Brander-in-Chief
America has a very new, very different president today. Donald J Trump, businessman, entrepreneur, entertainer and most importantly, not a politician will become the 45th president on January 20th.
Back in February I was asked to write a post in favor of Trump because I was basically the only person available who was willing to come out of the closet as a Trump supporter. It would have been easy to write something about his promise to build a wall, fix trade deficiencies or any other basic issue. But I decided to dig a little deeper by focusing on the brand Trump and how that might benefit our country.
“America needs a fixer, somebody who can re-brand this country after 16 years of slow to no growth, endless wars and financial disarray. We need a leader with the courage to risk his own livelihood as many of the Founding Fathers did when they challenged the status quo under King George III. We must have somebody willing to stand up to foreign powers, somebody who is determined to re-establish the United States as the leader of the free world. A leader who has a proven history of bold, visionary pursuits. Donald Trump is that leader.”
I also admitted the risk involved in electing Trump, “As a voter, Trump is a high risk, high reward choice. Anytime you bet on a brand hoping the substance is as strong as the rhetoric you take a risk.”
Millions of Americans decided yesterday that the risk is more acceptable than continuing down this current path of timid mediocrity. America the brand has faltered under a seemingly endless stretch of partisan battles where neither side ever accomplishes anything. Trump promised to ‘Make America Great Again’ by uniting us in pursuit of higher aspirations. Voters en masse bought in and now the re-branding journey begins.
My hope is that folks who vehemently opposed Trump will at least give him a fair shot. I realize that is a big ask and the common reply will be something about how the GOP blocked Obama. But how long can we continue this ideological war without suffering permanent damage? Trump is the one person who is not restricted by political affiliation or ideology so maybe he really can bridge the enormous divide in this country. As he said often, ‘what the hell do you have to lose’?
Americans spoke loudly yesterday. We want action. We want competent, non-corrupt leadership. And most importantly, we want America to be safe, strong and prosperous. Donald Trump cleverly realized more than anybody else exactly what voters wanted then branded his campaign to match that desire. My hope is he will do the same as brander-in-chief of the United States.
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Three Jack
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Bart, you were one of only two on this site that supported Trump. I was critical of both candidates.
This vote was more anti Hilly than pro Trump. Those that voted for him in the primary were his real supporters. Everyone else voted for him in the general election because he was not Hilly.
Much of Trump’s campaign talk was useless rhetoric for entertainment purposes. I don’t know what he truly believes on most issues. I do however think he can work with Rubio on immigration, Price on health care, Paul Ryan on taxes and other members of congress on the important issues.
gcp, I disagree with your analysis of the vote. Millions like myself voted FOR Trump and would have no matter the dem opponent. Personally it was the first time in at least 6 presidential elections where I left the building satisfied with my vote. I’m confident based on the voter map many if not most others did the same.
Did you vote for Trump in the primary?
I did.
The standards of conduct for the opposition are well-established.
Guys– reality check. More people voted for Hillary Clinton. That doesn’t make trump’s election illegitimate to me, or to most people, but let’s dispense with this “the people have spoken, and en masse, they demanded trump to unite us.”
We on the left have an awful lot to lose– social safety nets, workplace protections, environmental regulations– to say nothing of the generally favorable geopolitical position America has maintained for itself. Bartering that for a more competitive manufacturing sector is going to be a nonstarter for democrats on the hill, and across the country.
I’ll end by saying that I’m heartened that trump wants to be a uniter, and that if we work together, we can move forward together and string some policy Ws together that we can all agree on, like rolling back the corrupting influence of money on the political process, or regulatory capture, or tax loophole reform. It’s not going to be all sweetness and light though. It’s going to be entrenched interests on both sides of the aisle, interests that generally tend to have benefits to sections of the electorate, that president trump will have to contend with.