The parties will be plentiful, and an entire social class will be jubilant. But most of them didn’t even support or predict this outcome. I used to get in arguments with Republicans working in politics about the prospects of a Trump victory. Almost everyone I spoke with was convinced there was no chance he would win. I can’t think of anyone who felt like he could win or wanted to support his candidacy.
Today, they’re partying as if they had worked tirelessly to make this happen, even though that isn’t true. For the team that was with Trump from the beginning, this must be an amazing feeling. No one supported, and doubt rained upon them until the very day they won the election. They have great cause to celebrate, but…
This past week I’ve seen so many pictures with happy faces assembled as different black-tie balls of victory. I think it’s great to get together when your team has won. But, they have these events and balls all the time. This isn’t a new development; it’s just the political scene. Maybe it’s the last vestige of the non-stop socializing that was the king’s court. Maybe it’s human nature because everyone in politics in D.C. feels a sense of camaraderie and clique.
But, this is also a time to prepare and set an agenda. For everyone, from lobbyists to whoever else. In general, I think it’s fair to say this election has been more about theater than policy. Leading up to the inauguration, the show has continued, and real plans haven’t emerged. It’s still vague policy and campaign promises. In the years to come, hopefully, everyone will be more educated about how our government and policy works and we’ll force them to release policy papers.
But, the political players are so excited that their side has won, they’re preoccupied with that fact. It’s one of the reasons Trump won, because of the behavior and attitude of D.C. It’s a non-partisan problem. The desire to take back the country and fill the political ranks with people who want to serve their community and not themselves is not over. Total civic engagement and education are required to get what you want.
Featured image courtesy of NBC Washington.
The parties will be plentiful, and an entire social class will be jubilant. But most of them didn’t even support or predict this outcome. I used to get in arguments with Republicans working in politics about the prospects of a Trump victory. Almost everyone I spoke with was convinced there was no chance he would win. I can’t think of anyone who felt like he could win or wanted to support his candidacy.
Today, they’re partying as if they had worked tirelessly to make this happen, even though that isn’t true. For the team that was with Trump from the beginning, this must be an amazing feeling. No one supported, and doubt rained upon them until the very day they won the election. They have great cause to celebrate, but…
This past week I’ve seen so many pictures with happy faces assembled as different black-tie balls of victory. I think it’s great to get together when your team has won. But, they have these events and balls all the time. This isn’t a new development; it’s just the political scene. Maybe it’s the last vestige of the non-stop socializing that was the king’s court. Maybe it’s human nature because everyone in politics in D.C. feels a sense of camaraderie and clique.
But, this is also a time to prepare and set an agenda. For everyone, from lobbyists to whoever else. In general, I think it’s fair to say this election has been more about theater than policy. Leading up to the inauguration, the show has continued, and real plans haven’t emerged. It’s still vague policy and campaign promises. In the years to come, hopefully, everyone will be more educated about how our government and policy works and we’ll force them to release policy papers.
But, the political players are so excited that their side has won, they’re preoccupied with that fact. It’s one of the reasons Trump won, because of the behavior and attitude of D.C. It’s a non-partisan problem. The desire to take back the country and fill the political ranks with people who want to serve their community and not themselves is not over. Total civic engagement and education are required to get what you want.
Featured image courtesy of NBC Washington.
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