CHALLENGES AHEAD

The president elect won alright; he smashed all predictions; proved the pundits wrong and sent off course the corrupt machinery of the clan based politics in America, at least for now. The majority of we the people believed his promises and promise he did; boy did he promise !!! Now it's time to keep at least a 30% of what we hired him to do. Moreover, having been chosen by the base against the "better" knowledge of a huge segment of the leadership, the man owes very little and has very few people to thank for. In an ideal world he could sit in the Oval Office and with one stroke of his pen wipe out the deadwood in his party (which he joined very recently). But we don't live in such world and life is not a Hollywood movie where the good guy arrives with guns blazing and flying trench coats to save the day. Politics is a complicate game and while he could get rid of some of the entrenched inertia, I don't think it would be wise to show vindictiveness and I explain:

1- His cabinet must have competent people given his inexperience in the cloak and dagger techniques of Washington DC. He must not only bring in some of those who did not support him since day one, but also a few women and one or two moderate democrats. It would send a clear message that there's a new sheriff in town and that he means business. Some speculate about Gingrich as a choice for Secretary of State, the man is qualified, but he may be much more useful as our Mikhail Suslov behind the scenes keeping the party within the boundaries of a conservative; compassionate, rejuvenated entity. In the midst of the current lack of philosophical foundations this gentleman appears as the only mind with enough substance to restructure the conservative "liturgy".

2- He must show a modicum of graciousness inviting all Republicans to come back home and later, with Asian patience and Swiss watch precision, dismantle the obsolete remains of the party apparatus; hence the need to leave Gingrich off the wearing and tearing of the foreign relations. This unexpected victory notwithstanding the GOP is in shambles; it lacks initiative and imagination and has totally lost touch with America. Trump won despite the party and not thanks to it. In view of a left wing populism we the people chose a right wing populism, but John and Jane are not populists and the Brooklyn mogul turned Commander in Chief must have the vision to slowly move away from his populist agenda; live up to some of his promises and pave the way for the next generation of Republicans with an agile, cohesive and united structure in a position to neutralize the violence, ignorance and disguised bigotry of the far left. 

3- The exiting president coined the phrase:"elections have consequences" in open defiance to the viscous speed of law passing in Washington; in his second term he then revved up his rhetoric saying that he had a phone and a pen and passing a barrage of executive orders. Mr Trump however, must abide as much as possible to the traditional path of Congress; which goes to my previous point of abstaining from being vindictive; he has the numbers to at least give it a try and if some of his proposals get stuck in the bureaucracy all the better for him; a perfect alibi to fail to deliver on his most controversial campaign promises. 

4- One of the promises the future tenant in Pennsylvania 1600 cannot fail to live up to is the cleaning up of the crime plagued areas of Chicago and other American major cities. If he succeeds in making clear that he really means it, that he's for law and order and that he harbors a genuine sympathy for the millions of African Americans who have been used, manipulated and let down by the left he can reverse the perverse course by virtue of which the Democrats keep that community hostage with fake solidarity and shrewd demagogy. To this purpose he must heavily rely on the black conservatives that for so long have been silenced and suppressed by the Sharptons and the Jacksons of this world. There are indeed thick layers of backwardness that stand on the way of plain and real racial integration. He has to become the knight in shining armor who chips away at the wall of division and this cannot be achieved with paternalism; sad faces and bourgeois hypocrisy. African Americans must get a clear message that those on the right care for them and are prepared to teach them how to fish instead of tossing a sardine at them every four years. This is probably the hardest goal to reach.

5- Foreign policy is probably where I personally feel closer to Mr.  Trump; having actually lived in several other countries I am familiar with the bias of the media and the anti Americanism that permeates even the most serious journals and TV channels of Europe and Latin America. The US cannot isolate itself from the rest of the world but that doesn't mean it has to sign disadvantageous treaties and subsidize NATO. We must defend our allies and listen to them , but we have to make sure each nation does its share of spending and makes its own sacrifices. American coffins can no longer be the solution to all problems in this world; a thorough revision of all agreements, policies and treaties won't necessarily mean we are backtracking or throwing the towel; it will most likely mean that we make sure our partners push as hard as we do towards freedom, stability and democracy. We must try to negotiate our way out of every conflict instead of relying on violence, but if we set a line beyond which our country is not prepared to go those who violate it must suffer the lethal effect of our unique military might. To that purpose our differences with Russia have to be settled and a new era of cooperation with China must dawn; with the premise that we will not be taken advantage of any longer. 

Finally, our relations with Mexico need to be at the core of our foreign policy and it has to be clear that America no longer will be the safety valve of their political corruption; serious and frank negotiations must lead us to engage our neighbor in a win/win exchange rather than in a nightmare for American law enforcement. Roberta Jacobson must be allowed to complete at least two more years as our ambassador there as well as Di Laurentis, after a swift process of confirmation, should be put in a position to do his job in Havana although with a tougher stand on human rights. It is in the interest of the United States to improve relations with the regime and do all within its power to avoid a collapse of that dictatorship, but Mr Castro must be made aware that his harsh rhetoric will no longer be tolerated and that the new trend is a two way path instead of the mere bail out of his disastrous economy. 

6- In his last two interviews the president elect has somewhat softened his position on Obamacare (dubbed by yours truly ObamaScare) and Immigration. He now speaks about amending instead of repealing the controversial law and has hinted at finding a way out to the situation of millions of illegal immigrants. Let's be clear: Obamacare was passed in the wee hours and is no doubt a bad law; however, the fact that the most powerful nation in the history of mankind had 30 million people with no health insurance is an insult to all of us. Illegal immigration must be lowered to a tolerable minimum, a lot needs to be done to help those who have followed the rules and whose drama Jorge Ramos & Co. conspicuously avoid to mention and a solution must be found for those who are already here; however, said solution must be first convenient for the American people and then humane and as fair as possible. Emphasis must be made on improving the living conditions in Mexico and Central America as well as avoiding the "decapitalization" of our economy in the long run.