Why I like Trump

When Eisenhower ran for the presidency, the Republican slogan was "I Like Ike."  What exactly did that mean? That he had an avuncular demeanor?  Is that what made him a fine president?  What makes for a superior president?  In Ike's case we must point to him having been a really fine commander  leading the allies in WW II.  But that achievement wasn't a presidential achievement.

 Ike wasn't a traditional Republican.  No eye brows would have been raised if he had run as a Democrat.

He did have a talent for deflecting political pressure on matters wth which he disagreed.  In the face of mounting pressure to enter into war with Vietnam, he found a way of keeping out of that war. When pressure mounted for him to pick up from the French their military struggle in Vietnam, his decision was to send American forces; but not as combatants.  Instead, he sent them as observers.  He had no particular affection for the State of Israel.  That was regrettable.  But, in his behalf, his avoidance of getting into Vietnam showed great wisdom.

JFK succumbed to the voices that would have us enter Vietnam.  He turned U.S. military observers into full fledged combatants.  This was a tremendous mistake for which he still hasn't been called to account.  (See David Halberstam's "The Best And The Brightest.")

Why regurgitate these bits of history?  Because we need some sort of yardstick if we're going to pass judgement on Trump's presidency.  The first thing to note is that Trump arrived at the presidency from a background that wasn't the usual background for an American president.  JFK, Nixon, LBJ, Bush H and W, Obama, all had a background in government.  For some it was deeper than for others.  But all had people that knew the Washington ropes and whose loyalty had been tested.

When you set out to clean the swamp, you won't find many ready and able to help you.  Trump hasn't found it easy, but he's still working on it and I give him a lot of credit for that.