Wash Exam: The campaign by the Left to permanently obstruct Trump shows how desperate they’re getting
By DAVID BOSSIE • 3/8/17 7:00 PM
The oppose-it-all, oppose-it-now, oppose-it-forever campaign of the Left is getting more and more desperate as reality sets in. This month, the balance of President Trump’s Cabinet will be confirmed, Judge Neil Gorsuch will continue on his smooth path to Senate confirmation, and voting on the big ticket items on the White House’s conservative reform agenda will commence. This means that we should all expect more hyperventilating from the liberal media about meetings with the Russian ambassador, more anti-free speech outbursts at liberal universities, more juvenile calls for the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and maybe even an appearance by the community organizer-in-chief himself, President Barack Obama.
This destructive strategy of permanent obstruction is all that remains of the shrinking liberal ideology in America.
In the lead-up to Trump’s incredibly well-received address to Congress, former Attorney General Eric Holder made news when he said Obama is poised to re-enter the political arena and is “ready to roll.” This strategic announcement was meant to let the unhinged resistance know that their savior is ready to fight the Trump agenda.
Then, a few hours later, Trump delivered the best speech of his political career in which he laid out his common-sense agenda, including popular items like tax reform, enforcing immigration laws, and repealing and replacing the disaster that is Obamacare. Upon watching the presidential address, polling found that 57 percent of the American people had a very positive view of the speech, and almost 70 percent said the policies outlined would move the country in the right direction. Commanding numbers such as these are virtually non-existent in the United States today and must be causing panic attacks in liberal enclaves.
The best course of action for Trump going forward is to visit the many states he carried that have Democratic senators up for re-election in 2018 and repeat the speech he made to Congress at each stop. As Trump’s optimistic and even-handed message continues to sink in, the chorus from the Left will become loonier. As more voters hear the president’s agenda in states such as Missouri, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio, it will pick up more bipartisan support from Democratic senators in these states because their constituents will demand it. The bad news for the Left is that most people want economic growth, better and cheaper healthcare, and sanctuary city reform — and that’s exactly what they’re going to get over the next couple months, because Trump keeps his promises.
If Obama takes a public leadership role in the failing “resist Trump” effort, he will damage his legacy. Most Americans understandably want their president to succeed. Reasonable people believe that when the president succeeds, Americans will be better off. The mood of the country improves, optimism increases, and the future seems brighter. Obama taking on his successor’s agenda in the public arena is not something most Americans will appreciate. President Bill Clinton got out of the way of President George W. Bush. Bush got out of the way of Obama. These men understood that in the U.S. we have elections, elections have consequences, and one of the consequences is the winner gets to set the agenda.
It’s not surprising that the Left is having a hard time coming to grips with voters’ decision to reject a third Obama term. The people chose a Republican president, a Republican Senate, and a Republican House. By doing so, they chose to have Obamacare replaced with something that works, they chose a conservative as Supreme Court Justice Scalia’s successor, and they chose to put “America First.” Obama should respect the results of the election and focus instead on improving his golf game.
Trump’s greatest strength is his ability to deliver his message of reform directly to the American people, just like I witnessed first-hand during the presidential campaign. If he stays on the principles he laid out before Congress, more of his agenda will be enacted and our country will be a much better place to live.
David N. Bossie is president of Citizens United and served as President Trump’s deputy campaign manager.