TRUMP MAKES GOOD ON 2016 CAMPAIGN PROMISES AND HAS EARNED A SECOND TERM

An old adage goes, “There are Promises and there are Promises.” The import of what would otherwise be a banal assertion is clear: there are sincere promises and there are insincere promises.

Every Presidential Candidate makes promises and pledges while on the campaign trail. Are those promises and pledges made in earnest? Are they made half-heartedly? Or are they outright lies?

Has a U.S. Presidential candidate equivocated or attempted to deceive the public outright concerning his or her policy objectives? These are critical questions. The measure of a man proceeds from the words he utters and the actions he takes.

The public learns whether a person is a truthteller or a liar once that person become President, and can then judge the measure of a man, whether he is a man of integrity.

No Presidential candidate should make promises he has no intention of fulfilling. But suppose a President does try to make good on a promise he made while on the campaign trail but fails to accomplish it when in Office?

If a President tries to make good on a campaign promise but fails when he should have succeeded—which is to say he failed because incompetent—then he should be faulted for it.

But, if a President enters Office with no intention of fulfilling his pledge—which is to say he lied to the electorate that voted him into Office on the promises he made—that is disgraceful, and he should be roundly condemned for it. How does Trump measure up during his first term in Office?

In looking back at Donald Trump’s first term in Office, comparing the promises he made on the campaign trail with his accomplishments, we see that Donald Trump was never insincere. He never made a promise he didn’t fully intend to keep. That is not to say he was able to fulfill all of his promises, but he was always aboveboard about his intentions. That says much about why Congressional Democrats, Bush Republicans, the Deep State Bureaucracy, the mainstream seditious Press, the Radical Left intelligentsia, Big Tech, the Banks, and Wall Street, never wanted him in Office in the first place. It wasn’t that they thought Trump had lied to the electorate about what he sought to accomplish. Rather, they took him at his word as well they should. They didn’t like what they heard and didn’t like that he intended to make good on his word, and that, for the most part, did. The many forces aligned against Trump became agitated, frustrated, enraged when they couldn’t dissuade him and, attempted, at the very outset of his first term, to thwart his efforts at every turn.

Below we look at a few of the major promises Trump made; those he kept and those he has tried to keep, despite fervent and fervid efforts of obstreperous, ruthless, powerful forces aligned against him.

We point out, first, that Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” is not mere puffery or wishful thinking. The slogan encapsulates Trump’s salient policy objective, grounded on the fact and supportive of the present reality that the United States is—and in accordance with the U.S. Constitution—is meant to remain an independent sovereign nation-state. This means that, when weighing the import of specific policy goals, Trump considers first and foremost the extent to which those policies benefit our Nation primarily, not secondarily to the wishes of Billionaire Neoliberal Globalists.

The slogan “Make America Great Again” is an anathema to the Radical Left and Progressives because it is antithetical to their goal of a one world Government: one devoid of nation-states. Understandably, the mainstream, lamestream seditious Press, in league with Globalist forces, perceives the slogan, “Make America Great Again,” and its acronym “MAGA,” to be emblems of defiance. They treat them like obscenities, encouraging the ignorant rabble to verbally and even physically assault those Americans who dare utter the words or dare, as they perceive it, to flaunt those Trumpian symbols.

Other recent Presidents—Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama—subordinated America’s needs and concerns to those of the Billionaire Neoliberal Globalists. The electorate saw this and, after fifteen years, seeing the Nation dispirited and on the verge of utter ruination, had more than enough of it, and voted an outsider; a Populist who extolled, did not apologize for America’s Greatness, America’s Nationalist spirit and fervor. And Trump, for his part, for the most part, did not disappoint the electorate. He has earned a second term in Office.

PROMISES MADE; PROMISES KEPT

• Trump made clear during his first run for the U.S. Presidency that he would veto Obama’s secretive Globalist Trans-Pacific Partnership Treaty (TPP), and likely intended to veto the equally horrid European Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Trump knew these Neoliberal Globalist trade agreements would do nothing positive for the United States, its small businesses, or its labor force; but would further ravage our economy, devastate our small businesses and work force, and subvert our legal system, effectively reducing the U.S. to the status of pawn of the Neoliberal Globalist elites; leading us inexorably, inevitably down the path to the destruction of our sovereign, independent Nation State and to the subjugation of our Nation’s citizenry. Trump made good on his promise to scuttle this ignoble, seditious attempt to undermine our Nation’s economy and sovereignty. See January 23, 2017 Fox News Report.

• During his first run for the U.S. Presidency, Trump told the electorate that he would renegotiate NAFTA which had been a debilitating legacy and relic from the Bill Clinton era. Trump made good on his promise, replacing NAFTA, in 2019, with the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, USMCA. Even the Congressional Democrat Party leadership realized Trump had, with the USMCA, brokered a much better deal for Americans. See report by WRCBtv and report by the Washington Examiner. But the Democrat Speaker of the House, Nancy, Pelosi would only admit Trump’s success grudgingly, attempting to take credit for it herself, as reported by Fox Business.

• Trump made border enforcement a mainstay of his campaign. See Politifact report. Although the Press has long derided Trump for claiming to make Mexico pay for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, the salient issue is whether Trump intended to make good on his promise to strengthen border enforcement—something his predecessors either lied about or failed miserably at. Bloomberg.com acknowledges that Trump did intend to build a wall and that he has proceeded diligently on that task, no easy thing. The task has been made all the more difficult by Congressional Democrats who have thrown obstacles in Trump’s path. Apart from specific construction of a Border wall, Trump has made protection of our Southern Border with Mexico a substantial part of his domestic policy initiative. Border wall construction is not to be construed as something important for its own sake, but should be understood as critical in the broader context of national security.  An effective wall on our Southern Border helps protect the Nation from the scourge of illegal drug and sex trafficking, and is also responsive to the burden and menace posed by millions of poverty-stricken, often disease ridden, uneducated illegal aliens, marching enmass to our Country, demanding to be let in; looking for Government largess, all at taxpayer expense. Trump, more so than any other President, has promised to implement and has , true to his word, implemented broad strategies to secure and maintain the integrity of our Nation’s borders. This has been no easy task given constant blowback from a seditious Press; from Congressional Democrats; and from the Chamber of Commerce, who see, in these continuous, and massive illegal migrant waves—cheap labor, a new indentured servant class, and, for Democrats, a new voter bloc, easily manipulated and controlled, responsive to the Democrat Party leadership’s every wish, enabling Democrats to maintain control of Government in perpetuity.

• Trump promised to reinvigorate the manufacturing base in our Country, bringing back jobs to our Nation that has been ravaged by years of Neoliberal Globalist policy. The seditious Press claims that Trump has overstated his pro-growth accomplishments on that front; asserting, disingenuously and erroneously that Obama did a better job. But Forbes points out that Trump’s pro-growth policies have been successful; more so than anything Obama and the Democrats claim to have accomplished. An important clue of the success of Trump’s policies over those of Obama is found in Forbes article assertion that President Obama merely created more Government jobs. Government jobs do little to sustain economic growth. President Trump, though, created more private sector jobs, which are a much better indicator of economic progress and sustainability. This is a  point that Democrats don’t care to acknowledge, as they merely emphasize number of jobs created, deliberately ignoring the nature and quality of the jobs created: private sector employment versus public sector employment. Productivity gains are realized in the private sector, not in Government, the latter of which is characterized more by monetary waste and bloat.

• During the 2016 Campaign, Trump stated and reiterated his strong stand on the Second Amendment. Truth to tell, Trump’s support of the Second Amendment has been a mixed bag. See Ballotpedia.  Trump’s action on bump-stocks is abhorrent, and his assertions on National concealed handgun reciprocity, duplicitous. See Arbalest Quarrel Article posted December 31, 2018. The best that can be said is that Trump hasn’t denigrated the right of the people to keep and bear arms and hasn’t tried to subvert the right of the people to keep and bear arms. Democrats, on the other hand have made clear their absolute loathing of guns and gun possession. They have said, unabashedly and shamelessly, that they will do whatever they can to hurry the demise of the Second Amendment if they hold onto the House, gain control of the Senate, and are able to secure the Presidency. In that light Trump’s position on the Second Amendment certainly looks good when juxtaposed point by point with the Democrat Party’s stances, assertions, and actions which, admittedly, isn’t saying much. Still, if a bill to strengthen the Second Amendment came to Trump’s desk, there is no reason to believe he wouldn’t sign it into law.

• Trump promised to get tough on China, to protect our Nation’s interests, unlike his predecessors, and he has done so. See CNBC report, and he has done so, imposing crippling tariffs on China. See China Briefing. Some economists attack Trump for this, arguing his policies are simply embroiling our Nation in an oppressive trade war. But Trump’s hard-edged economic stance on China is long overdue. China is a geopolitical and military rival. Trump is the first President to push back hard China. Previous Presidents have simply capitulated to China. Trump hasn’t done that, and will not do so. China’s “Belt and Road” Initiative is a clear threat to our survival as a Nation, and Trump’s hard line toward China cuts deeply into their ambitious plan for economic, military, and geopolitical superiority over the U.S. and the rest of the world. A Biden Presidency cannot possibly be tough on China, as Joe Biden and his family, long involved in racketeering influence peddling, having raked in tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars from China, are so thoroughly compromised by China, that, far from representing our Nation’s interests, a Biden administration would capitulate to China, endangering the very security of our Nation.

• Trump promised to repeal and replace the ACA (Obamacare). Much depends on how the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the ACA. Trump has not gone back on his word to get rid of the ACA, which the Democrats see as an attack on a thing they consider to be among their great achievements. Indeed the liberal Brookings Institute slams Trump for his actions on the ACA. But the price tag of Obamacare is enormous; amounting to a tremendous waste of money to keep it functioning. It serves very few Americans, at best, and, at worst, severely cuts into Medicare for seniors and subverts the quality of healthcare for every American. See The Motley Fool report.

• Trump promised to rescind Obama’s horrible Iran deal as it served merely to appease Iran and play Americans for fools. Trump has made good on his promise. He has played hardball with Iran. Obama merely capitulated to Iran, which is reprehensible and no less incomprehensible, given our Nation’s obvious economic superiority over Iran and incomparable military strength. Iran doesn’t even merit rational consideration on either score. See Jewish Journal commentary. Moreover, Trump’s Middle East policy has helped to stabilize the entire region. Bush and Obama created a mess for Americans at the cost of several trillion dollars, over two decades, with the incommensurable loss of American lives. Even the mainstream seditious NY Times felt compelled, if only grudgingly, to admit that Trump’s foreign policy has met with success.  See also commentary from the Federalist. 

• Trump promised to cut taxes and he has fulfilled this 2016 campaign promise. But is this to be seen as a good thing or bad thing? Forbes says it is something of a mixed bag. 

• The New York Times has quoted Trump as saying, back in 2016, that “I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I’ve been challenged by so many people and I don’t, frankly, have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn’t have time, either.”  This may not seem like something to be seen as a campaign promise, but, in light of recent events, when Americans see the Nation being torn apart by roving, ravaging bands of Marxists and Anarchists, while Democrats ignore or actively encourage the destruction of our Nation’s history, traditions, and core values, it is refreshing, to hear someone push back against this  bizarre phenomenon of political correctness. 

• During his 2016 campaign, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump promised sweeping deregulation of natural-gas, oil and coal production as part of an “America-first energy” plan and he has worked tirelessly to accomplish the goal of energy independence. This included a general plan to reduce a bloated bureaucracy.

• Trump promised to nominate to the federal Courts and U.S. Supreme Court, judges and justices who were counted on to preserve and strengthen the U.S. Constitution as written, and not decide cases with the intent to rewrite the Constitution to cohere with purported modern-day international constructs inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution. And, the seditious Press does at least acknowledge that Trump made good on this promise. The leftist USA Today newspaper writes, “One of President Donald Trump’s key promises during the 2016 campaign was nominating conservative judges to the nation’s highest court. He’s delivered resoundingly on that pledge. With the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy created by the death  of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Trump has become the first president since Richard Nixon to name three judges to the nation’s highest court during a first term. Barrett joins Neil M. Gorsuch, who was confirmed in 2017 to fill the seat of the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, and Brett M. Kavanaugh, confirmed in 2018 to succeed Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, a conservative who often acted as swing vote on the court.” Trump was also responsible for a significant number of nominations to the lower federal Courts, as pointed out by the liberal Brookings Institution. 

• Perhaps no better barometer exists of a President’s concern for his Country than the interest he shows for the well-being of our Nation’s military. Previous Presidents have been derelict in their treatment of our military as witnessed by the sorry state of our VA Hospitals. Under President Obama’s watch, a scandal ensued when it was learned that veterans died while waiting for health care. This is reprehensible. As reported by Fox News, President Trump fulfilled his 2016 campaign promise to reform the sorry state of our VA Hospitals. Fox News writes, “President Trump . . . signed Veterans Affairs reform legislation meant to protect whistleblowers while making it easier to fire problematic employees at the department. The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act passed by Congress earlier this month streamlines the process to remove, demote, or suspend VA employees for poor performance or misconduct. In addition, it authorizes the VA secretary to recoup any bonuses awarded to employees who have acted improperly. “Veterans have fulfilled their duty to this nation and now, we must fulfill our duty to them,” Trump said. “So to every veteran who is here with us today, I just want to say two very simple words, thank you.” Under the new law, protections for whistleblowers will be expanded and the VA will be prevented from dismissing an employee who has an open complaint against the department. The bill was prompted by the 2014 scandal at the Phoenix medical center where patients died while waiting for health care. “What happened was a national disgrace and yet, some of the employees involved in these scandals remained on the payrolls,” Trump said. “Outdated laws kept the government from holding those who failed our veterans accountable.” On the campaign trail, Trump called the VA, the government’s second-largest department, the “most corrupt” and “most incompetently run agency in the United States.” The legislation helps Trump follow through on a 2016 campaign promise. He said at the signing that the law represents one of the biggest reforms to the VA in a generation and promised even more changes – “until the job is done.”

• During the 2016 campaign, Trump also made clear his intention to strengthen the military and to make NATO pay its fair share, as reported by the Military Times, quoting Trump: “After the Cold War our foreign policy veered badly off course,” he told a Washington, D.C., crowd just hours after another sizable primary win the previous evening. “As time went on, our foreign policy began to make less and less sense. Logic was replaced with foolishness and arrogance, which led to one foreign policy disaster after another. “Our foreign policy is a complete and total disaster. No vision. No purpose. No direction. No strategy.” Trump’s own outline was billed as a broad overview of his general philosophy on international relations and security, and stayed away from specifics on spending and diplomatic moves. . . . One of the few specifics he did offer was in criticism of President Obama’s military spending strategy, which he repeatedly tied to the policies of Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton. “Our active-duty armed forces have shrunk from 2 million in 1991 to about 1.3 million today,” he said. “The Navy has shrunk from over 500 ships to 272 ships during this same period of time. The Air Force is about one-third smaller than 1991. Pilots flying B-52s in combat missions today. These planes are older than virtually everybody in this room.” The solution, he said, is ensuring that the military is “funded beautifully” but also added “we will look for savings and spend our money wisely.” That includes not just the Pentagon but also “our trade, immigration and economic policies to make our economy strong again.” Trump also chastised NATO allies for not spending enough on their own defense forces, vowing to make them accept their fair share of the expense and responsibility.” 

WILL THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE TO EXIST AS A FREE CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC?

Americans are faced with sharply defined choices in the upcoming election. Two visions for our Country are on the table, but only one of the two visions is possible.

Trump represents the Country in the form the founders bequeathed it to us, a free Constitutional Republic, grounded on a set of fundamental, natural rights, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the American people, and the continued independence of our Nation.

Biden represents Marxists and Neoliberal Globalists, both of whom believe that the concept of independent nation-states is an archaic concept that has outlived its usefulness. Both Marxists and Neoliberal Globalists seek an end to our Nation and its submergence into a one world system of governance, requiring uniformity in thought and conduct; subjugation and penury.

Will Americans remain in control of their destiny or will they relinquish that control to Government bureaucrats who are themselves controlled by a small group of Neoliberal Globalists mega-billionaires, dictating how Americans should live, and think and behave; and confiscating our vast resources of capital, labor, and military, along with our non-renewable natural resources for their own illegitimate, personal, sordid, selfish purposes.

The differences in vision could not be starker.

Unfortunately, the Press has brainwashed the masses who believe, erroneously, that Trump is such a threat to democracy that they are willing to place their bet on anyone else, regardless of who it is and what they have to offer. Many Americans fail to see the truth before them: A Country torn apart at the seams; an orchestrated scheme of the Marxists and Globalists to destroy our Nation.

The Press refers to Biden as the “moderate,” a voice of reason, who will bring the Nation together. It is all sham. How many have been taken in by it by the ruse?

Americans and the world will soon learn which vision of America prevails: one aimed at preserving a system that has served the Nation and its people well for over two hundred years and has made us the envy of the world; and the other aimed at the destruction of the Nation, grounded on the lie that this Country is not so great and never was; that the Country is not worth preserving, and that there is something positive to be gained through the Nation’s destruction and immersion into a new and ostensibly “grander” political, social, economic, and cultural world community scheme.

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Copyright © 2020 Roger J Katz (Towne Criour), Stephen L. D’Andrilli (Publius) All Rights Reserved.