Cole: Looking Back to Look Forward

By Congressman Tom Cole

This past year was one of great change for America. After eight years of President Obama, the American people elected perhaps the most unorthodox candidate in our nation’s history. The nominating process for both parties was unlike any we have ever seen. The Democrats nearly nominated a self proclaimed Socialist before settling on the establishment front runner, Hillary Clinton. And the Republicans nominated a candidate who had never sought or held elected office before. And that candidate prevailed in the election by appealing to a constituency that Democrats had come to take for granted – the blue collar working class.

Just exactly how this came to be will be a subject of debate and speculation for years to come. What is not debatable is the fact that Americans have become uneasy and uncomfortable with politics and politicians as usual.

In the past several years, our nation has faced an enemy unlike any we’ve had before. Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we became painfully aware of the growing Islamic terror network. More recently, the Islamic terrorist group ISIS has expanded their sphere of influence by destabilizing the Middle East and launching brazen attacks throughout Europe. As the United States and our allies have stepped up our traditional lines of defense, we have also had to take measures to defend ourselves from cyber terrorism. Unfortunately, radical Islamic terrorism will likely be a generational challenge for the United States and our allies, and will necessarily be a top priority for President Trump and his administration.

On the domestic front, our new President will face numerous challenges as well. Eight years of President Obama’s government by executive order have taken their toll on the American economy. From Obama Care to the Labor Department’s onerous overtime rules, the economy has been smothered by excessive regulations and needless rules. Ironically, many of these rules and regulations were put into place through President Obama’s reliance on executive orders intended to subvert the will of Congress. President Trump will be able to undo these overreaching measures using his own executive order authority. I expect that we will see much of Obama’s legacy undone within months of President Trump being sworn in.

2016 will certainly go down as one of the most unusual and consequential in our nation’s history. As we move forward in an unsteady and dangerous world, our new President will need our prayers, our optimism and our commitment to helping him achieve his objective to make America great again.