On Nov. 7, 2016, Democrats were predicting the collapse of the Republican Party following a civil war within the center-right partisan ranks. The day before the presidential election, the political left was demanding Trump and his band of supporters pledge their acceptance of the election's outcome. Weeks earlier, procedural acts used by Republicans like the Senate filibuster and working in opposition to the president through Congress were deemed "obstructionist" while demands were made to get things done.
Before the Nov. 8 election, Barack Obama's use of his pen and phone to take executive actions was deemed necessary and appropriate. Before Election Day, this was equated with honoring the will of the people and nothing short of racism if anyone opposed him.
Now, those perspectives have been reversed. The efforts to delegitimize President Donald Trump are viewed as honorable by Hollywood-led protests. Last week, America watched as protesters spat upon Gold Star family members attending the American Legion's tribute to Medal of Honor recipients at the Veterans Inaugural Ball. Now, the flow of executive orders being signed in front of the media for all of America to see is deemed overreaching and dangerous.
Politics attempts to justify standards that benefit various partisans. True. But the current state of hypocrisy has reached shameful levels and validates those who just supported an outsider, anti-establishment candidate in the biggest political upset in our nation. Politics in both parties is forever changed by the voice of Americans tired of smooth political talk.
Folks supporting Donald Trump had grown tired of lawlessness. Whether seeing open borders permitting illegal immigrants to walk across to access public schools, health care and taxpayer-funded services or the riots disguised as protests against our law enforcement, average Americans sought law and order.
What do these same folks see now? They see President Trump keeping his word by beginning the process of closing America's southern border, halting the "catch and release" practices of the Obama administration in dealing with illegal immigrants and moving to return criminal immigrants to their home country. They see a president host a reception on his third night in the White House to honor law enforcement and first responders. They also see anger and disgust directed at them from Democrats.
The bipartisan voting bloc electing Donald Trump was tired of hearing about "free and fair trade" with communist nations which run state-owned enterprises with which U.S. companies could never compete. Voters were tired of hearing about job-retraining since American companies were essentially forced to move production into countries that steal intellectual property, have no laws or regulations on wages or employment practices, and slap taxes on our products coming into their nations.
What are these voters seeing now? They see immediate actions to reduce corporate taxes and eliminate regulations that penalize businesses operating in America. The average American sees a commitment to bilateral trade agreements with teeth to protect workers and U.S. businesses instead of global pacts that rarely result in favorable outcomes for any workers, only investors.
Last week, the Dow Jones average reached the historic level of 20,000, a sign of economic growth. While economist Stephen Moore noted that $2 trillion in wealth had been added into the stock market since the election of Donald Trump on Nov. 8, Americans' 401ks and retirement plans benefited amid the financial optimism.
Good policy is good politics. That's what Americans expect to see.
Robin Smith, a former chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party, owns Rivers Edge Alliance.