Confucius once said, “He who expects nothing is never disappointed.” Perhaps the best way to manage our emotions through this next election cycle is to have realistic expectations about President Trump, the Democrats, the media and ultimately, the American people.
I’ve given up hope that Trump will rise above his pettiness and tweet-fests that drown out the accomplishments of his policies. I’ve given up hope that Democrats will be able to separate themselves from their psychotic hatred for Trump and try to govern. And I’ve long lost hope that the media will ever again report the news as journalists and not liberal activists. When I gave up hope and surrendered my expectations, I started feeling better.
But I’ve not yet lost hope in the people. Voters are much like a jury presiding over a trial and my hope is they will render their verdict based on evidence and not partisan talking points, media bias, or slick political ads. For example, Clinton may have escaped justice in 2016, but the jury was watching and their verdict carried the day. Voters weren’t as stupid as Democrats and the media perceived.
In 2020, will the American jury demand more investigations of Trump instead of governing? Will they believe secondhand gossip leaked to the media is grounds for impeachment? Will the jury agree with Democrats that immigration enforcement is inhumane, taxes should be increased, the economy is on the verge of recession, the president is a white supremacist and the world will end in 12 years?
Will they be swayed by the Democrats/media propaganda, or will the jury stay focused on the facts when they render their verdict?
Gil Mertz, Thousand Oaks
