This coming Thanksgiving Day as we gather around the dinner table, we have many things for which to give thanks — many of them centered on Nov. 5.
As President Gerald R. Ford proclaimed to the nation over 50 years ago, "Our long national nightmare is over."
The election wasn’t even close. Comedian Bill Maher even quipped that about the only demographic Vice President Kamala Harris won was "illegal immigrant inmates who want sex change operations."
Republican former President Donald J. Trump, on the other hand, easily dominated both the electoral and popular vote, to become only the second U.S. president in history to win a second non-consecutive term, after Grover Cleveland.
Here’s our list of the top 10 things to be thankful for, listed in no particular order.
1. Career Politicians are Out; Citizen-Administrators are In:
With President Trump about to enter the White House for another term, we can once again enter a period of "promises made, promises kept."
It means that people who have actually spent the majority of their adult lives working outside the Washington, D.C. bubble and know how the real world operates are back in charge.
They, in turn, will put together a team based on competence and merit — not diversity.
It also means that Trump may have the opportunity to keep a U.S. Supreme Court that makes decisions based on what the Constitution meant at the time it was written.
2. No More Kamala Harris:
With Harris as the overwhelming loser, it means that we will no longer be subjected to her incomprehensible word salads and cringe-inducing cackles.
Again, "Our long national nightmare is over."
3. No More Political Emails, Text Messages, and TV ads:
It’s finally safe again to go to the mailbox, answer the phone, read text messages, and emails. It seemed as though the moment we finished one, three more took its place. It was exhausting.
We’re safe — at least until the next election cycle.
4. U.S. Senate Flipped
By winning back the Senate, President-elect Trump should be able to get his administration up and running with little fuss, given that cabinet-level positions have to be confirmed by the upper chamber.
Even more important, judicial appointments require Senate confirmation.
Three justices are in their 70s, including:
- Clarence Thomas, 76
- Samuel Alito, 74
- Sonia Sotomayor, 70
Sotomayor, being the only liberal justice of the three, is under some pressure to retire now, out of fear that she may later become incapacitated by illness or injury, and be replaced by Trump with a conservative.
Hang in there, Justice Sotomayor. Don’t let them tell you what to do.
5. Retained Control of the U.S. House
Given that legislation has to be approved by both chambers of Congress, it’s important to also control the House.
And because the House controls the government purse-strings, all budgetary bills begin there. With any luck the House will have learned its lesson and approve budgets in the normal order — without the use of continuing resolutions.
6. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Is Stepping Down as Senate GOP Leader
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced he’ll retire from his GOP leadership position beginning with the start of the new Congress in January.
Although he was instrumental in rejecting then-President Barack Obama’s final Supreme Court appointment — Merrick Garland — and pushing through Donald Trump’s three appointments, he’s also been a disappointment to conservatives in other ways.
Time for new blood — conservative new blood.
7. Constitution — Difficult to Amend
The U.S. Constitution isn’t written in stone. The founders provided an amendment process, but one that requires a huge amount of agreement between the parties, and between the federal government and the states.
In general it requires a two-thirds vote in the House, a two-thirds vote in the Senate, followed with ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures. If it’s not good, if it doesn’t make sense to everyone, it’s not going to happen.
Lately Democrats have called for term limits for judicial appointments, which could mean each new president appointing a new court.
That would essentially make the judiciary another political branch.
8. Senate 60-Vote Filibuster Rule
The Senate filibuster rule requires a certain amount of agreement and cooperation between the two major parties.
It acts as a safeguard to prevent one party from steamrolling bills through that harm the other party. It protects minority rights.
Whenever Democrats control the Senate they want to discard the rule. Now that they’re the minority party they’ll consider it sacrosanct.
Appointments and budgetary items — both taxing and spending — are exempt from the filibuster rule
9. Electoral College
Democrats have complained about electing presidents through the Electoral College for decades — especially after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016 after she won the popular vote.
The Electoral College was a compromise for the Founders to break a several-weeks-long deadlock. Some wanted presidents to be elected by a straight popular vote by the people, and others wanted Congress to elect them.
Since 1789, five presidents won their election while losing the popular vote:
- John Quincy Adams (1824)
- Rutherford B. Hayes (1876)
- Benjamin Harrison (1888)
- George W. Bush (2000)
- Donald Trump (2016)
Given that the last four were all Republicans, I’m content with the Electoral College, but if Democrats want to shelve it they know how (see #7 above).
10. Freedom!
The Constitution and Bill of Rights guarantees certain fundamental rights to the people and the states.
The current administration placed some of them in peril — especially freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, the right to keep and bear arms, and the right to be secure in our homes from unreasonable searches and seizures.
We should always celebrate, cherish, and protect those rights, not just on Thanksgiving and Independence Day, but every day.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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