An elective despotism was not the government we fought for. ~ Thomas Jefferson

This past First Tuesday’s upset win by Donald Trump of the Presidency caught a great many Americans of all political persuasions by surprise.  The consternation among most in the media, the celebrity news-commentator and pundit class, and the elite establishments of both Republican and Democratic parties was deliciously palpable to the grassroots.  And, the acting out in the streets of major cities of thousands of disgruntled millennials in the nights following the election, apparently terrified of being dispossessed of their entitlements and the endless pandering to them by so-called progressive leaders, was stark confirmation of just how indoctrinated, infantile, and dependent many, if not most, of this new generation has become.

Contrary to virtually all the polls that were conducted by the major news and polling organizations over the several weeks leading up to the elections, Donald Trump — a genuine, if very highly self-possessed, maverick — trounced not only a long-time government insider in Hillary Clinton, but the elite’s designated successor to the current neosocialist globalist occupying the White House.  As of today, it appears – yes, wonderful to tell – that the seductive spell of a postmodern “transformation” of America (read the steady march towards administrative tyranny) has finally been broken (or at least stalled).   Thus and so, America has undoubtedly dodged a bullet of howitzer-shell dimensions.  Why?  Because the wicked witch of Hillary Clinton and her entourage of corrupt cronies is now politically dead.  And, with her and their demise, a whole new page in American history is about to be turned.

What can Americans expect in the coming months, both leading up to and after Trump’s inauguration?  Will he truly make good on his more refined and generally consistent campaign rhetoric in the last several weeks of the campaign, ushering in an era of genuine American renewal founded on conservative policies and principles of governance?   Or will he succumb to what appeared to be his core nature earlier in the campaign season and attempt to impose his imperious personal will on the nation as a strong-arming Big Government-statist “fixer”?

Ominously, given some recent statements and his several announced appointments to key Executive Branch positions to date, no one can be sure.  While his nomination of Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General augurs well for a Justice Department dedicated to constitutionalism and protecting America’s internal security, his comments to Lesley Stahl in a recent 60 Minutes interview that Bill and Hillary Clinton are “good people” and he doesn’t want to “hurt” them; his appointment of Reince Priebus, a consummate D.C. insider in his role as Republican National Committee chairman, as his chief of staff; his insinuation of an intention to preserve some parts of Obamacare, and, lately, his apparent consideration of moderates Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani for his Secretary of State all suggest a softening of his commitment to his stated plans and policies.

However it goes with Trump’s future pre-inaugural statements and further nominations for Cabinet and other executive federal positions, the mandarins of the hard Left will not be mollified – or deterred from continuing their fight for domination.  Already, from the media’s newsrooms and studios, the performance stages of the entertainment industry, the nation’s college campuses, and the streets of major cities, the badly sadly bruised feelings of the Unhappy Ones are finding noisy expression.  No doubt soon to be (if not already) incited by seasoned agitators in the paid service of George Soros & Co., they can be expected to ignite serious civil disruptions early in the new year, starting soon but no later than Trump’s Inauguration on January 20^th.

What then?

President Trump may well take office in a country riven with domestic violence and vociferous protests, which foreign enemies of America may seek to capitalize on via terror attacks at home, breaches of international agreements and “deals”, overtly hostile “incidents” instigated abroad against our nation’s economic interests, diplomatic missions, military/naval assets, or even allies.  Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea all have major incentives to take advantage of a new president’s preoccupation with deep internal strife at home and inexperience in public international leadership, especially in the early days of his tenure — and given America’s diminished military prowess and morale under Obama.  How Trump responds, presumably in close consultation with key advisors, Cabinet members, and agency heads, could well set more than the tone and pace of his administration for most, if not all, of his term in office.   And not just on the international scene.  How he deals with a polarized American electorate, particularly an intractably hostile and fractious minority, could be fraught with peril for our civil society as a whole.  A huge quantum of statesmanship, courage, and steady self-control may well be demanded of our new Chief Executive sooner than anyone now imagines.

In any event, the role of America’s constitutional conservatives seems clear at this juncture: To help this new president succeed in enacting the pro-America agenda that he loudly espoused while on the hustings, as soon as possible and in consonance with constitutional processes, in ways that are transparently honest and aboveboard to the worst honest critics among us.  And, to maintain a constant vigilance that the people’s business will always be conducted in furtherance of Americans’ Essential Liberty and our nation’s sovereign independence and comprehensive security against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.