Presidency

Monday March 16, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday March 16, 2020

What historians heard when Trump warned of a ‘foreign virus’

For immigration historians and other scholars, the way US President Donald Trump is describing the coronavirus pandemic has a familiar ring.

“This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,” Trump said in an Oval Office address Wednesday night. “I am confident that by counting and continuing to take these tough measures we will significantly reduce the threat to our citizens and we will ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus.”

Coronavirus cartoons

As soon as Trump’s words describing a “foreign virus” hit the airwaves, Nükhet Varlik knew she’d heard them before.

“We’ve had plenty of examples of this in the past. It’s mindblowing that this still continues,” said Varlik, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, and at the University of South Carolina.

“It opens up the ways of thinking about disease in dangerous ways,” she said. “Once you open that door…historically we have examples, we know where it goes. And we don’t want to go there. I find it extremely dangerous.”

It’s the latest chapter in a story that historians see as centuries in the making. From the plague to SARS, whenever an outbreak spread, racism and xenophobia weren’t far behind. 

Here’s what scholars told CNN about some of history’s shameful episodes, and the lessons we can learn from them: The ‘Black Death’ in the 14th century; Cholera outbreaks in New York in the 19th century; 1900 Quarantines in San Francisco’s Chinatown; Health screenings and quarantines on Ellis Island; and SARS (Continued: CNN) 

 

Tuesday April 25, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday April 25, 2017

Trump struggled to keep promises in his first 100 days — and it may not get easier

President Donald Trump declared last week that “no administration has accomplished more” in its first 90 days than his.

But Trump has a lot more work to do in just a few days if he wants to meet the goals he set out for his first 100 days in office. Day 100 is Saturday.

Trump stormed into office promising a quick overhaul of the American government: repealing and replacing Obamacare, reforming the tax system, refreshing U.S. infrastructure, cracking down on illegal immigration and ridding Washington of corruption. He promised to eradicate bad trade deals, roll back regulations and hit back at China for its lopsided trade policies.

Trump on Friday tweeted that the 100-days standard “ridiculous,” he has accomplished “a lot” during his short time as president. But the president himself set goals for that exact timeline before he took office.

Trump set out a “contract with the American voter” that included a “100-day action plan.”

Voters who wish to hold Trump to the contract would do well to read the fine print. Rather than achieving his promises, the contract calls for his administration “to immediately pursue” three, multipoint action items intended to “clean up corruption,” protect American workers and “restore security.”

The White House has proven effective in selling Trump’s executive orders — which are often largely symbolic or only direct agencies to review policies — as policy victories, said John Hudak, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution. But he believes Trump will ultimately get judged on the “big-ticket” pledges that require congressional action — namely tax reform, health-care changes and infrastructure funding. The president promised those policies would help to boost economic growth and improve Americans’ well-being.

“What people are focused on are jobs — beyond the executive orders — health care, the broader economy, taxes,” Hudak said. “He can sell as many orders as he wants, but it’s still going to come back to these big, flashy policy failures. It’s hard to hang a presidential legacy on executive orders.” (Source: CNBC) 

 

Thursday November 24, 2016

2016-11-24

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday November 24, 2016

Donald Trump Raises Prospect of Keeping Ties to His Firms

Donald Trump indicated Tuesday he was unlikely to disentangle himself from his business empire as fully as he previously suggested, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest while president.

Mr. Trump and his representatives said during the campaign he would have nothing to do with his businesses if he became president, promising a “total and complete separation.”

But since the election, Mr. Trump has met with foreign business partners and involved daughter Ivanka Trump in such discussions, even though he has said his children will run his companies during the presidency as a way to separate their operations from the White House.

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump told the New York Times that “the law’s totally on my side” and that “the president can’t have a conflict of interest.”

Mr. Trump’s comments came after the Republican contended with other concerns overhanging his transition. Trump University disclosed a $25 million settlement Friday resolve litigation involving allegations of fraud at the defunct organization. And Mr. Trump’s charitable foundation said in a tax filing that it had engaged in self-dealing 2015 and prior years that resulted from payments to “disqualified persons,” or foundation insiders.

The president and vice president are exempt from laws that make it a crime for all others working for the executive branch to use their public office for their own enrichment. (Source: Wall Street Journal)

 

January 19, 2009

We’re on the cusp of witnessing history in the United States. A brief moment in time when the stars have aligned symbolizing unity and hope. Across the world, across party lines, across the races, masses of humanity will celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama. Then, the hard work will begin, hopes will be crushed, and the magic of Obama will begin its inevitable downward slide.

There is no denying how significant this particular transfer of power will go down in history. One can’t discount the twist of fate that finds the U.S. holiday marking the birthdate of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preceding this historic inauguration by one day. It’s hard not to find some parallels to the ascendency of two sons of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, and Obama, both lawyers and state legislators, both advocates of human rights, and both successors of a top job left in a mess by its predecessor.

George Bush leaves office perceived as a bad President as much as Barack Obama has already been bestowed the honour by many as America’s greatest President, even though he hasn’t yet been sworn in. Along with that there’s been plenty of negative reaction in the media to a press conference George Bush gave last week, headlined all over the place as “Regret’s, I’ve had a few” summary of his Presidency. This of course has been followed with opinion pieces which have positioned the Bush Presidency at the top of the worst in history list — here, here, here, and here.

People should be careful about making bold declarations that the most recent President is history’s worst. Yes, the economy’s in the tank, America’s reputation abroad is a disgrace, the environment has been ignored, civil liberties are under enormous threat, and two unending big wars are a psychological drain. These calamities, all of the making under the Bush era, will most certainly stain his record, as much as the awkward position he was put in from an enormous event that was not of his making, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

So what will come from the successful outcomes of the Bush White House? The fact that he kept the U.S. free of terrorist acts after 9/11? Might the Bush legacy benefit if a terrorist act happens on American soil under Obama’s watch? What about the muted acclaim Bush has received for quietly doing better than any previous President in terms of sending aid to Africa to combat AIDS? What about the other merits to the Bush Presidency that have been drowned out with all the negative, including improved test scores for American students, better race relations, reforms to Medicare, and the removal of Saddam Hussein, the overthrowing of the Taliban, and restraint shown towards an aggressive North Korea, and Iran?

I’ve observed enough Presidencies in my 40 year life to recall the popular sentiment that the outgoing guy is the worst President in history is said of every outgoing President and it’s likely to be pronounced by some when Mr. Obama is finished his term of office. Think back to the past two double term Presidents, Clinton and Reagan, both reviled at the end but quietly rehabilitated with the passage of time and some scholarly reflection on their legacies. History will be the ultimate judge.

The magic of every Presidential honeymoon starts to be chipped away as soon as the oath of office is administered and the new guy starts to make decisions which inevitably divide the public into more distinctive groups, those who support the President and those who don’t. Much is expected of Obama and his failure to live up to expectations may very well herald the beginning of his demise in the days and weeks to come.

As much as I’m uncomfortable with the predictable rantings against Bush from the left as he leaves office, I’m also uneasy about the doubts from the right about Obama living up to expectations as he assumes the Presidency. That will inevitably come later but for the time being we should revell in the history we’re about to witness, all the trappings of ceremony and tradition, a smooth transfer of power, and the passing of a difficult eight years to a new era of hope and reinvigoration.

January 9, 2009

Here’s some photos of a certain gathering we don’t often see unless it’s at a funeral for a President:

WASHINGTON DC – In a historic meeting, current President George W. Bush met with President-elect Barack Obama and former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter on Wednesday, January 7th, at the White House.

During the meeting between the current, future, and former leaders of the free world, the men who have all shared the same office and powerful responsibilities talked about the duties of the office.

“One message that I have and I think we all share is that we want you to succeed,” said President George Bush to President-elect Barack Obama.

“Whether we’re Democrat or Republican, we care deeply about this country. And to the extent we can, we look forward to sharing our experiences with you. All of us who have served in this office understand that the office transcends the individual. And we wish you all the very best. And so does the country.”

President-elect Obama thanked President Bush for hosting the meeting and noted the opportunity to rely on the other men in the room in running the country.

“I just want to thank the President for hosting us,” said Obama. “This is an extraordinary gathering.”

“All the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office. And for me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary. And I’m very grateful to all of them.”

The Presidential group had lunch in a room next to the Oval Office where they dined privately with no one else in the room.

“All of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening to that conversation,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said to the Associated Press.

The meeting of all of the current living Presidents of the United States is the first since President Ronald Reagan hosted leaders in the White House in 1981 with Reagan, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and future President George H.W. Bush present at the same time. source.