Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Giordano: Some signs Trump is backing away from campaign promises

EVEN THOUGH Hillary Clinton did not make history in the recent election, another woman did. Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's campaign manager, became the first woman to be victorious as a campaign manager in a presidential race. Conway is a South Jersey gal - born in Camden - and she shared some of the secrets to her success in an interview on Wednesday on my radio show.

EVEN THOUGH Hillary Clinton did not make history in the recent election, another woman did. Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's campaign manager, became the first woman to be victorious as a campaign manager in a presidential race. Conway is a South Jersey gal - born in Camden - and she shared some of the secrets to her success in an interview on Wednesday on my radio show.

It was clear Conway knew that Trump had broken through in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and even Wisconsin well before the election results came rolling in. She repeatedly made the point that Trump had raised issues such as bad trade deals, stagnating wages and problems with illegal immigration to a level where traditional Democratic voters were able to vote for him.

We also discussed the personal attacks she faces because of her position in aiding Trump. It's almost as if she is seen as being German propagandist Leni Riefenstahl to Trump's Adolf Hitler. She told me she is bombarded with people questioning her about being able to look her four young children in the eyes after packaging Trump.

Conway and I were on opposite sides when discussing Trump's decision to back away from his campaign promises to pursue Hillary Clinton legally on her email server issues and scandals around the Clinton Foundation. Her rationale was that Trump is looking to heal the country and move forward on big issues. Many Trump supporters see this as an ominous sign that he will not fulfill other campaign promises.

I am concerned he might not move to stop the sanctuary city policy of big cities such as Philadelphia. Philadelphia's policy is back in the news because, as Dave Davies at www.newsworks.org reports, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Philadelphia police refused to hand an alleged child rapist who is here illegally over to federal authorities and later released him on bail. ICE later arrested Dominican national Josue Duran-Cortes after their own investigation.

This insane policy by Philadelphia puts everyone at risk and is a lawless mentality that Trump and the Congress must rein in by cutting off federal funds. It will be very interesting to see whether visions of a lawless utopia are still dancing in Mayor Kenney's head if federal funds are cut off in key areas.

Philadelphia also might be affected significantly by Trump's appointment of Betsy DeVos to be the next secretary of education. DeVos is an heir to the Amway fortune and has pushed for charter schools and school choice in Michigan. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said, "Trump has chosen the most ideological, anti-public ed nominee since the creation of the Department of Education." Given Weingarten's radical anti-choice positions, I think DeVos might be a decent choice.

On the DeVos nomination, City Councilwoman Helen Gym said, "this extreme ideologue" will be able to use her government position to advocate for more charters, along with vouchers to send more children to private or parochial schools.

I wonder whether the tens of thousands of Philadelphia parents on waiting lists to get their kids in private schools will see it the same way. They recognize the power of being able to choose a school that meets their family's needs.

DeVos also will be under fire from conservative activists because she has supported the federal Common Core plan in the past. The objection is that these federal standards are too intrusive and don't allow for enough local control.

So in his reversal on not prosecuting Clinton, the nomination of DeVos, some statements of potential reversal on waterboarding and climate change treaties, I see in Trump someone who is not a conservative but a populist who will be all over the map in his policies.

I don't believe this be will reassuring to those who think they are bravely mounting the resistance against the rise of another Hitler. They might even think my analysis is an attempt to further this Hitlerian rise.

My advice is come to terms with the real issues that fueled Trump's rise, and come up with better solutions.

Teacher-turned-talk show host Dom Giordano is heard 9 a.m. to noon weekdays on WPHT (1210-AM). Contact him at www.domgiordano.com

@DomShow1210