President Donald Trump and his political advisors put together a brilliant speech
Tuesday night in his address to the Congress. David Brooks on PBS gave him an “A”,
and even liberal commentator Mark Shields had to grudgingly give him a “C+”. Trump touched all the high points of
his familiar message but did it in such a fashion as to make even liberal
commentators say that he appeared “Presidential.”
He also used with great effect the
touching stories of some ordinary Americans who had been invited to attend, a
practice used by many previous Presidents in State of the Union messages. Their
stories were heart-warming and even heart wrenching. Ivanka Trump must have
nerves of steel to stand next to the widow of a soldier killed in the Yemen
raid and not burst into tears herself, or at least give her a consoling hug.
I do worry, however, that Trump’s
promises may have set the bar too high. If he can deliver on his promises and
fulfill his lofty vision for America, he will be one of the greatest Presidents
in history. I know it is good to set goals and aim high but now President Trump
will have to deliver. I do not think it will be an easy task.
For example, it will not be easy
to repeal and replace Obamacare. Maybe Republicans in Congress have already
figured it out, but how do you provide insurance for people who don’t want it,
or don’t want to pay for it, or can’t pay for it? Can you force people to use
tax credits to buy insurance? Can you prevent them from spending the money on
something else?
President Trump endorsed the idea
of allowing people to buy insurance across state lines but the main reason that
medical insurance is cheaper in some states is that claims are lower in those
states. A doctor in rural West Virginia has much lower overhead than a doctor
in Manhattan or LA. If people flock to buy insurance in cheaper states,
eventually premiums will rise in those states as claims rise.
I have to admit that when I hear a
brilliant speech delivered by a real pro like Trump, I have mixed feelings. It
was hard not to be inspired by his message but at the same time, I had to
wonder. Could Trump just be, as some suspect, a con man? I don’t think so. It
is more likely that he could be a con man who has been converted by his own
message or cause in the manner of film characters such as as Professor Harold Hill in “The Music Man," or Gary Cooper in Frank Capra’s masterpiece,
“Meet John Doe." However, both these fictional characters were down and out drifters before they rose to prominence. Trump was a billionaire
businessman as well as a celebrity already.
I like to think that Trump is more
in the line of a wealthy Renaissance merchant who realizes that he must attain political power not only to preserve and protect what he and his family have gained over a lifetime, but
also to preserve and protect the city or country that have done so much for him and his family.
The true test of the Trump
administration will be on how much it can deliver. If President Trump can just
deliver on a third of his promises, it will be a successful Presidency. Batting
.333 is good in any league. I hope commentators will begin to focus on what the
Trump administration is actually doing, and not on what they fear he will do.
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