Two interesting people to watch
Jim Thompson
By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist
The election of this past week turned out quite interesting. I read somewhere that approximately $12 billion was spent on advertising and appearances. Compare this to the annual U.S. government annual budget for cancer research – $7 billion. Well, at least we have our priorities, right?
I joke. We come out of the election with two interesting people to watch.
The first is Sen. John Fetterman, (D-Pa.). Remember when he was elected, in 2022? He was recovering from a stroke. He appeared to be in a mental fog. Then, in 2023 when he took his seat, he refused to wear anything but a hoodie– not a button-down Brooks Brothers man. He is foggy no longer.
The quote from Sen. Fetterman that I like the most is this, from an ABC interview in 2024: “If you are rooting against the president, you are rooting against the nation.” He went on to say, “I’m not ever going to be where I want a president to fail. So, country, first.”
This is a Democrat like I remember from days of old. He has said other things with which I disagree, but at the top, he has his priorities correct.
The other one is Stephen Miller, who will be Trump’s chief of staff, effective Monday, Nov. 9. The chief of staff position does not require congressional approval. He is a graduate of Duke University (2007), worked for Sen. Jeff Sessions, and has been close to Trump since 2016.
Here is a list of his political beliefs (pulled from ChatGPT):
“Immigration: He favors aggressive enforcement, mass deportations, tighter asylum restrictions and limiting immigration.
“Presidential power: He believes the president should exercise broad executive authority to accomplish the administration's objectives.
“Nationalism: He favors putting American sovereignty, borders and national interests ahead of international institutions and agreements.
“Cultural issues: He has been a strong opponent of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and what he considers left-wing influence in American institutions.
“These are not positions he has merely discussed. He has helped turn them into government policy.”
Stephen Miller is one tough character. Expect lots of fireworks when the new Congress is seated in January, perhaps even before then.
The position of chief of staff is particularly important. He is the gatekeeper for the president, the coordinator among Cabinet departments and helps set the stance for responding to Congress and political opposition.
Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.