The Wednesday War

by Derek Hunter | November 7, 2016 12:02 am

We’re just two days away from the launch of the 2020 campaign for president. Actually, potential candidates probably will wait at least a week before they start to wander the farmlands of Iowa.

Derek Hunter[1]

But it’s coming, as soon as we deal with the little matter of the election Tuesday. No matter who wins Tuesday, be ready for the Wednesday War.

There are about 330 million Americans I would’ve preferred to be on the ballot than the two major party candidates. But unless a crazy scientist pulls up to my house in a DeLorean in the next 48 hours, either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be president-elect by nightfall Wednesday.

I’ve made my choice, and I’m as comfortable with it as I can be. I didn’t vote last Saturday for Donald Trump as much as I voted against Hillary Clinton. Six months earlier – hell, three weeks earlier – I was prepared to write in anyone so as not to sully my conscience. But my conscience wouldn’t let me. I had to register my opposition to Hillary by voting for the candidate with the best chance to defeat her in the hope that she is defeated.

Our elections take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Election Day is not a finish line, it’s a checkpoint. The next day the political war starts anew.

Whoever wins, the fight for conservative values will continue and, in many ways, be more difficult.

If Trump wins, there’s a decent chance he’ll be a hands-off president. Aside from a wall on our southern border and a few other specifics, he might defer to Mike Pence and other advisors. Pence’s conservatism is solid, but many in his inner circle have some blind spots. No matter who he appoints, they and he will need to be held in check.

Trump’s mouth coupled with his propensity to attack his own party hasn’t won him any friends in Congress. Getting key legislation, such as Obamacare repeal and replacement, will require working with people with whom he’s earned relatively few favors. Many Republicans will push against repeal and opt for a fix instead. Trump has talked of repeal, but until the rubber meets the road there is no way to know how serious he is.

If Democrats take the Senate, all of this is a non-starter.

Either way, it will be a war. And this is just one of many issues.

If Hillary wins, it means a different war. It means four years of war.

If the House remains in Republican hands, as it should, and the Senate remains narrowly controlled by the GOP, as it might, expect Clinton to embrace the imperial president model. Her “magic pen” will make the executive actions taken by President Obama look quaint by comparison.

How Congress would respond to more blatant circumventing of the Constitution we can only guess. Under Obama, Republicans were timid, to put it mildly. They’d tisk-tisk and complain, but little else. Rather than use their constitutional powers, such as the power of the purse, they opted to let the courts play backstop. That didn’t work on Obamacare or other areas, and it was cowardly to boot.

Also see,

Why I Now Feel Compelled To Vote For Trump

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Derek-Hunter1.jpg

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