Keller @ Large: Trump Lovers And Haters Should Manage Expectations
BOSTON (CBS) - This is the big day, the one you've been eagerly awaiting if you were a Donald Trump voter, or dreading if you weren't.
My advice to both sides is - manage your expectations, and you won't get hurt.
Here's what I mean:
The Trump voters I've talked with since Election Day made their choice for a variety of reasons. Some were expressing disgust with political correctness, and while the transition suggests the new president will continue his blunt talk and Twitter tirades, there's clearly pressure on him to tone it down starting today. Others were saying "I've had it with the establishment" of both parties, but keep in mind, the establishment remains entrenched in Washington, if not in the White House.
Still others just wanted an end to soaring health care costs, anemic wages, and disappearing manufacturing jobs, not to mention terrorism. But none of those problems will be easy to dismiss, especially if Trump struggles to keep the GOP majority in line behind him.
And some just wanted to keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House; for them, mission accomplished.
But Trump haters need to keep their expectations modest as well.
Just saying no to everything may have worked politically for the Republicans during the Obama years, but in their weakened state, that posture might backfire on Democrats, alienating the very same frustrated Democrat-leaning voters who gave Trump his victory. And don't forget, continued economic recovery, perhaps fueled by a Trump tax cut, will boost his standing big-time.
And try to remember that in the end, we're all Americans.