I think
politicians engage in the same sort of deceit on the campaign trail. They tell
us all the good things they hope to do. Whether they are conning us or
themselves doesn’t matter. Someone’s getting played. Voters are not necessarily
innocent bystanders. They get their hopes up, for whatever reasons, knowing
that it is all a game.
In the end,
none of this matters.
Government
and politics being what they are, more often than not, the unexpected rules the
day and the promises go into the “Save for future” bin. A president fortunate
enough to be able to fulfill a promise will discover his victory comes at a
price. Half the country will love him and half will hate him and the final
product likely won’t be recognized by anyone.
Just as with
the army’s “dream list,” you never know. “Be careful what you wish for,” has
been valuable advice since the days of Aesop’s Fables for good reason.
The election
of 2016 was a little different than most. Okay, it was a lot different. It was
more vulgar, for sure. It was the first one in which both the FBI and Russia
played significant roles. It was the first one in which the two major parties
were represented by a woman and a reality T.V. star. It goes without saying
that it was the most expensive election ever, but that will only last until the
next one, which I guess makes it the same as every previous one.
There was
also one other major difference. 2016 was the first year that a candidate did
not promise to do things, but rather promised to undo things—and when I say
things, I mean everything.
These are
the Trump promises of election year 2016:
