Blog 3295 – 11.09.2024

The Loyal Opposition

Our President-elect esteems loyalty to himself the highest virtue and most important qualification for his staff, appointees, GSA employees, and the government as a whole. The founding fathers of this republic were intent that the loyalty oath should be to the Constitution and not to a person. Naturalized citizens swear or affirm such an oath, as do all government employees and military personnel.

On January 29th, 2025 for the second time Donald John Trump will place his hand on a Bible and be sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Trump will make history, being only the second U.S. President to serve terms separated by a term. History will record him as both the 45th and the 47th Presidents of the United States. That happened once before when Grover Cleveland was designated both the 22nd and the 24th Presidents.

The loyal opposition is not the enemy, but only those who oppose certain policies and actions as they believe them to be not in the best interest of the country. Good men and women can disagree. The loyal opposition is there to keep us honest, to keep us in check. A democratic republic is messy and cumbersome it requires not only the consent of the governed, but in addition that the representatives employ consensus and compromise to get things done.

Authoritarian and Fascist regimes are usually personality cults where a dictator or strong man demands loyalty to himself and to his policies and programs. The loyal opposition is silenced and the there is no check to power. Our political system was designed to have checks and balances to prevent any one branch of government or individual from having too much power.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David White