By Steve Hunley
When Donald Trump first announced his intention to seek the Republican presidential nomination, his declaration was greeted with little enthusiasm from many GOP regulars and a collective giggle from the ruling elite and the mainstream media. Just last week, Donald J. Trump won arguably the biggest upset in the history of our presidential elections. Keep in mind, on his way to the White House, Donald Trump obliterated two political dynasties: Bush and Clinton.
As election night progressed, the expected landslide for Hillary Clinton failed to materialize. The television news commentariat seemed unable to grasp the numbers coming in; not only was Donald Trump not losing, he was actually winning. The commentators stared into the cameras, their body language jerky and stiff, their voices barely able to speak the unthinkable. The New York Times had predicted Hillary Clinton’s chances of being elected president at 87%. Throughout election night, that barometer continued to move ever downward until finally the New York Times concluded there was a 91% chance Donald Trump would be elected.
The truth is neither the Democrats nor the professional left had believed a Trump victory in the general election was remotely possible. There was a particular contempt on the part of the pollsters, political professionals, Hollywood celebrities and media elite if anyone had the temerity to diverge from any opinion that did not end with the coronation of Hillary Clinton. Obviously, millions of working Americans did not fail to notice the ostentatious snobbery and smug self-righteousness.
The Democrats had foolishly allowed Hillary Clinton, a deeply flawed candidate by any measure, to have the field to herself; it was Hillary’s “turn” and most Democrats failed to see the warning signs when an eccentric 74 year-old socialist from Vermont proclaimed himself to be a Democrat and challenged Clinton in the primaries. Bernie Sanders gave Hillary Clinton all she could stand and more besides; had she not already been anointed by the Democratic ruling class and been awarded virtually all of the super delegates, it would have been a horse race. Sanders did manage to move Clinton even farther to the left.
The ruling elite inside the Republican party was no wiser than their Democratic counterparts, settling on Jeb Bush as the most electable candidate Republicans could field in 2016. Bush proved to be anything but electable, spending $150 million and not winning a single delegate to the Republican National Convention.
Most of the signs were there for just about anybody to see, had they bothered to look. Trump vanquished 16 credible and a few not-so-credible challengers in the primaries, winning more votes than any other Republican presidential candidate in history along the way. In spite of Hillary Clinton’s flaws, Democrats were smug in their belief she would crush the non-politician Trump. Democrats had been equally certain Jimmy Carter would sweep the nation when running against the actor Ronald Reagan.
Democrats truly believed there was a new world order with the reign of Barack Obama. It was not difficult for the average American to perceive many of these folks viewed the Age of Obama as the rise of the educated, delighting in the notion they were celebrating multiculturalism, as well as a solid belief in globalism at the expense of Americanism. In the wake of riots, police killings and a failure to address the enemies of America, ordinary Americans were uneasy.
John Podesta’s emails readily acknowledged Hillary Clinton “hated” ordinary Americans, a disdain that neither she nor Barack Obama much bothered hide, save in election years. The Democrats truly believed the coming of Barack Obama had reshaped the United States of America, if not the world.
Obama campaigned hard for Clinton, telling voters the election of Donald Trump would be a repudiation of him and his administration. Obama was supposedly riding a wave of popularity, but his popularity was assessed by the very same pollsters who ascertained Hillary Clinton was unbeatable.
Obama frequently ruled by decree, bypassing the Congress through Executive Orders, to enact an agenda that thrilled the left yet could never pass Congress. Now much or most of Barack Obama’s legacy can be swept away with the stroke of President Donald Trump’s pen.
The Republicans who had been amongst the ruling elite were as stunned by Trump’s victory every bit as much as the Democrats. No Republican presidential candidate has carried Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984; no Republican presidential candidate has carried Pennsylvania or Michigan since 1988. Donald Trump managed a feat that neither John McCain nor Mitt Romney could manage; not only did he win, but he won by taking away states believed to be solidly in Hillary Clinton’s column. The Midwest was perceived by the elite to be Hillary Clinton’s impregnable fortress, but Donald Trump battered down the doors and sacked the castles.
Many Republican establishment figures, including Tennessee’s own governor Bill Haslam, refused to endorse the GOP nominee. Now with the advent of a Trump administration they are likely to be found on the outside looking in, bereft of influence on a national level. Certainly none of the apostates will likely be successful in aspiring to higher office nor will they likely be successful in choosing their own successors.
The media felt secure in an all out assault on Trump during the general election, believing Clinton was certain to be elected and they risked little by doing all they could to stop Trump. There was not even a pretense on the part of most of the media they were reporting news, but rather trying to influence opinion. Polls that did not conform to the accepted wisdom of Hillary Clinton’s imminent election were derided as “outliers” and today those same folks are now seen as shrewd pollsters. Trump’s election left the mainstream media exposed as being completely, utterly and abjectly WRONG. In the end, they reeled in disbelief the American people paid so little attention to them. The election results indicate it will be decades before the mainstream media gains any real credibility with the public.
The Democrats and the professional left were shocked their own world -view was rejected at the polls. Trump’s election was a blow to not only the ruling class, the news media, those who believe the government owes them a living and more besides, but the insufferable folks who like to consider themselves social justice warriors who are intent upon forcing what they deem to be politically correct down the throats of other Americans.
Donald Trump is the first person in American history to be elected President of the United States who did not lead an army or hold an office before becoming Chief Executive. Trump owes very little to anyone after being elected; Trump was opposed by virtually every special interest group in the country as well as the elite media, Wall Street and most politicians. This is unprecedented in American politics.
For those folks pondering a move to Canada or Mexico, Godspeed. You won’t be missed. There are tens of millions of Americans who really do want to see this country become great again.
