I am an early sleeper and early riser. I woke up on Wednesday, anticipating a glass-ceiling-shattering victory for Hillary; the totally unexpected happened.
As expected, the election was not rigged, democracy prevailed, a gracious and seamless transfer of power is taking place, and honorable citizens are protesting the outcome. Great things worth celebrating.
I did not and could not vote for a candidate who expressed demonstrably false statements on climate change, the murder rate, Clinton’s private server, Judge Curiel’s fitness, Mexicans and Muslims.
However, Donald Trump did raise some important issues about health care, immigration, trade and jobs, lobbyists, stupid foreign adventures and the dangers of barbaric radical Islam (ISIS). He did capture the ennui, rancor, class and race divisions within a changing America. Nearly half the population believed that globalization and a broken immigration system had disastrous consequences; that the elites had failed us by wasting life and treasure on futile wars while citizens at home struggled with jobs, a failing health-care system and a crumbling infrastructure.
My fellow citizens believed that Donald Trump, the businessman and populist, had the capacity and wherewithal to deliver on his promises despite all that we know about the man and his character.
Now comes the hard part. Donald Trump has changed his positions often and at times in the same sentence. I am waiting to see which position he will champion and what type of change he will enact.
Will he fulfill his last September pledge that he will forego his presidential salary if elected?
Will he move to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary’s private email fiasco despite Director Comey’s exoneration? Will he be a healer to those he has deeply offended?
Will he “cancel” the Paris deal as he stated in May despite all that science affirms about climate change?
Will he reevaluate existing trade treaties?
What steps will he take to “drain the swamp?” Will he implement his Five-Point Ethics Reform?
How will he reconcile his tax plan which favors the top 1 percent with his repeated promise to be the champion of the “working class?” These are just a few salient questions.
Let us not raise questions about the Supreme Court and several federal agencies. We know what to expect.
The way President-elect Trump responds to these questions will tell us whether or not he is a demagogue. These are still open questions for now.
Mervyn D’Souza
Edison