2018 is ending on a very volatile and troubling note. The country is in a state of uncertainty with the stock market swinging from extreme low to extreme high and a government partial shutdown because the president and the leaders of Congress are grandstanding and can’t work together to come up with a compromise. I remember the time when Nancy Reagan coined the rallying cry against taking drugs in the 80’s with the phrase “Just Say No”. It was used then to convince kids to refrain from being involved with the scourge of drugs that was proliferating all over the country. Now the Democratic Party has adopted that phrase to indicate their political philosophy since losing the presidential election in 2016. They just say no to everything that President Trump’s administration is attempting to do for the betterment of the country. They are so partisan that no matter what is being proposed by President Trump, they plot to defeat the gesture even if it is to help the American people. All they care about is defeating Trump and the GOP. In the 2020 elections.
An example in point is the opposition to the funding of the security wall at our southern border. The safety of our country is in jeopardy. The press likes to stress that the squabbling is just over money. President Trump wants $5 billion added to the budget. The Democrats say they won’t agree to it. But it is not solely about money. It is about illegal immigration, criminals such as MS-13 infiltrating the country as part of the caravan population, human trafficking of women and children and drugs being smuggled in infecting our population especially the scourge of heroin and fentanyl. It is also about preserving the rule of law.
Political parties have always been in opposition to each other; that’s the name of the game. But the general attitude has been that we can play politics as long it is not to the detriment of the country. That is until now.There is plenty of blame to go around; The President is being obstinate saying that the government won’t reopen without an allocation for a security barrier, but equally culpable for the impasse is Congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer; who along with their titles should come responsibility. Negating everything is not a sign of leadership. It’s being a baby and a sore loser. It’s time to compromise.
As we begin 2019, everything seems to be going amok. As of this writing the government is in a partial shutdown with no end to the impasse in sight. Each side seems to be trying to play the game of chicken and has dug in their heels waiting for the other side to give in. With the Democratic majority in the House beginning in January, the powers that be are promising more investigations of President Trump. Their plan is to continue this crisis mode until the 2020 elections allowing for Congressional dysfunction putting everything on hold delaying government actions to take place. Messing with President Trump is all that matters. Their obligations to the American people are second fiddle.
Sadly, many of those who are forefront of this scenario are Jews, who should know better. We have, of course, Senator Schumer, who seems to have totally lost his way, and Congressmen Jerry Nadler, Adam Schiff and to less extent Eliot Engel. There is no time for the political gamesmanship that has been sullying the atmosphere in Washington since President Trump was elected. Now is the time for everyone to grow up, put their big boy pants on and work together on the key issues. Just this past weekend several hot button areas have flared up. President Trump has surprised just about everyone with the announcement that the US will pull out our troops from Syria which could put the Kurds and Israel in danger. According to an Israeli official “The move does not serve Israel’s interests, harms the Kurds, strengthens Turkey’s president Erdogan and will give Iran additional routes through which to send weapons to Syria”.
Opposition to this policy is coming from divergent sources. Defense Secretary Mattes was fired for his disagreement to it. Key Republicans have voiced concern. Senator Marco Rubio called the decision “a big mistake” that would prompt Syrian Democratic forces and the Kurdish militias to abandon their fight against ISIS. And our adversaries will use this as evidence that America is an unreliable partner”.
Senator Lindsay Graham, who is usually an ally with President Trump, took to the Senate floor to call Trump’s decision “dishonorable” and a stain on the honor of the United States Any sign of weakness perceived by Iran or Russia will only result in their increased presence in the region and a decrease in trust of our partners and allies ‘,
The perception is that President Trump came to this abrupt decision after speaking to Turkey’s President Erdogan. This is very troubling since Erdogan is no friend of free world. NATO is quite disenchanted with him and it is very disconcerting that Trump would value his opinion over others.
But all the apprehension may be dissipated by President Trump’s surprise visit to greet our troops in Iraq. In Iraq, the President assured the troops that he has a backup plan to deal with the enemy. Trump reassured those listening that our troops in Iraq could easily deal with any possible insurgence that ISIS or Al Qaeda could attempt and there need not be concern that America will just drop the ball and leave Syria undefending. I think that this gesture of going to Iraq will change the equation and convince the public that despite what the liberal media’s reporting, President Trump is not unhinged.
North Korea seems to be reneging on its agreement to halt nuclear testing. Iran is flexing its muscles and there is a chance that ISIS will retrench with a strong possibility that more bloodshed will ensue.
President Trump is also quite disenchanted with the Palestinians. With the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make these massive future payments to them? There is talk that an American version of the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement will be introduced early in 2019. This could complicate the situation in the Middle East even further.
If the Democrats would unite in purpose with the President to show American strength and commitment, we can once again wear the mantel of leader of the free world with pride and patriotism. The Democrats should put aside their “just say no” inclinations and work with the president to make the world a better place. The year 2019 needs to be one of stability and unity. If this is not done then 2020 will be a much larger political disaster than the Democrats can possibly imagine. The American people do not appreciate being made fools of. All parties must remember that.
There are no winners in this government shutdown. In general the public is frustrated with what is perceived as a “do nothing” Congress giving the institution very low job approval ratings.
At the rate thing are going, the shutdown could easily go on for weeks and there will be no winners –only losers if that happens, If by a miracle sane heads prevail and strike a reasonable compromise which by virtue of the definition of the word compromise some but not all of objectives will be satisfied, then no one will be a declared winner except the American people who deserve better than having its elected officials put party before country.
By Cynthia Zalisky
Cynthia Zalisky is the Executive Director of the Queens Jewish Community Council. She can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saying No Isn’t Going To Cut It In Congress In 2019
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