By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
Like we have done for nearly 250 years as the oldest democracy in the world, it appears that America will change the leadership of its federal government on Jan. 20 with a peaceful transition of power.
In what I believe historians and journalists are accurately describing as the greatest political comeback in American history, Donald J. Trump will become our 47th president with his second term, having already served four years as No. 45.
Regardless of how any of us voted, the colorful, unpredictable Mr. Trump will be our president and be entitled to the respect shown occupants of the Oval Office.
In addition to winning the popular vote and the Electoral College majority, President-elect Trump’s successful appeal to voters also helped his Republican Party maintain its control of the House of Representatives and, perhaps even more importantly, take back the Senate from the Democrats.
The GOP’s 53-47 advantage in the upper chamber will be critical in the confirmation of members of the President’s Cabinet, other key positions in the Executive Branch and in the federal judiciary, especially if any vacancies occur on the Supreme Court.
The Republican advantage in the House likely will be razor thin and an ongoing management challenge for Speaker Mike Johnson. Without the personal intervention of the President, he may be hard pressed to successfully wrangle a small but vocal group of ultra-conservative House Republicans.
Like many of you, I’m curious about Mr. Trump’s reasons for picking some of the surprise nominees for the Cabinet and I don’t like the notion of recess appointments to circumvent the constitutionally mandated Senate confirmation of important executives.
However, the scope of Mr. Trump’s election victory is a clear signal that Americans want major changes in the federal government’s management of the economy, immigration, foreign policy and other matters.
In closing, the results of the 2024 presidential election made it painfully obvious that the Democratic Party must get back in touch with the citizens of America. A healthy two-party system will help preserve our republic. Contact Keith at keithkappes@gmail.com.
