Trump Wins and Life Goes On

Yes, shocking to many but Donald Trump has won, maybe even eking out a small popular vote win as late arriving ballots are counted to go with the Electoral College win. His supporters are overjoyed and jubilant, much like we saw from Obama’s supporters in 2008 and 2012.

Hillary’s supporters are saddened and depressed, not unlike Republicans were 2008 and 2012.

The protests / riots seen around the country beginning the day after are far from the formation of the TEA Party rally’s seen in 2009. TEA Party rallies weren’t based on mayhem and destruction to stop Obama from taking office, though. That was over taxes and especially Obamacare.

Still, many were displeased and disappointed and expressed their displeasure then, but without the mayhem seen today. But, we survived only to deepen the divide among the Left and the Right as well as within both the Democrat and Republican Party’s.

Half of my day Tuesday, Nov 8 was spent in Portland at the VA Hospital attending a pre-op appointment preparing me for coming surgery to correct some nasal problems. That took precedence over the elections.

I woke up Wednesday morning, Nov 9 to news that Trump pulled it off and looked about me. I was still 68 years old, still married to my wife and still had to pour a cup of coffee to kick start me.

My house was still here with my little Red Dakota still sitting in the driveway.

Absolutely nothing in my life had changed nor do I really expect any earth shattering changes to come, other than I will continue getting older.

Trump made some very bold claims and promises along the way to his win that frankly, I see him having a very difficult time fulfilling. Not unlike many early promises made by Obama that remain unfulfilled, the complete closure of Guantanamo for example. If you didn’t know, it’s still down there and still in operation.

Campaign promises are easy to make, but often more difficult to keep. Especially when the candidate spared little effort smearing and belittling the very people he now must depend on to actually help him keep those promises made in the campaign.

Only days since the win and already we see Trump backpedalling somewhat on the full repeal of Obamacare, claiming he likes some of the key provisions and “may seek to amend the statute rather than repeal it.”

That wall along our Southern Border and making Mexico pay for it? We’ll see, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Such a wall has been approved since Reagan’s terms and other than sections of fence that are easily circumvented, the border remains open.

Funding is set by Congress, not any president.

Trump also claims he will “'immediately deport two to three million illegal immigrants with criminal records” and while that really does need to happen and sounds really good, I fully expect federal judges, the ACLU and pro-immigrate groups to fight it tooth and nail that will see that process linger on for several years and cost us untold amounts of tax dollars fighting to remove them.

Even illegal immigrants are entitled to due process and whether we agree or not, protection under our constitution as deemed so by our Supreme Court: Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886); Wong Win v. United States (1896) and subsequent rulings over the years.

I give him brownie points for trying, but suspect he is going to discover governing is much more difficult that campaigning.

In spite of earlier claims of “rarely leaving the White House,” we now hear the possibility of him “splitting time between DC and NY” as aides claim he “would like to spend his weekends either in his Trump Tower home, his New Jersey golf course or his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.”

Such a weekly travel schedule to those points, considering how large of an entourage president’s travel with and the security measures that would have to be installed in each and maintained, has the potential to make Obama’s extravagant vacation expenses look paltry.

I hope he reconsiders in that desire.

Along that line we also read of his desire in “continuing to hold large rallies as he did throughout the campaign for ‘the instant gratification and adulation that the cheering crowds provide’.”

Does he want to serve the nation or us serve and feed his massive ego?

All of the above remains to be seen. He won’t take office until January 20, 2017 and a lot will happen between now and then and with his selection of cabinet members as they must go through the Senate approval process.

But whatever he finally decides on, we are going to survive and I suspect our lives locally will see little to no actual difference as life goes on for each of us.

We have survived much worse.