Thank You, Mr. President!

I’m not a Trump fan exactly, but I must admit, we owe Donald Trump a debt of gratitude! This country is on the road back to greatness. Here’s hoping we stay on it.

The Republicans wouldn’t consider Affordable Health Care. Remember? Obama pleaded with them to carefully examine AHC and come up with an alternative plan of their own. They refused to look at it. Trump made them look.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Republicans had legitimate complaints. They pointed to the shortfalls in both the “affordable” and the “care” sides of the “Affordable Health Care” plan. They were serious problems that needed attention, but Republicans paid no further attention, other than to complain about the situation, and Democrats refused to reconsider any part of AHC. Frankly, I believe it as that kind of disinterest that made most Americans angry.

 
Another problem was that the very rich had been saddled with taxes to support health care for the poor. Republicans don’t like taxes. But Donald Trump, one of the mega rich himself, made them look hard at that part of it as well.

Trump imposed requirements that rose above politics. He said the country needs a plan that covers all people, or for certain, more people than Obamacare. He insisted on a plan that doesn’t push health costs up. He insisted that it be truly affordable for all Americans. He insisted that we find the best available plan for this nation at this time, and that costs and benefits of all concerned parties, providers, insurers, and patients, rich and poor, be examined.

These were the standards. These are not the concerns of right-leaning Republicans. Right-leaning Republicans preach low taxes and less government. They promise freedom for people to take care of themselves, but along with that, require people, even wretched, impoverished people, to take care of themselves, without much help from those entitled to hoard money, and particularly, far less help from the real “Badguy”: “Big Government”

These are not the concerns of left-leaning Democrats. Left-leaning Democrats preach taxing of the rich and government control. They promise people that they won’t have to worry much about taking care of themselves, but they limit choices about how they’re going to be taken care of and promise to protect us all from the real “Badguy”: “Big Money”

It took a Redemopublicrat to get these two sides working together again. Trump is a Redemopublicrat. A Redemopublicrat is not aligned with left or right, Liberal or Conservative, Republican or Democrat. He aligns with himself, exclusively. He claims to be a member of a party, but he doesn’t seek to benefit the party or to benefit from the party, necessarily. He seeks out that which benefits him. He accepts what happens, if it benefits him. Trump doesn’t rise above the fray; he’s in it; he’s part of it.

Most Redems are duplicitous. They can and will renounce allegiance to their party without really caring for its “principles” or “politics.” But they go along with their party's refusal to recognize certain hard realities. Their main priority in life is themselves and their closest people. They appeal to their “base,” and, as is true of all who appeal to their "base," their behavior can often be “base” indeed.

That’s Trump.

But to be fair to Trump, he seems to be duplicitous in favor of a “base” he calls the common American citizens. He made promises to them that we as a society would become great again. He told us we would transcend politics. He didn’t use those words, I know. But he SAID WORDS that meant the same thing; whether he intended them or not is anyone’s guess.

Trump removed the easy labels. He insisted that this plan transcend (rise above) politics. He made his friends consider all Americans, without prejudice toward their economic status. Those constructing the replacement plan were directed not to produce a liberal plan or a conservative plan. He re-focused attention away from double-talk and insisted that they make a “great” health plan for all Americans.

The Republican Party dutifully delivered what they could offer. Afterward, they kept themselves informed, listening carefully to the reactions of their constituents, the people who mattered most. They arrived at this conclusion: We can transform Obamacare to make rich people richer, but we can’t make health care better for all Americans while doing so, at least, not now.

Imagine how difficult it must be for career politicians to admit they are wrong, that a plan enacted by the other party, a plan you’ve criticized for nearly a decade, will not be improved upon, “for the foreseeable future.”

Both political parties have at last completed their examination of AHC. Both agree it’s about all we can do, at least for now. Everyone would like to see it improved. I say it’s about time Republicans came on board, and President Trump should be commended for making it happen.

It’s possible that he didn’t mean to make that happen. Maybe he’s horrified at the outcome. Maybe he sees it as a gigantic fiasco. It’s a shame if he sees it that way, but even if he does, perhaps somewhere deep inside, he understands the importance of the whole matter, or if not yet, perhaps he’ll come to understand its importance in the future. I’m not at all certain about the depth of this man’s understanding.

The examination of Obamacare was a rare moment that transcended politics; however, it must be made clear that Trump is not a Transcendentalist. He thought he saw the best way forward on health care. He didn’t. He claimed that he and his buddies would put together a health plan that covers all Americans, reduces health costs, and makes health insurance affordable for every single American. They failed.

But maybe what Trump meant to say was, “We’re going to do the best we can. If it’s politically impossible to improve on the current state of health care, we’ll leave Obamacare alone. If we can do better, we will. It’s up to my Republican friends to find the best way forward. Here are the standards, Lawmakers; now go to work!”

And all the King’s horses and all the King’s men, working (many of them very reluctantly) according to the President’s standards, tried to put Humpty together, but they just couldn’t get it done.

Ah, but what an effort! And how honest and bold and courageous to admit that for now, the current plan does a better job of covering people than theirs could have!

And for this moment at least, the Republicans have seized greatness and have risen above their own petty politics (aside from shooting that goofy criticism at the Democrats, who had already established AHC, the health plan Republicans couldn’t beat).

At any rate, I hope the President maintains the integrity of his mission, the one he promised the American people he would undertake.

Some say Trump is the devil himself. Some say he’s the Second Coming of Jesus. But the fact is, he’s a plain-talking man who just happened to inherit a fortune. Truth be known, he’s kind of a simpleton, a reality that the simpleton in all of us finds embarrassingly, and curiously, compelling. He does say some pretty nutty things. The fact that his fast-talking buddies could not come up with that special health plan does not make Trump a failure.

Nor is the failure of the Republican Party an affirmation of Obamacare. Republicans say AHC might not survive. On the other hand, if Trump continues to insist that Republicans do no harm to the current health insurance program, it just might.

I know I've ground this hamburger already, but like the band leader says, "One more time now!!"

Here’s where we stand on health care: Trump says he wants us all covered, and for less cost (a vision that transcends politics). And the Republicans, on the President’s insistence that they live up to the standards, made their best effort to realize that vision, on behalf of all Americans.

By most essential standards, his vision, that effort, and their admission that they could not improve upon the current state of things, were all great.

Very well.

But greatness, of course, is not merely admitting you can’t do better. Trump's stated mission is to transcend the politics of all issues, not just health care - to take all things into consideration, to recognize the effects of our choices upon all citizens – rich, poor, powerful, and powerless, and to act, or, as in this case, not act. The result will be a thorough re-examination of where we are and a re-alignment of priorities as they affect everyone.

Very, very well!

So, what next?

He’s already begun to address national security - do we spend too little on defense? - or maybe too much? immigration – is there enough vetting? tax reform – is there proper fairness in the system? - are some allowed too many tax advantages? entitlements - is the entitlement to hoard cash less serious, as serious, or more serious, than the entitlement to pay for social security most of your life and then collect on it when you get old? good jobs – are there too many immigrants? - are there enough? Mexicans - are they a real problem? NAFTA – is free trade the root cause of our troubles? - are automation, robotics, and the digital revolution the real culprits? - what can be done about them? the environment – is global warming merely a hoax? Obama wire taps – evidence? – why would anyone make such an accusation?

Where will this man's duplicity break in the future? Will he continue to insist on transcending politics in search of solutions? The truth can be painful. Will he continue to accept truth when he’s confronted by it? That's an essential part of greatness.

If Trump means what he says and he sticks with his mission, we’ll find ways to improve life, but we’ll also discover that some parts of it are about as close to greatness as we can get “at the present moment.” He’ll occasionally find it best to leave well enough alone.

Pretty hard stuff for a Redemopublicrat to swallow. But give him credit; he ate this one.