of the best, most
important Presidents ever.
Is Trump, in a different time and in different ways, laying such
groundwork? Well, there may be people who will argue he is. But given present
evidence, that’s not likely to become a widely held opinion.
So after two tumultuous, chaotic and in many ways outrageous months (an embarrassing defeat on ACA repeal, the deepening Russia probe, the striking down of the travel ban) where do we stand? Where does all of this go?
It's important to talk about where we are politically - who is
winning and losing, in the Administration, Congress, and the national and local
political classes.
But I am much more concerned about where we stand as a people is
in a potentially dangerous, very dangerous place. A weak President running a
weak, ragtag administration is a prescription for trouble.
Trouble internationally could come from enemies and other
competitors who may see opportunities for advantage and overreach. Trouble
internally could easily come from a worried, divided nation, and opportunistic
ideologues and politicians who try to exploit the situation.
But, before you get too downcast if not outright depressed about
this, keep in mind that we Americans still stand united about core principles.
Such as a rock-hard commitment to The Constitution and to the concept of
America as a new (historically) idea, the idea of a free people constantly
striving for a better nation through a representative government—and trying,
ever trying, to achieve liberty and justice for all citizens.
I also think the defeat of Trumpcare is proof most Americans see
a role of government to provide social welfare to our fellow citizens. Over the
course of our history we have seen that role on a march of expansion with no
significant reversals.
The core of our union—the union of our states and the union of
our people as regards core principles—is holding.
We see the wisdom of our framer's dividing power into different
branches of government. The separation of powers is holding, but stresses that
could lead to cracks are increasing.
I worry of a growing national forgetfulness about one of the
favorite saying of our forefathers and mothers…”United We Stand, Divided We
Fall." We forget it at our peril.
Where the early Trump Presidential troubles will lead, no one
can foretell.
President John Kennedy once said, “The first lesson of the
Presidency is that it is impossible to foretell the precise nature of the
problems that will confront you or the specific skills and capacities which
those problems will demand.” And so it is.
As to what you, or any individual can do, well, here’s a short
list of a possible start:
-- Do not lose heart.
America, as Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, is a willingness of heart. Believe in
our country’s capacity to right itself and do right. Our fathers and mothers
did it, and so did their ancestors, time after time. So now must we.
-- Reach out and help
someone. Service to other individuals and community “good deed” work is
especially needed now.
-- Reach out and try to
talk, try to reach common ground, with someone you know that is of a
different political persuasion. And don’t get discouraged if at first it
doesn’t go well. Keep on trying. Even just talking, at the kids games, around
school, at work, at the store helps. Just making contact and talking, about
anything in common, can be more helpful than you may think.
-- Get active, stay active
politically. Organize and stay at it. Talking and walking (as in marches)
is fine, but those who organize best and stay at it have the best chance of
affecting change.
And, hey, don’t forget to smile and breathe. It’s all going to
be all right, folks. It may take a while, maybe even a long while, but we’re
going to be all right.
If we don’t lose heart.