Sue Lani Madsen: There’s reason for optimism in Trump’s first 100 days
It was in the early seasons of what is now “Saturday Night Live.” Chevy Chase would look seriously into the camera from the Weekend Update news desk and announce, “Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.” That running gag cracked me up every time.
OK, maybe you had to be there, but for those of us who were, it’s shorthand for any newsy statement of the obvious. The 2017 version at 100 days into the Trump administration is, “Hillary Clinton is still not president.” Brings a smile to the face of Trump voters, but remains to be seen if the “resistance” can milk it for two years like Chevy Chase did. He was Chevy Chase and they’re not.
The U.S. Supreme Court vacancy was a driving factor for many who picked the Republican candidate. The appointment of Neil Gorsuch was a lead-off home run for anyone concerned about a conservative replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia. It would almost be enough if that’s all President Donald Trump got done, besides still not being Clinton. Democrats are going to regret triggering the Reid Rule now that it’s been used to remove the filibuster option on future Supreme Court nominees. The next vacancy will likely be harder for Democrats to swallow. They won’t have much choice.
Like George Bush and Barack Obama before him, Trump has signed executive orders reversing some of his predecessor’s orders. That’s unremarkable, except for the “look at me” showmanship he can’t resist. A fair number have simply been directives to agencies to provide reports and analysis for further action. It’s been a good reminder to agencies that they are not an independent fourth branch of government. They work for the executive.
The reaction to the most controversial executive order on immigration was whipped up in part by simplistic reporting calling it a Muslim ban and partly by clumsy rollout. If you read the original text, it’s not about religion, it’s defined by political geography established in U.S. law by the Obama administration. Judge shopping by the resistance for an injunction reinforces the wisdom of considering judicial appointments in picking a presidential party to support. See Gorsuch.
The biggest disappointment among many Trump voters has been not having a replacement ready for Obamacare. It should have been a top priority for Congress, betting on a new Republican administration in 2017. One local payroll and benefits manager for a small manufacturing company was hoping to see more relief from onerous reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act, but said the proposed replacement was worse.
On the positive side, at least House Speaker Paul Ryan had the guts to pull a bad bill instead of pushing it through against an artificial deadline, the way former Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi pushed the original ACA through. The Obamacare replacement still needs work.
The pace of Cabinet appointments has been frustrating, the results are not. The last of the Cabinet members to be confirmed is the new secretary of agriculture, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, squeaking through on Day 98. He immediately has to start on the next farm bill, to be submitted to Congress in 2018.
The team of James Mattis at the Department of Defense, John Kelly at Homeland Security, Rex Tillerson at State and Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley has brought the U.S. back as a force in international relations. Add in Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as national security adviser, the man who literally wrote the book on speaking truth to power, and I’m confident the president will have not only good options but good advice. It showed when Trump solidified U.S. credibility with the choice of a carefully targeted strike in Syria to (finally) enforce Obama’s red line.
The biggest change is in morale. Active duty service personnel chafed under Obama. Those who served in war zones tell about arbitrary and ridiculous rules, which made them and the region less safe. Morale has rebounded in these first 100 days to levels higher than those seen under George Bush, who was pretty popular with troops.
The same rebound is felt in conservative civilian circles. One hundred days has been enough to reinforce hope of better things to come.
Editor’s note: This story was changed on May 1, 2017 to correct an error. The original version said the House of Representatives passed the Affordable Care Act during a lame-duck session. The legislation was not passed in a lame-duck session.