One of this country’s greatest strengths is its enduring nature. It is massive – the globe’s biggest, strongest, empire – one built to stay the course, power through struggles, running off decades of momentum, generations of wealth, and century’s long good will. The most lasting feature allows it to rumble over wars, global pandemics, and recessions barely deterred. But this nearly unstoppable force leaves little room to be nimble, chaotic, or even responsive in a fast-changing dynamic. it takes a long time to turn around the Titanic. Except on those rare occasions when it doesn’t. Like now.
Due to a confluence of forces, President-elect Donald Trump is about to inherit a country that he can constitutionally lead with near totality and ruthless efficiency. For those who feared a new dictatorship, take heart – he doesn’t need it. The election created a new government that, for better or worse, it wholly at his disposal, or whim. It is both his biggest asset while at the same time his biggest risk. What might happen when he gets everything he wants?
The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin sums it up nicely. Putting together Trump’s biggest priorities, she states that Trump can keep all his promises or be popular. Not both, she writes:
“He could, for example, enact draconian, across-the-board tariffs; begin massive roundups and deportations of law-abiding ‘dreamers;’ repeal the Affordable Care Act and major bipartisan legislation passed under President Joe Biden; and enact a new round of massive tax cuts for big corporations and wealthy individuals,” wrote Rubin — but in doing so he would “make himself extremely unpopular, induce economic and social chaos and create political problems for his party in the 2026 midterms.”
Okay. Hold right there and list them out. Within one calendar year, Trump could enact tariffs on all imported goods, deport millions of workers, toss aside health insurance protecting preexisting conditions and those who don’t get healthcare at work, while also de-funding the plan to build an American 21st Century. All of it while cutting taxes. Think about how such fast actions could cripple the global economy in an agonizingly short time. Rubin says it would be ruinous to Trump’s popularity.
Over the course of two years, things could get far more expensive, jobs go unfilled, merchandise won’t move, the sick lose health insurance, and many government-funded projects go idle… And it will happen alongside cuts to SNAP, unemployment insurance, the Farm Bill, and other government subsidies. One would normally believe that such sweeping changes couldn’t happen so fast. But we’ve never had a president more willing to do more things over such a short period of time and have the entire government at his disposal. It is less Titanic, more whitewater kayak. Without the helmet.
It is a huge opportunity. My god, if Trump’s ideas work then look out because they will most certainly happen. But much of this country’s great strength lies in momentum which saps fast with every quick change.
Donald Trump won a mandate. By definition, he has rightly earned the ability to enact the changes he promised. All candidates do. But he also tends to eschew more conservative small steps, preferring big action – that’s his appeal. And some may benefit from it. But when it comes to the biggest complex systems like the global economy or the American government, even small changes bring about impossible to predict outcomes. Another problem, as fast as those changes can come, solutions to unexpected problems arising in such a dynamic always take more time. Always.
One hopes that the reality punches a hole through the wave of giddiness floating the MAGA boat right now. The weight of responsibility better bore down. Every Americans’ future rides on the ability to analyze the repercussions, short and long-term, of the promised changes.
History teaches that lasting success of the type on which empires are built can be brought down nearly overnight. Ideally, that reality will set in as the new captain takes over the ship. His legacy is tied to how well he maintains course, keeping everything afloat. Even the Titanic managed to sink, fast.
God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected] and @JasonMiciak
what makes you think that his voters THINK? About anything?
He could trigger another worldwide Great Depression and the far right will simply take advantage, not assign blame.
And then blame Democrats anyway – and enthusiastically market that blame through all those media channels that won their election for them.
He doesn’t care what anyone think, voters or investors, or….and his cult followers will just blame President Biden, or worse, VP Harris. Tyrant will do what he wants and who cares what consequences ensue? He will crash the us and the world economies without a thought as long as he stays out of prison and he retains his money.
Mandate, or not, he doesn’t “deserve” to do everything he wants. I respectfully disagree.
I am not sure that I used the word “deserved” – – I said “rightly earned” because he did it through the vote and the constitutional framework. In terms of “what he wants” I meant with respect to policies he wants in place. I am trying to be really careful with language.
I remember how it went all fall and I continually wrote that this was a good possibility. So it is best to let emotions stand aside and look at it objectively.
jason
I think a giant drop of Smith’s evidence in court, with the right Judge, who should already be hammering on Trump’s microscopic brain, also, since all of Trump’s announced BIG changes he wants to shower US with, are certainly dangerous to WE THE PEOPLE …
Already being a convicted felon, by a Jury in the RIGHT process followed, SHOULD be delivered the most lengthy sentence of incarceration, with the FULL fines and possible business seizures, in payment for non-cash settlements … With 3-4 years until release, his non-presidential course of action may just be stymied … This action could begin NOW, since the first set of times for court has been released from original dates …
Trump HAS to be neutered, as a president, he could pardon everyone but himself as a creator of the Insurrection, he calls all the killers, window breakers, shitters on everything we hold precious with our Constitution and rule of law, good people …
His creation and promotion of an insurrection against our Country is a treasonous action and his conviction of that should disqualify him for the Oval Office … He does everything he wants without any consequence, NOW is the time to stop him before he holds the codes to the Nukes …