Norm Sauer: Trump and unprecedented adversity
Columns | November 26, 2017
Norm Sauer
Donald Trump has been our president for nearly a year. He has accomplished much despite unprecedented resistance undermining everything his administration is trying to accomplish.
The other day at a local market a woman confided her concern that some locals had outwardly expressed hatred for our president and such hatred concerned her. On reflection, people of "The Resistance" don't just hate President Trump, but loathe anyone who had voted not to be subject to the government swamp.
The influence of Obama's "Organizing For Action" urging resistance to impeachment has changed our society materially and not for the better.
Since Obama's presidency everything has become politicized, including the NFL, the national anthem, Hollywood celebrities, Halloween costumes, statues of historically prominent people, etc. We people have forgotten to never discuss race, religion or politics in polite company.
Also, political correctness, which is like walking on egg shells, abounds and ties in with those who claim to be victimized by others. For example, Bowe Bergdahl, a treasonous deserter who caused fellow soldiers to be maimed or killed, argues mental distress and gets no serious jail time. Tried by an officer of the military swamp who kowtowed to Obama's upside-down value system that Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction," and this traitor was worth the release of five high-value Taliban.
Non-judgmentalism has also crept into our society. The fact that we are so unwilling to draw a line in the sand and say "That's right" or "That's wrong" has mired our culture in degeneracy. For example, Kevin Spacey is revealed for sexually assaulting a minor (a crime), but mainstream media deflects by airing instead his coming out as gay (non-crime).
Meanwhile, the left desires to quash free speech. From campus protesters to the neo-fascist gang antifa, they are so afraid of discussing conservative principles, the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution they resort to rude disruption and/or violence to prevent airing such topics.
Besides these multiple cultural problems in our society, President Trump must contend with the non-businesslike government that surrounds him.
His executive orders are stayed by obscure judges in deep-blue states. Deep state employees in the State Department and other bureaucracies drag their feet in obeying their commander's orders. Senators and congress members the president confers with and strokes go their own way with indifference while no Democrat legislator will do anything but delay and resist.
Government dereliction of duty mounts as those who serve us have no memory of what is good government.
Despite no evidence, for over a year President Trump has been investigated for colluding with Russia to win the 2016 election. Meanwhile, the Obama/Clinton administration gave Russia 20 percent of our uranium resources, and the Clinton campaign illegally paid foreign agents for a phony Russian dossier on candidate Trump. Many try to understand how we now live in a country where a special counsel stacked with Democrat donors is charged with investigating Republicans for crimes of which the Democrats are likely guilty.
In spite of all, it is amazing what President Trump has accomplished. He has nixed the Paris Accords, decertified the Iran deal, pulled out of UNESCO, launched another major pipeline, enforced our borders, appointed good judges, and restored the rule of law.
By wielding his executive pen, President Trump removed many of Obama's onerous regulations crippling businesses and jobs. To date the American economy has soared. As Bloomberg reported on Oct. 13, consumer confidence has surged to a 13-year high, while our 4.2 percent jobless rate is the lowest since early 2001.
On Oct. 17, the Dow hit 23,000 for the first time wand it was the fifth 1,000-point milestone since Trump was elected. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the second and third quarters increased to just over 3 percent, a growth number declared impossible by mainstream economic pundits.
In foreign policy, the military is being restored, ISIS is severely crippled, and trade relations as well as strategic alliances are being reordered on an America-first basis. Respected by the Chinese, President Trump received red carpet treatment, five star hotel accommodations, and became the first foreign leader to dine in the Forbidden City since the founding of the People's Republic.
President Trump has done a lot of heavy lifting. He is a powerful personality who is seemingly tireless. He understands the art of the deal. If successes like we've seen continue, our country and our people will be better for his leadership.
My prayer is he succeeds so our country succeeds.
Norm Sauer lives in Nevada City.
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