How Trump — and We — Can Actually Survive His Chilling Presidency
[NOTE: This originally was written as a Facebook Note on February 12, 2017, a couple of weeks after Trump assumed his presidency — republished due to Facebook decimating its Facebook Notes feature.]
The Realization We Got Trump
Right now, everybody except Donald Trump’s hardcore base seems to despise him. Others respect him for what they perceive he’s trying to accomplish. But I suspect this will soon wear off once they realize he’s doing it all wrong. Meanwhile, his closest advisers are clawing each other’s necks and shin-kicking in a mighty power vacuum, while congressional GOPwingers (read lobbyists) linger in primrose cobwebs salivating over legislation they think Trump will support on their behalf.
Most would agree the first month of his presidency has been disastrous and prospects for improvement seem dim. Plagued by his own inner circle, plagued by the courts, plagued by intense US intelligence agencies, plagued by a wrangling media, plagued by pondering his standing in history, plagued by complicated perhaps nefarious past and present business dealings and plagued by massive investigations including some extreme serious ones concerning Russia, his Donnie-Do-Get-It-Done once-Teflon strong image has indeed met a haunting and perplexing fate.
With his wife in New York (costing taxpayers over a million a day) and he bogged down in Washington hobnobbing with people he doesn’t like, how can Trump possibly be a happy camper?
Trump’s Possible Solution and A Strategy:
On a positive front, Trump seems capable of changing. His vice president, Mike Pence, is not. In reality, Pence is programmed and deeply lobby bought. He’s not capable of wide-range thinking at all. Trump although a wild card, in some instances has shown a capability of thinking outside of the GOPwinger box. So the presence of Pence only helps Trump to stave off impeachment attempts. Ironically, Trump deserves a feather in his cap for picking Pence! Trump’s best defense!
But to survive his presidency Trump needs to change his tempo. He likely needs to go back to when he fancied himself as a cool, interesting rich man who spread money around and went to parties full of a diversity of people. Back then, beyond his ego, some folks found him a friendly and seemingly helpful millionaire on the rise in The Big Apple and beyond.
The Trumpinator quickly needs a direct tap into his good side, if he has or ever had one. Some say he doesn’t, and proof of the cultural pudding is the fact he stiffed Andy Warhol on paintings for the new Trump Tower. Anyway, Trump’s gotta move from his hard-ass image into an astute grandfatherly one. To remain as he is now likely will become dangerous for everyone, especially our children.
In light of the above, two questions arise:
1) How’s the best way Trump can save his presidency and have a reasonably good chance of positive historical standing?
2) How is the best way we the citizenry — the world even — can survive and get along with Trump?
Trump must, first, determine he always has a minimum 34 senators who’ll support him. With such backing he can’t be impeached. Secondly, he’s gotta realize his bid to govern as a strong man know-it-all type leader only creates multiple train wrecks on many fronts. He’s got to realize governing this way won’t work, that he’ll fail for certain should he persist.
Trump must mellow out and realize he’s already accomplished what he set out to do. He no longer needs be harsh or uncaring in his ways. Perhaps this tactic can be useful negotiating trade agreements and whatnot, but domestically he has to become more of a people person, an expansive populist. In simple terms, he must adopt to the needs of the people, not his own ego or his dream for a Trump family political dynasty.
Strategically, he should forget about the whining and ever devious ways of the power-hungry oligarchy. He should set back and let Congress do the bidding for them, while he concentrates mostly on the needs of the people.
Once Trump has accomplished or attempted to do some of what he originally intended, he should then set back, relax and not do anything domestically unless it’s extremely popular. Why? Because if he doesn’t, he’ll likely blow it! He’s close to having blown it already!!! He’s got to adopt something very simple: “I need friends more than enemies!” Sooner, rather than later, he needs to turn his tides of leadership.
How can he make the well-needed turn? Well, he’s now got his executive government defined. He’s set to go. The next best move for him is to pull off the unexpected, rare game-changer type of a move. He needs to grasp what he doesn’t have, perhaps never has had: Counterbalance! A sound counterbalance is a critical aspect of governing. This presently is absent at all levels of Republican government leadership. Some can be found within the courts, however a president who himself seeks counterbalance would make for better decision-making without need of the court.
What Trump desperately needs in order to govern well is a Bernie Sanders-like shadow advisory council to help guide him with key decisions. He needs a true sounding board. He’ll never impress the people by using only his own egotistical ideas and notions. And he certainly won’t impress them with the kind of legislation Congress will send him.
He’s got to know what to knock back to Congress using his veto power, and he’s got to know exactly what needs changing and the consequences. He’s got to become a total advocate for the people. He’ll never succeed if he has only a one-sided viewpoint. If he wants to save the nation from potential chaos (and we’re close!) and appear as proud and forthright in history books, then he’s got to govern in concert with the Democrats and Independents. He has to earn having the opportunity President Barrack Obama never had with Congress.
He Should Legislate with Democrats
Finally, Trump should aim for often passing legislation in coalition with Democrats. Who knows, perhaps some of those donkey senators might be needed among that block of 34 who’d block his impeachment. He might even evolve into a well-liked president of accomplishment, especially if he sheds his racist and sexist proclivities and some of the folks who give him bad advice.
But this will happen only if he resists and reverses his current path of a police state, an expanding private prison system and a real war in place of the minor proxy wars. If he gets infrastructure done with good jobs; if he maintains (ideally improves) the present health care system; if he preserves and strengthens Social Security; and if he puts a damn big dent into the income inequality problem he just might become a good President Trump.
Oh! He should also re-open the 911 Presidential Investigation!
I’m convinced that were he to do all of the above, history would view him nicely. However, in all prudence, I also submit: Forever am I a dreamer — lol!
NOTE: For the record, I’m rooting for a devastating loss for national and state Republicans in the 2018 mid-term election. I’m also hoping to see a tremendous rise of Bernie Sanders-type candidates running for office. And, more than anything, we need to elect Sanders in 2020 and by then earn a complete hold of Congress, as congressional redistricting will result from the 2020 Census.]
PS: I wrote this mostly from the perspective on how we all can survive a Trump-Pence presidency. Good luck to each of us! And good luck to Trump who should remember that Andy Warhol spiritually watches over his tweets! Children too!
Five Years After The Above Was Written?
