A bad first year for the president
You might expect problems for a president who was elected with a majority of the electoral votes but not a majority of the popular vote. You might expect problems for a president who had no experience in the federal government and no experience dealing with Congress. He would expect to have problems if this president staffed his cabinet with a lot of people from outside of Washington. This president had a Congress that was from his own party. He was unable to get a bill through Congress to change the healthcare system of the country. The new staff members of the White House were constantly fighting. He had problems with his appointment as Attorney General. His approval rating was around 36 percent during his first year in office. When he announced his policy concerning gays in the military he received severe criticism from those that favored and those who opposed his policy. He was not able to get his policies on taxation accepted by the Congress.
In addition to all of this, the New York Times and Time Magazine were both criticizing President Clinton on a regular basis. In addition, a young George Stephanopoulos was the head of the press office and the older experienced network and newspaper reporters referred to them as the “Kindergarten Kids.” President Clinton did not help himself with the press when he held up landings and takeoffs at the Los Angeles Airport for two hours while he had a Hollywood hair stylist to come to Air Force One and give him a $200 haircut.
The “Travelgate Scandal” also did not help President Clinton. This was reported to be Hillary Clinton’s idea to fire all of the travel department employees and replace them with her friends from Arkansas. It was not suggested at the time, but knowing Hillary’s character now would make you wonder if she did not expect to receive some of the commissions generated by this group.
Vince Foster had been an attorney for the Clintons in Arkansas and knew all of the details of the “Whitewater Scandal.” This was a scam where the Clintons and James and Susan McDougal were partners. James and Susan McDougal and 38 others served time in prison for their part in the scam but the Clintons were never charged with a crime. The records for the business involving attorney Hillary Clinton were lost and could not be found. They eventually turned up in Hillary’s bedroom in the White House. Vince Foster was the Clinton’s attorney for Whitewater and he came to Washington with them. He allegedly committed suicide in a park near Washington during President Clinton’s first year. He shot himself in the mouth with a pistol. The evidence was conclusive enough that the FBI ruled it a suicide. In the meantime, the office of Vince Foster in the White House had all notes and records of the Whitewater episode removed and the office had been cleaned prior to the arrival of the FBI.
Probably one of the best things that happened to President Clinton was that in the midterm elections, both houses of the Congress were taken over by Newt Gingrich and his Republican friends. Newt had the cooperation of the Democrats as well as the Republicans, and President Clinton did not fail to sign the legislation that came to his desk. With the cooperation of the House, the Senate and the President, they were able to balance the budget and begin to reduce the national debt.
President Trump has not had the same problems that faced President Clinton. President Trump has an agenda that he developed during his campaign for president and he plans to do everything in his power to deliver on them. The news media today has changed from what it was a number of years ago. The news media used to report the news that happened without their opinions. Today, the news media has a position that they are promoting and they spin the news in a way that supports their position. President Trump does not get any favorable news reports, so he goes around the media and posts his positions on the social media where the news media has no control. President Trump is also a good speaker and he goes around the country giving speeches that are broadcast by the local stations and Fox News on a national basis to get his positions and explanations out to the public.
The other major problem that is plaguing President Trump is what we call “The Swamp.” The Swamp is the Washington part of the federal government. It is not just the Democrats and it is not just the Republicans, it is the Establishment. They are elected members of Congress in both parties and the career bureaucrats that run the offices of the members of Congress and the offices of the President’s administrative departments. They have jobs that pay high salaries and they do not wish to lose them.
Sometimes I would like to send an email or letter to a Senator or a Congressman, but I am sure that it would never be seen by the person I wanted to see it. It will be opened and read by a clerk who will note in the daily contact summary report that there was an email for or against a certain subject. There may be a standard form letter or email that the clerk will send back to me to assure me that my message has been read and my wishes are on the agenda. If it is signed by the person I addressed it to, the signature will be by a machine or included in the computer program that produced the message. The person it was addressed to will never see the correspondence.
President Trump has said that he would like to “Drain The Swamp,” and it would be a good thing. Limiting the terms of members of Congress would be a big step but be sure that if this ever happens it will be through Article V of the Constitution. Members of Congress will never do it.