“The Master Builder”, by Professor Bill Schneider
HUFFINGTON POST – Donald Trump is a builder. The first thing he pledged to do in his election night victory speech was to “begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation.’’“We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals,’’ the President-elect promised. “We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none.’’That kind of talk thrills the white working class voters who put him over the top. What they hear is “jobs.’’ It also piques the interest of progressive Democrats. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told the AFL-CIO executive council, “[Trump] spoke to the very real sense of millions of Americans that their government and their economy have abandoned them. And he promised to rebuild our economy for working people.’’ What some progressives hear is “economic stimulus plan.’’But Trump is freaking out Tea Party conservatives. What they hear is “big government.’’ Conservatives are ideologues. They care how things get done. If a project looks like big government, conservatives are instinctively against it. Developers like Trump don’t care how things get done as long as they get done. That’s what his supporters like about him. He’s a “doer.’’Trump drives conservatives crazy because he’s always taking positions and then changing them. Is he going to deport eleven million illegal immigrants? Maybe two or three million who have criminal records. Is he going to kill Obamacare? Maybe he’ll keep a few popular provisions. Remember, Trump is a deal-maker. His positions are all starting positions. Everything is negotiable.Click here to read the full article.