On Time, under Budget

Most building contractors have a goal of finishing their projects in the time specified, with the money budgeted. The closer you get to doing both, the more profitable and the more successful your company will be. The sad truth is, most building companies have a hard time hitting those two very important goals. Why? Because it's extremely difficult. Most construction projects have complexity that is hard to comprehend; the efforts of scheduling, price change, human error, and the cycles it takes to be on time and under budget are mind-boggling. It's not normal for construction companies of all sizes to accomplish those two things. It's quite normal to be at least a shade late, and a tad over budget, or worse. It's why nine out of ten people who go into this business are out of the business in less than ten years.

Donald Trump has many flaws, more than his fair share, but in this area of being on time and under budget, his track record is close to brilliant. One of the main reasons I preferred Trump early on was this clear aura of competence, one he earned. He didn't do these projects in cities that are all that business friendly; he did them in New York, and other large cities all over who are just as bureaucratic and just as tough. I know, I know – "He's never been in government before, and business acumen doesn't translate to being in politics or running governments." I believe I remember the vast majority of pundits saying this kind of thing during the primaries. Yep, he was a neophyte who knew nothing about politics. He could never win the nomination. The derisive laughter on Bill Maher's show when Ann Coulter said Trump was the only one on the Republican side who could win still rings in my ears. Can we now dispense with the idea that he can't take his business acumen and put forth the agenda he ran on? Can we dare to believe that he will follow through with his agenda to make America great again? The first thing you do when you want a building project to succeed is assemble a team of architects, superintendents, subcontractors, suppliers, and workers who excel at what they do. Watching the assembling of Trump's transition team, his cabinet, and his other appointments has been a treat. Yep, he's done this before, and it's quite clear that what he's doing is selecting a team of individuals who excel. I love the media reports of how bad he is at assembling his cabinet. I love how they nitpick it all, telling us how disorganized and sloppy he is, and then, when he makes a pick, they say just how terrible a pick he just made. Why, these appointments are just as racist, homophobic, and misogynistic as he is (including the non-whites and women). The biased media have no idea how they are being played, but that's for another essay. Right now they could use the wisdom of Yogi Berra: "You can observe a lot just by watching." But they won't. Instead, they continue the hyperbole that lost them their power and trustworthiness, and as they exercise their partisan, foolish, and nasty prerogative to be just that (partisan, foolish, and nasty), the Trump team is poised to pull off its own version of Shock and Awe. Only this time, it's not going to be used to take down a dictator; rather, it will be the takedown of the misplaced leftist nonsense that has run rampant in our country for well over a decade. Mike Pence is the one in charge of the transition team. He's giving us some hints as to what is happening. The hints are delicious. He is saying he's been at most of the interviews and meetings, and what he's watching is unprecedented in its formation. He is telling us that every one of these picks is engaged and on board. He is saying everyone is perfect for his role. He is also shepherding congressional support for the agenda. He's telling them all to buckle up, because what is going to happen will be unprecedented in its scope, and we will be thrilled at how fast this will all happen. He says it's all in implementing the agenda to make America great again. The vast majority on the table is the agenda we as conservatives have hoped would be tried some day in some fantasy world, yet there it is, being lined up to replace the leftist pap that has failed us so miserably. One thing I know about Mike Pence: he is the most rock-ribbed straight arrow there is. He is calm, clear, concise, and well spoken. He has impeccable conservative credentials and instincts. He has some good conservative accomplishments in his own state of Indiana. He has a record of succeeding. He is an understated leader in his role, and you can't say he's particularly prone to hyperbole, because he isn't. Yet there he is, telling us to expect great things from the very beginning. There he is, promising a great first hundred days and a great second hundred days. He is saying they are determined to reform those things that the destructive left have implemented, that he and Trump are going to work to fulfill their promises. Repeal Obamacare. Stop illegal immigration. Stop radical Islam. Reset to a growing economy that creates jobs. Restore dignity and strength to our military. Restore integrity and honesty to our government. Reset the education parameters so our kids can learn well and become accomplished citizens. Repatriate business money. Become energy-independent. Reshape a conservative Supreme Court for a generation. Better trade deals. And more. All of this is going to be placed into the political arena at once. It's an agenda designed to overwhelm, and it's so bold that it will help neutralize most of the Alinsky tactics of the left. While leftists are busy trying to Alinskyize Trump as a racist, misogynist homophobe, he appoints strong men and women of all colors. While they are busy trying to Alinskyize what he just did, he has moved on to something else. While they are busy trying to find something to polarize and freeze, he is accomplishing a dozen other things. It's putting a lot of balls in the air at once. It's uncannily like building a complex building. It's the ultimate nightmare for leftists. Their tactics have already failed them miserably, so they are now doubling down on their failed tactics. In the meantime, because they are incapable of looking at why they failed so miserably, incapable of any introspection on why they lost, or doing anything to rectify why they lost, they will keep losing, and Donald Trump will keep winning. Their vaunted Democrat-media complex are so invested in believing their own propaganda, have internalized so deeply their own lies about what Trump (and we on the right as well) stands for, that they actually believe he is racist, sexist, misogynist, homophobic, xenophobic, and more Hitlerian than Hitler. I watch them on Facebook, Twitter, and in the old media and marvel. It reminds me of the old saying: "He whom the gods will destroy, they first make mad." Unfortunately the left on campus and in their media complexes are too busy in crying rooms to read about a Greek philosopher who would give them a hint as to what is going on. When you realize that the left has nothing to offer but Alinsky tactics and ridicule; when you realize you have a master builder who not only knows what their tactics are, but how to use these same tactics against them, you realize just how much trouble they are in. They are counting on dividing us, making us believe we are destroying the country because, you guessed it, we are racist, sexist, misogynistic, greedy, homophobic, and just bad. They forgot that it didn't work this time. They are forgetting when they use these old, overblown, and outrageous tactics that they are now unifying us. It will take them a long time to grasp just how much their tactics are backfiring. Yes, they may be driven mad by the time they see it with any clarity. It's a perfect storm, because while they are busy self-destructing, there is a wonderful force approaching. The team of builders is about to make some remarkable things happen. They will try to make them happen with regularity, speed, and great competence. Much to the dismay of the left, Shock and Awe may become the norm as the country is put on the right track. This team of extraordinary builders will be making America great again. On time and under budget.