Man of Action

(Yes, a bit of hyperbole ...)

The contrast is striking. Donald Trump is still almost two months away from assuming the reins of government ... yet he is already turning things around for his country. His cabinet is taking shape with mostly high quality selections. His policies on taxes, healthcare, regulations, trade, terrorism, immigration, etc. are emerging out of the campaign fog ... and generally are solid. His potential conflicts of interest are being resolved and he seems to have had a beneficial persuasive effect on many foreign leaders. And he even has convinced some American companies to not move manufacturing out of this country. All good.

Trump's actions all seem to be directed by patriotism and for the benefit of America. The contrast is that our current president's actions ... when he got around to performing them ... seemed mostly directed by ideology and even personal benefit. Yes, he used the shibboleth "leading from behind" to justify most of his lassitude ... but the fear of the unknown kept him on vacation, on the golf course and away from real meaningful work about solving our problems that needed to be resolved.

Yes, early on Obummer frequently held show forums where photo ops seemed to be the primary objective. Remember almost a trillion dollars spent on "shovel-ready jobs" that turned out to be a sham ... which he later joked about? And he had willing allies in Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi who created a constipated legislative process and effectively blamed it on the Republicans. Their showpiece legislation, Obamacare, was passed without a trace of bipartisan support ... with predictable catastrophic results both policy-wise and operationally. The legacy of our current president is so fetid that recounting it is a dyspeptic experience. His eight years can be compared to a garbage scow constantly leaking its contents in its briny wake.

Yes, Trump will make errors during his term ... but it will be as a result of action not inaction ... and as a result of patriotism, not fuzzy-headed Alinsky dogma.