Now the Inauguration ceremony is over, it is time to govern, or so it would seem. However, Mr. Trump does not seem to read the papers to know he is actually the President of all Americans. (Although some seem not to recognize him as President at all) The campaign is over. It is different now.
The weekend seemed a bit rough for the President. He wants to continue to take on everyone-media, the Women’s Marchers, the “intelligence community” and inexplicitly the determination of the number to people who attended the swearing-in and parade. Facts are not important, consistency is not required. Hey, we all are not stupid.
Hard to make this stuff up and hard to understand. If anyone thought Mr. Trump was going to suddenly turn into a pussycat or a Bush-like milquetoast, they were not paying attention. However there is a line. In order to be successful, Mr. Trump is going to need public support. The bellicose tone is tedious.
So, let’s again give some advice, this time three suggestions:
- The campaign is over. Do not sweat the small stuff. Who cares how many people went to the Inauguration ceremony? It does not matter, it is only ego and mega-egos have taken down many arrogant people. By making it a big deal, it makes it even a bigger deal. A leader knows when to pick his battles.
- Denigrating or questioning the motives of the Saturday marchers just fuels the fire. Let it go. Be generous to them. Why give credence to the opposition? These people are never going to support you or your policies, no matter what. They will not be listening but why energize them?
- Get organized. The election was 10 weeks ago and you should have had an initial agenda and set of actions to take. Set the priorities and get on with it. Jumping around, general statements and blah blah just creates doubt. This can be cured but credibility and competence are important.
At this point, I am not sure where all the hate (and it is hate) comes from. In speaking with people whom attended the march, I was taken with the amount of venom. I asked how would they have felt if there had been a big protest after Obama was elected? Would these people have been racists, or patriot Americans exercising their rights to assemble? Good question. However, the country will continue to seethe until both sides stop it. I am not optimistic.