I think one of the great ironies of this 2016 election is the fact that Trump was voted in by people who wanted “change.” He was the knight on a white horse who would ride into Washington and shake things up and make things happen. We were tired of gridlock and the failure of Congress to pass job bills, to pass projects for bridges, highways, harbors, transportation and other things that were obviously necessary but were never approved because the Republicans did not want Obama to accomplish anything.
Trump was the man who had no ties to Washington. He “financed his own campaign” and he was his own man. But now that he is elected he is suddenly confronted with a whole host of decisions, a whole cabinet he has to appoint, a whole plethora of issues and negotiations that have to be handled, and he does not have a clue. His answers to question about foreign affairs during the campaign dealt most with his wives. Those were his foreign affairs. So he has brought in people who have been in D.C. lots and had problems when they were there.
So he will have to reach out and get help, but who can you get help from but the people in Washington who know the system. The people Hillary Clinton had worked with for 30 years. He claimed he would get rid of the power of money and lobbyists, but suddenly he has had to welcome in a host of lobbyists to explain to him how things are. He has had to turn to the Republican Party leaders that he bad mouthed on the campaign.
We have seen how this worked once before. Jimmy Carter ran as the outsider but he brought with him his Georgia buddies and they had a horrible time trying to get things done. Mr. Trump has come in as the outsider with no political experience and promised “change” and the only change is that he has had to change his tune and get all the help he can from the very people who wanted to get rid of.
John Denver said it best, “Life ain’t nothing but a funny, funny riddle.” The irony is only beginning.