“Impeach him!” came the cry from Maxine Waters on November 9, 2016. This was the day after the Presidential election which ended with Donald J. Trump becoming President-elect. Why was Congresswoman Waters so upset? Had Mr. Trump cheated her out of money? Had he insulted her, or just stepped on her toe? No — Ms. Waters’ party, the Democrats, had lost the election.
Pageantry filled the air on inauguration day, January 20, 2017, in Washington, D. C. Dignitaries filled the stands for this ceremony, but many Democratic Congressmen and women refused to attend. Most of them had never interacted with the new President, so why did they not come to celebrate the peaceful transfer of power, one of the hallmarks of our republic? What injury had Mr. Trump visited on them in the past? It seems that it all came down to only one factor — they lost the election.
January 21, just one day later, thousands of (mostly) women marched on the nation’s capital, with signs and demonstrations against the incoming administration. One of their “leaders”, Madonna, claimed she dreamed about blowing up the White House. Some of the words spoken and signs painted were disgusting, obscene and vulgar. What, just what, had happened to unhinge all these normally peaceful Americans? Why would they act like this in the greatest nation on earth? Well, the only answer is simple — they had lost the election.
All the while, Representative Waters kept up her mantra, “Impeach him! Impeach 45!” Still, the only rational for this was that her candidate had lost the election.
Then came one of the greatest political movements and themes of all American history, when virtually all Democrats joined the #Resistance, vowing to fight against any and all of the new President’s policies. Even when those policies included items that the Dems historically supported, they would not budge. Why? You guessed it — they lost the election.
One of the most important decisions any President can make is the appointment of a person to the Supreme Court. With an opening due to the death of Antonin Scalia, President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to fill that vacancy. Judge Gorsuch had impeccable credentials, from being highly rated by the American Bar Association, to recommendations by groups and individuals, to having an exceptional appearance when being questioned by the Senators who would vote on him, his qualifications were above reproach. All but three Democrats voted “no” on his confirmation — why? By now, you can all repeat in unison, “they lost the election”.
Time after time, appointments to high government office met with the same resistance in the Senate, who had the right to confirm or deny a person the position. More than once, the Vice President, Mike Pence, had to cast a tie-breaking vote to get the candidate over the finish line because Democrats voted in lockstep with their leaders against him or her. Had the President reached down into the dregs of society to try to fill his administration with political hacks? No, many of those who had been tapped by Mr. Trump were the best in their fields, with years of exemplary service and expertise behind them. So why were well-qualified people so resisted? Again, no other explanation can suffice — the Democrats had lost the election.
All through the long, hot, muggy summer of 2017 in Washington, D. C. (which is a given, since the District of Columbia was carved out of an area in Maryland that was a hot, muggy, damp swampland when selected for the nation’s capital) the #Resistance continued. After the President justly fired the head of the FBI, an investigation into the 2016 election and suspected Russian interference in the electoral process was begun. Many were convinced the only way for The Donald to win was through some sort of nefarious means. And no evidence of that has ever surfaced, but die-hard Democrats still had a difficult time accepting the result of the November 8, 2016 decision by the American electorate. Why all this angst? Why all the hand-wringing? Once again, their ire has only source — they lost the election.
A D-list (is there any lower category of entertainer?) comedienne, Kathy Griffith presented herself holding the severed head (in caricature) of President Trump. This iteration of how ISIS executed its enemies got the requisite attention, and, one supposes, laughs in some quarters. What was Mr. Trump’s sins against Ms. Griffith? Had he “fired” her on his reality show? Had he dissed her lame attempts at humor in her standup routines? None of the above — her candidate had lost the election.
A lot of Americans are feeling better about their financial situation since the Congress passed and the President signed into law the “Tax Cuts and Jobs” bill. According to a left-leaning group, at least 90% of middle class people saw bonuses, higher take-home pay and more job opportunities. But the #Resistance held firm — not one Democrat voted for that bill. Reasons given were along the line of the extra money in each paycheck were “crumbs”, and only the top 1% of Americans would benefit. Why would they do this, since the Dems have always touted their support of the “little guy” in American life? Search as you may, you will find only one reason for that action on tax cuts — they lost the election.
Hollywood “stars” have also gotten into this act. Robert DeNiro used the platform of an awards show to launch into an expletive laced tirade against the President. Peter Fonda, a B-list actor, whose only claim to fame was one movie, a superstar father, and a big sister known as “Hanoi Jane”, even said that the President’s family should be treated ill because of policies he did not agree with. But what was the root cause of all this vitriol? Why the hatred? Was there a history of ill will between the Trumps and these “stars”? No, it all began because — their favored politician lost the election.
With another vacancy on the Supreme Court opening with a retirement, the President has nominated another outstanding jurist to the position. Brett Kavanaugh, with the highest academic history, attending and teaching at some of the most prestigious law schools, with a sterling record on the D. C. Court of Appeals, a personal life of the highest integrity, would seem like the perfect person to sit on the nation’s highest court. What have we heard from the #Resistance? Praise for this praiseworthy man? Accolades for the President’s selection? No, since their candidate did not win, the attitude of most, if not all Democrats are getting ready to vote “no” on Judge Kavanaugh. Their candidate would not nominate anyone like him, so the cry from the Left and the Democrats is to stop him from getting his seat on the high court. Claims that “millions” will die because of his attitudes, even though no one has found any evidence of such a predilection on his part, will echo until the final vote is taken. All opposition comes down to the simple fact that their candidate lost the election.
So many more examples can be given about those who have become unhinged about what President Trump has done or has proposed that time and space do not permit such an exploration.
One of the great strengths of our system of government is that when we elect a man or woman to office, they are to do our bidding. We do not send them to Washington, D. C.to or Springfield to obstruct the business of government, but to work with even their opponents for the common good. Until the last two administrations, this had worked reasonably well over the past 229 years.
In the administration of the 45th President, Donald Trump, the #Resistance to accept the will of the people is blatant. When we were younger, this attitude is like the boy who doesn’t get his way, but owns the ball with which he and friends were playing. When the game doesn’t go his way, he picks up his ball and goes home.
If you are part of the #Resistance, is this what you want to become known as? A spoiled brat who cannot accept fairly arrived at results? Perhaps what should be said to the #Resistance is simple: “Grow up! If you can’t play the game without losing once in awhile, you need to just go home.” Elections have consequences (as Barack Obama was known to say), and you just lost the election.