And the show goes on
Richard Fulton
President-elect Donald Trump continues to display his credentials as an outsider to government and the ways of the politician. This, of course, is part of the reason so many voted for him.
How he communicates with the American public is an important part of being president. Trump likes to use Tweets. In fact he has used 77 tweets or retweets (is that a word?) since becoming the president elect.
He has had no press conferences in which the media could ask questions and follow up on answers. He dislikes and distrusts the media, but the limits of tweets can leave America without a good perception of what and how the new president thinks.
Certainly, he could use a brush-up on the Bill of Rights. He surely remembers living through the flag burning controversies of the past and the supreme court’s twice upholding of burning as political speech. Indeed, the protocol for getting rid of used flags is to burn them.
Should all those who use this protocol be put in jail? Silliness!
More important has been the building of Trump’s cabinet and White House Office advisors. These are the folks who will give input into Trump’s policy efforts. Who they are gives insight into the policy directions of his administration.
So far his selections fall into rough categories of backgrounds and issue foundations.
First there are the billionaires. One can understand that Trump might be comfortable with his fellow super rich. That’s the crowd within which he has run.
There are at least three announced cabinet members in this class. Treasury Secretary will be Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive who has also been a Hollywood producer of films. He, as Trump, has had no government experience.
Wilbur Ross, the would-be Commerce Secretary, wants to attack recent trade deals and give steep increases in tariffs to China’s imports. He wants to protect big business. He already has alienated China.
The new Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, is heir to the Amway fortune. She has never been to a public school at any level of her education yet will be in charge of federal programs for public education. She wants to transform our school system to a series of for-profit charter schools.
A second category of appointees are Republican insiders and office holders: federal and state officials. Part of the “swamp” in Washington perhaps? Trump is putting the alligators in charge of the swamp it appears.
These include Transportation Secretary appointment Elaine Chao, a Republican insider for years. She was Labor Secretary under G.W. Bush and is presently the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Can’t get much more swampy than that. Not to say she isn’t a good choice given her experience and inside knowledge. She should be a great help to outsider Trump.
Mike Pompeo, a Kansas member of the House, will be CIA Director. He is a former Army officer, one of several being contemplated for the Trump administration, who is on the House Intelligence Committee. He has been a central attacker of Clinton over Benghazi.
The office of Attorney General will go to U.S. senator Jeff Sessions, if he can be confirmed by the Senate. He comes from the very conservative wing of the Republican party and has strict views on immigration policies. He is controversial since he was turned down for a federal judgeship in 1986 because of racist charged comments.
Nikki Haley is governor of South Carolina and has been tabbed to be U.N. Ambassador. She has been a good governor and shown great abilities to deal with the complexities of governing. She has no foreign policy experience however, which may mean a stiff learning curve in the job.
Vice President elect Mike Pence, of course, was the conservative governor of Indiana.
By the time you read this more appointments will have been announced by Donald Trump. The most important will be his choice for Secretary of State. His choice will give insights into his ability to balance his cabinet and send a message to the rest of the world about his disposition on a bevy of international political and trade issues.
