President Obama recently met with president elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House to begin discussing the impending transition of power from one administration to another. According to the president, the conversation was “excellent,” and Obama urged the country to unify because “we are all on the same team;” a markedly different tune from just three months ago when he said that Donald was “unfit” to be president and that “he [Trump] keeps on proving it.”
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Talk radio luminary Rush Limbaugh quickly expressed his anxiety and unease as to this quick 180 switch in tone and purpose of message by Democratic leaders — citing past efforts by progressive politicians (after losing elections) to buddy up to Republicans (many times very successfully) in an effort to dilute or marginalize any real effectiveness at meaningfully changing policy toward the platform voters cast their ballots for. From Rushlimbaugh.com:
Any number of times where we’ve been victorious, the left, by rote, starts demanding unity, that we get rid of our differences, that we come together. But it always ends up being us that has to do it. They never have to change a damn thing about themselves, even and especially when they lose. No, it’s all up to us to compromise, to unify, to do whatever it is so they won’t be angry anymore, so their protesters can get off the streets and once again enjoy life. Why is there disunity in America in the first place?
Well, it’s natural when you have partisan politics as the governing system of the country, and it’s not gonna change. And as long as you have passionate people on both sides, you’re going to have partisan divides. And as long as both sides have people are never gonna compromise their principles, you’re always going to have a circumstance where there is never unity. The nation’s never been unified in the ways that people today are demanding it be unified anyway. It’s a pipe dream, something that sounds really wonderful to hope for.
And, by the way, it sounds really wonderful to say in the afterglow of an election, to talk about putting aside our differences and unifying. It sounds wonderful, and maybe that’s what Americans want to hear. I’m hoping it’s just what people think they have to say right now on our side. Look, there’s a headline in The Politico today: “Obamacare Defenders Vow ‘Total War.'” They’re not gonna lay down, folks. They’re not gonna unify.
What do you think? Will Donald Trump make good on his campaign promises to roll back many of Obama’s policy “achievements” when he takes office? Or will he buddy up to the establishment and preserve the status quo as Limbaugh fears? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below.