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2017 – A Presidential Closing

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A funny thing happened on the way to 2018.

People suddenly began to quietly notice what many of us have been discussing for much of 2017.

President Trump has accomplished quite a bit.

The MSM has consistently under-reported what’s been going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s been made easier by a do-nothing GOP Congress.

The lack of significant legislation in the first six months allowed the media make claims of ineffectiveness, while ignoring all that was being accomplished outside the halls of Congress.

That’s getting harder to do.

President Trump made deregulation a priority of his early Presidency, rightly recognizing that regulations can be more costly than corporate taxes.

He understood that by removing thousands of pages of stifling bureaucracy, corporations would respond immediately by increasing hiring and expanding capital expenditures.

More than 900 Obama-Era regulations have been killed and removed from the books. The effect has been nothing short of astonishing.

In December 2016, I wrote an article called, Trump’s Deregulation Gift and noted the following:

The recipe for improving our economy has always been simple – get government out of the way. Reduce regulations, cut taxes and allow American productivity to be unleashed. President-Elect Trump understands this simple fact.

Businesses plan and invest capital for the long term. Companies dislike uncertainty above all else. Chief Executives want an element of stability – and the ability to have confidence that decisions made today will have relevance tomorrow.

President-Elect Trump is laying the foundations of growth through the application of reduced governmental burdens.

And the American economy is going to respond. Get ready for quite a ride. It’s gonna be a great eight years.

With lower regulations comes a greater desire not just to invest – but to invest domestically. And so the current economic expansion and stock market rally began.

What was once the impossible now seems almost likely.

3% GDP for 2017.

And of course, today we have this:

While I don’t agree with everything in the tax bill – it doesn’t go far enough – I do agree with this:

For all the much-hyped talk of low poll numbers, it’s worth stating the obvious.

A significant increase in one’s 401K speaks loudly in the voting booth.

Said another way, an increasing economy cures many ills:

The importance of conservative judicial appointments cannot be understated:

A lengthy list of accomplishments – most non-legislative in nature – and stunning gains in the equity markets has finally led to this.

A marked change from many pundits as they look to years-end.

Byron York sums it up nicely:

If in, say, 2014, a Republican, of either the conservative or moderate variety, predicted that in 2017 a newly-elected GOP president and Congress would —

  1. Cut corporate and individual taxes.
  2. Repeal the Obamacare individual mandate.
  3. Appoint a highly-respected conservative to the Supreme Court.
  4. Appoint a one-year record number of judges to the circuit courts.
  5. Get rid of reams of unnecessary regulations.
  6. Destroy ISIS.
  7. Approve pipeline projects and new oil drilling.

— then a lot of Republicans would probably have cheered. Loudly.

Prompting this from Brit Hume:

Ben Shapiro took stock of President Trump’s accomplishments with a good/bad list:

Hint: The good far outweighs the bad – and the bad is mostly subjective.

Even some at National review are taking notice:

Will wonders never cease…

Byron York made an interesting point in his article:

Throughout the campaign and in the White House, Trump’s instincts have been remarkably consistent with those of many Republicans (and some independents) across the nation. But working in the atmosphere that he has created, and thrives in, can be a trial. What Trump needs in the second year are people who can endure that trial and focus on the president’s political instincts.

I think he’s on to something – although my take is slightly different.

President Trump’s first year was enveloped in chaos and upheaval. The Russia Investigation – while backfiring badly for Democrats – remains ongoing. The press has been universally aligned against him.

And still he has achieved real results. And established a firmer footing in the process.

The distractions of 2017 are not going to disappear, but President Trump should be able to move his attention from many of them as 2018 progresses.

The Investigator General’s Investigation is set to deliver results sometime in the first quarter of 2018. I’m betting the findings – and associated actions – are going to rock Democrats back on their heels.

President Trump already knows this.

Previously reticent and reluctant Congressional members are beginning to quietly acknowledge the President’s effectiveness – and are starting to fall in line.

Those who don’t will be left behind.

I think President Trump is beginning to hit his stride. And he’s not going to rest easily – or quietly. I expect 2018 to be whirlwind of activity – with accompanying legislative action as he gathers the GOP around him.

Disbelievers are quietly becoming believers.

 

For a list of accomplishments by the Trump Administration see here and here.

 

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