Reflections on the First 29 Days

I’ve thought long and hard about the subject matter for this week’s column, and I ask you to think more about what I have to say rather than the personalities that surround the issues which I speak about. 

A recent Rasmussen Poll shows a majority of Americans now believe the nation is on the right track for the first time in two decades. Are you surprised by those polling numbers? I actually am, as I thought it would take longer to change the direction the nation has been traveling. 

Now this doesn’t mean everyone in the nation shares this view, but it appears those numbers are rising. Yes, there are strong reactions to the roles being played by Elon Musk and those tasked by President Trump to look at what many believe is a bloated bureaucracy that has held a death grip on the American people for all too long according to many. Unconventional as Musk may appear he seems to be a quick learner and only time will tell as we move forward. 

Now mind you, Democrats are not the only party that have feasted off the government trough. Republicans are as much to blame as their counterparts, as both parties have been equally at fault as they feed their special interest groups to maintain a death grip on their respective voting blocks. Having said that the time has most certainly come for an adult conversation regarding “term limits,” a subject matter which should share support from both sides of the aisle. 

One of my best friends in New Hampshire would often reflect that one of the biggest hurdles to overcome with this issue would lie in realizing that “term limits” could never work when the voters couldn’t understand that it just wasn’t the other side that needed changing! You cannot change the culture of Washington without a mature and educated review of the systemic problems our elected officials have allowed to overtake Congress and subsequently bureaucracy which has been created. 

As of February 17, 2025 we stand at 29 days into the Presidency of the 47th President of the United States. Modern day political historians seem to focus on the first hundred days of a new Presidential term in office. I don’t necessarily subscribe to that benchmark, for there is much that can occur throughout any President’s term in office, but this one seems to have burst out of the gate with record speed. 

I remember the Press Secretary for President Ronald Reagan defending his boss when a member of the press corps questioned him as to “why the President was taking a specific  action.” Jim Brady would respond; “He’s doing exactly what he told the American people he would do during the election. He’s keeping his word,” said Brady. 

Reagan was famous for his one-liners, both on the political stump and later in office. One such line which Americans would always react favorably to was “Our government doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem,” commented Reagan on many occasions. It seems 47th President holds that same belief. 

I have no doubt that the team Trump has assembled is one which will stumble or misspeak on occasion. Like our own city council, they will have to take some time to mature within their positions and I have all the faith in the world that they will. 

Myself, I’m willing to reserve judgment as the President moves forward with his relatively aggressive agenda, as he, like President Reagan and others that have come before him struggles to wrap his arms around the Washington culture. His advantage, however, lies in the fact he is not a product of that Washington culture.