Get Over the Wall

Our President is crude, crass, undiplomatic and rude. I agree with many of the things he has done, but I have real issues with the way he does them. I think his America First policy is spot on. We have allowed other countries to walk on us too long. I agree with his initiatives to rein in some federal agencies. The EPA has far too much power. They have been allowed to rely on pseudo-science to make arbitrary rules. They needed to be brought into the real world populated with people. I agree with President Trump’s policy to enforce our existing laws on immigration. A country cannot exist without borders. In all of these cases, however, his flamboyant methods have become the focus, rather than the merits of his programs. Favored status for China detracts from the goals of American First and makes these goals difficult to realize. His opening salvo in trying to limit the power of overreaching federal agencies was to berate them with name calling. The focus becomes his tirades rather than the bureaucratic excesses. Shutting down the government because Democrats won’t fund his wall is just plain dumb.

Never in the history of the universe has a wall kept out a determined invader. The Great Wall of China didn’t work, the Maginot line didn’t work and a wall on our southern border won’t work either. President Trump knows that. He sometimes does apparently stupid things, but he is not stupid. No one builds a financial mega corporation without some basic smarts. A very intelligent friend of mine said that Trump is not only smart, he is a cunning master of misdirection. I thought about that for a while and can see where my friend is coming from. The President’s maneuvering on tariffs provides a revealing illustration.

His goal was to eliminate one-sided trade barriers. To achieve this end, he announced a tariff on Canadian and European goods he knew would be unacceptable. When they got over their initial outrage, he agreed to back off if they would eliminate their barriers. It worked. He got pretty much what he wanted. The trade negotiations are still ongoing with China, but it appears he is doing well on that front also. Another classic case of misdirection.

Is the wall another misdirection ploy? If it is, I can only guess where he is going. He must realize that his flamboyant, pompous style generates enemies - enemies he can’t afford if he expects to be elected to a second term. I was fine with his rantings and ravings, as long as he achieved some positive results, but his trade policy has really hit me where it hurts, right in my IRA.

If he wants to be president for another term, he needs to get over the wall and focus on the economy. He needs to focus on updating American infrastructure, he needs to focus on U.S. investment in Central America, so as to give potential migrants a reason to stay home; but he is not.

He surely knows he will be blamed for this government shutdown. He is too smart to believe he will be reelected in the midst of turmoil and economic downturn.

Thus, he is either much dumber than I think he is, or he doesn't plan to run in 2020.

Were I a Republican mover and shaker planning strategy for the next election, I would be in a conundrum. If I support Trump to head our ballot, we will lose. But, what if I try to nominate an alternative candidate? I would be afraid of what Trump would do. If he wins the nomination, I would be in the same position I am in now, but if our alternate candidate wins, nothing would stop him from establishing a third party to dilute the conservative vote and throw the election to the Democrats.

He has enough money to do just that. Remember Ross Perot? The only way that the Republicans can benefit is for Trump to wait until the campaign for the primaries starts, then withdraw. The Democrats would not have Trump to run against, and the playing field would be leveled. It may be wishful thinking on my part, but it is something to think about.

(Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and a long time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free lance columnist for more than 18 years.)