THE TAINTED LEGACY OF AN OBDURATE GLUTTON

I wrote an article called “Will Obama Have His Cake And Eat It Too?” after he got elected to his first term. I was skeptical but hopeful in giving him the benefit of the doubt. I wrote: “The question obviously has to do with the way he will work with the Democrats controlling both houses of Congress. This may seem like every politician’s dream fulfilled, but it may also very well work against him. In other words, he certainly has a good chance of pushing his agenda through Congress (whatever it may be), but he might also be compelled to concede to the far left ambitions of influential Democratic members of the House and Senate. Will he stay true to those middle-of-the-road promises that gave him an edge or will he sway back to the more liberal platform from where he came which calls for an American version of socialized health care, labor reform which could jeopardize the already feeble job market, more government subsidies and spending and thus inflation, trade restriction and even a tax hike which are just about the worst things to do in an economic crisis.” And I argued: "it is clear [to me] that disastrous far-left policies will mean a certain fall from his meteoric rise to the presidency". With the complicity of his pre-mid-term Congress, and later an affine Supreme Court, he wreaked major havoc. And he never stopped in his tracks, after all, he needed not mind an antagonistic Congress and simply threw a tantrum of executive orders, surrendered to terrorists and tyrants, and turned his back on his country´s allies.

His extreme, intransigent and abusive positions not only leave a tainted legacy, but a country more deeply divided between those who were charmed by his elegant populism and the other half of the 99% who were systemically persecuted by the tyranny of everything that is politically correct.  Also by means of populism, though unrefined and abrasive, Trump has placed himself in a similar position. And in another contrast with Obama, he seems to have some of the right ideas, though he is dead wrong on protectionism and trade restriction as a means to grow the economy and create jobs. Perhaps the most important and certainly most difficult lesson that should be learned is that wanting Trump to fail (the same way some sought Obama to fail) only works in self detriment. Maybe the U.S. is divided beyond repair. Maybe it will take more imposition than persuasion to undo much of the damage that that obdurate glutton caused. Maybe the grand old party´s grasp on near absolute power, all too enticing for politicians, will yield comparable outcomes in terms of their extremism, with some of the main dissimilarities being a voracity for protectionism and mercantilism in lieu of socialism, exacerbated moralism, nationalism and interventionism instead of their predecessors´ disdain of traditional values and an appeasing, complacent and weakened moral standing in the world.

Or maybe, my some miraculous fortune, they might just pass on some of that cake … and get it right.