Morton Kondracke's Inside Perspective on the Presidential Election & Policy [Oct. 2016 Breakfast Recap]
Those brave souls not fed up with the election were treated to a fascinating analysis by a true Washington insider, Morton Kondracke, at the October breakfast meeting.
The breakfast was sponsored by CREW Seattle & Puget Sound and we appreciate their continued support.
Mr. Kondracke began with a sobering assessment – he gave the odds of this presidential election resulting in a better America as only five to 10 percent. Some of the results that he sees happening are:
- A fractured Republican Party;
- A cable TV Trump network;
- A vibrant Trump Political Action Committee; and
- A President Clinton facing pressure from the left wing of the Democratic Party resulting in continuing polarization and government gridlock.
Morton outlined the problems facing our country:
- Federal debt
- Broken immigration system
- Mediocre public education system
- Infrastructure requires major investment
- Loss of American jobs
With the continuing gridlock, Morton expects that whoever wins the presidency will govern as much as possible with the use of executive orders.
Mr. Kondracke then outlined what would happen in the event that Mr. Trump wins the election. He forecasts that the Democratic Party would use the filibuster to block President Trump’s initiatives in educational choice, lower corporate taxes and more investment in the military.
So, how did we get to this state of polarization? Morton postulated that Donald Trump has tapped into the fury of the white working class that sees:
- Household income down;
- Healthcare and education costs going up;
- Loss of manufacturing jobs;
- Sub-par education; and
- Increasing gap between the rich and the rest.
Morton then outlined his ideas for how we make the political/election process better. He spoke of four main points:
- Hillary Clinton, if elected, hopefully will be a better president than generally expected;
- Both parties need to be attentive to lifting up the working class;
- A robust moderate class in politics must be created to reduce polarization; and
- We must undertake political reform, including:
- Truly impartial and independent redistricting
- Open primaries with ranked order voting
- Creation of a viable third party that is an active participant in debates
- Campaign finance reform
Mostly, we need to create a political mindset that has the first priority as representing the people, not the special interests.
Mr. Kondracke did not paint a picture of happiness about this election. Most, if not all, the audience felt this as well. Thankfully, this election season will be over soon!
This article was written by NAIOP Washington State and Programs Committee member Edward Scherer, Account Executive, Avidex Industries, LLC.