Lesser Evil

 

In November I voted for Donald Trump for the first time in either a general or a primary election. It was entirely a case of trying to select the lesser evil. I knew he was unqualified in ability, knowledge, temperament, and character for the job. I thought his behavior after losing in 2020 and his later demands to overturn the Constitution and return him to power disqualified him from holding any office in the United States. I regretted that the voters in the Republican primaries did not agree. But I finally decided that he was likely to harm the country less than a fourth and farther left Obama administration led by a committed leftist with an unconvincing phony moderate act, a frightening running mate, and an inability to side unequivocally with Israel and civilization against Hamas and savagery.

I still think I probably was right. In just a few weeks Trump has done some good things and some harm. The tariffs and their capriciously changing implementations have been a mess, but there has been a successful beginning on work to cut bad programs and expenditures in the government and shrink its workforce. Trump’s absurd claim that Ukraine started its war with Russia was despicable, and cutting off support for Ukraine even temporarily was inexcusable. Yet he may be able to negotiate an acceptable peace. He selected some poorly qualified people for some important jobs in his administration, and picked a few who were totally wrong for the jobs they got. But he also has selected some strong people who are doing things that needed doing.

As with any other president, we should hope Trump succeeds when he tries to do something good and fails when he tries to do something wrong. I expect there will be plenty of each, and I still wish Republican voters had shown better sense in the primaries.

Trump and the Courts

 

It has been interesting to read and listen to reactions from conservatives to federal judges blocking some of Trump’s orders. Most have been irritated. Some have wanted Trump to ignore or defy the rulings. At least one site, the Federalist, has proposed ignoring not only lower courts but also the supreme court if it comes to that. They have argued not only against specific rulings, some of which may be wrong and may be reversed by higher courts, but against the idea of a mere federal district judge thwarting the desires of the president and his administration. They are completely wrong. It is .the job of the federal judiciary to rule on the legality and constitutionality of the actions of the federal government., and cases usually start at a district court. Presidents and other officials have no authority to do whatever they want, irrespective of any claimed mandates, but only what they legally are allowed to do.

It is a little saddening and a reminder of the general phoniness and hypocrisy of people in politics and the political media to recall that many of these conservatives used to claim that as a matter of principle, they were for limited government, constraints on executive power, and the rule of law and generally supported rulings by district court judges blocking power grabs by the Biden and Obama administrations. That changed when their guy got in. They need to reconsider. Questions of honesty and principle aside, they at least should ask themselves if they want the next Democrat president to be able to do as he or she likes by executive orders not subject to review by courts.

.Much of what Trump wants to do with the bureaucracy is right. A lot of what the Doge people have discovered is wrong or even disgraceful. There are many federal jobs, programs, grants, and organizations that should be eliminated. Trump should be free to take any actions in that direction for which he has legal authority and should have to request legislation to accomplish or authorize the rest. The courts and probably the supreme court will have to decide where the limits are. Donald Trump must and his fans should accept the final decisions as binding.