Wow! Can you believe it?
It has taken me a while to let this whole election sink in. Against seemingly rock-solid inevitability, Hillary WILL NOT be opening our borders, destroying our Constitution or ushering in more socialism. So as we are “Stepping Forward into 2017,” we have much to contemplate.
Everywhere I looked prior to November 8th, the inevitable disaster of Hillary Clinton’s ascendance to the Presidency was professed as “a given.” It had to be!
Clinton had the totality of both the television and newspaper media tipping the scale heavily for her. She had twice as much money as Trump ($500 million vs. $250 million), she owned all of academia, and a large part of big business who had already bought into her candidacy through the Clinton Foundation. How could a politically inexperienced businessman, rough around the edges, coarse in his discourse, politically incorrect in his delivery expect to win against the largest political machine in modern history?
And to further complicate this campaign, Trump also went to battle with the Establishment of his own party. The elites of the Republican Party were not happy that anyone, especially Donald Trump, would become an interrupter of the power stream they have worked so hard to maintain through compromise and retreat from the principles believed in by the “deplorables,” (that would be you and me).
I will admit to some skepticism myself, which eased somewhat as Trump’s message was honed. And what was the message? Generally, it aligned well with some of the Tea Party principles we have been fighting for since our conception in 2009:
• A strong defense of our Constitution as it was conceived and written by our Founders
• A border protected from invaders and infiltrators and immigration policy that defines and rewards rightful citizenship
• A reduction in government regulations that are strangling our economy and stifling American ingenuity
• The repeal of the (Un)Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare)
After the election, Fox News contributor Monica Crowley stated that the election of Donald Trump was the “second iteration of the Tea party movement.”
While we are cautiously optimistic that a Trump presidency will align with our goals, this affirmation of our principles should be reinvigorating to all of us as we move into these next four years. Our challenges are still numerous and this victory will mean little if we do not remain vigilant, regardless of the party in power. As we have learned from past elections, getting the “right” person elected is just the first half of the battle. The second half is manning the watchtower to ensure the follow-through of promises made.
The Federation looks forward to working with all of you and we hope you have already scheduled to get together with your fellow Patriots on November 19th as we celebrate our victory and make plans for “Stepping Forward into 2017.”
Rick Buchanan is Chairman of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation.
