As my loyal readers are aware, a computer virus forced me to close my Bob McKnight's Blog and Quorum Call on Word Press early this year. I started this new Commentary on the Google Wix platform in August and it has grown very nicely to over 1,000 viewers with each post.
With the end of the year, I thought it appropriate to look back on some of my opinions in this historic political year. As you may recall I previously had raised the possibility on ABC Television of our killing Osama Bin Laden some 4 days before it happened. I did not have that clairvoyance this year, but did raise some timely issues:
Presidential Election: Like the rest of the country, I assumed the polls were accurate and thought Clinton would win. But, I did post that Trump could win, and pointed out how--mainly if there was a heightened concern about Terrorists attacks. I also pointed out how the hatred for Hillary Clinton far exceed the support of Trump. I did not anticipate the Comey surprise.
Speaker Ryan: I said that due to his maneuvering around the Tea Party wing of the House, it would result in his domination of our country's political agenda going forward in 2017. I still think he is the far stronger of the two Republican leaders in the Congress, but he will need support from moderates on both sides of the aisle to resolve the volatile Trump agenda.
Trump Agenda: Here I took a contrarian view and said that other than his inflammatory rhetoric about the Wall and Immigration, he never really said anything definitive about a military strategic, an economic outline, anything on the environment or social services, and no national budget requests of the Congress. So really, to be fair, he starts his term without a defined agenda--so everyone should be hopeful.
Suggestions: In a constructive vein, I made suggestions to help the new President start his administration. Public education, the hallmark of our country, is under attack from many fronts. I suggest a Public Education Summit to help pull together the best and brightest to move our country forward in this critical area. I also suggested Trump reach across the aisle and involve people that did not support him. That is very hard to do, but it has the potential of bringing in fresh, new thinking; and sends a mature message of unity to the world.
Good luck Mr. President. I wish you well.