A Tale of Two Days in the Federal City

Published February 5, 2017 in The Jamestown Post-Journal

This week we sat down to dinner with great friends over many years. They had gone to D.C. to attend the Inauguration of Donald Trump. We had gone primarily so that my wife, daughter and other family members could attend the Women’s March on Washington.

One of the pluses of living in a small town is that you don’t have to go far to have a stimulating political discussion! Our friends thought the new President’s speech was fine and that he essentially restated what he had promised to do in the campaign. They had prime standing room near the Capitol and looked out on a vast sea of enthusiastic supporters who had come to participate in the celebration.

What I saw was an unsmiling new President with his fist raised. He seemed to be announcing that Washington would now be introduced to a new “no holds barred” type of political confrontation. The Lincolnesque words that I was hoping for to pull the country together like “malice toward none, with charity to all”… never came.

Common in our interest was witnessing the peaceful transfer of power

Nevertheless, we and our friends were experiencing the same event. Common in our interest was the witnessing of the peaceful transfer of power in this great democracy which must be a marvel to the rest of the world. Once the speeches were over, the Trumps accompanied the Obamas to the east side of the Capitol where they shook hands as the former President and his wife left by helicopter.

During the Inaugural festivities the camera near the top of the Capitol dome scanned the crowd. The Mall was packed with people near the Capitol, but you could see open space down toward the Washington Monument. That wouldn’t have usually resulted in acrimony, but became controversial when the new President, the next day, criticized the media for underestimating the crowd.

At our vantage point, our daughter’s home about 10 blocks east of the Capitol, Inauguration Day on Friday was relatively quiet. However, on Saturday, the day of the March, nearly every street heading toward the Capitol was jammed with people walking. The D.C. government announced that 200 bus parking permits were issued for the Inauguration, but that 1200 had been issued for the March. Many people were walking 2-3 miles from the bus parking at RFK stadium to get to the National Mall.

People were happy to be there and involved in their democracy… 

though not necessarily excited about their new President

Those from our family who joined in were amazed at the dignified and courteous demeanor of the crowd. People were happy to be there and involved in their democracy… though, not necessarily, excited about their new President. There were so many people on the Mall that, at first, there was no place to march. Finally, the crowd began to move toward Pennsylvania Avenue and many ended up walking toward the White House along the same route the parade had taken the day before. If you combined the crowds from Friday and Saturday it could have been the biggest Inaugural event ever!

Two trips over two days to the Federal City experienced by two couples who saw things a little differently and retold it over a lively dinner conversation… that is one of the beauties of living in Chautauqua County. It is good to keep talking with each other!


Rolland Kidder
Stow, NY

Uncharted Territory

Published January 15, 2017 in The Jamestown Post-Journal

One of the exciting aspects of being alive in 2016/2017 is that we have witnessed a lot of “firsts” in American politics. It is the first time that we have elected a person with no governmental experience to the highest office in the land. It is also a “first” that he did this with little support from the establishment of his own party and he did it single-handedly by being his own communications director. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

In saying that President Trump had no “governmental experience,” we must acknowledge that others came to that office who had never been elected before. Herbert Hoover comes to mind. However, Hoover had extensive experience dealing with public issues and had been Secretary of Commerce in the 1920’s. Presidents Grant and Eisenhower also had no elective experience, but they had been deeply immersed in the politics of the Nation through their military service. Because of that, they had a strong sense and appreciation of the complexities and challenges associated with becoming President and Commander-in-Chief.

If nothing else, Donald Trump is now living proof that, in America, experience in politics and government is not a prerequisite to becoming President. That also means that though we are rooting for him to be successful, we are also “holding our breath” a bit hoping that he doesn’t fail.

It also is becoming apparent that Mr. Trump’s ascension to the Presidency is coming at a time when the world, in general, is in a topsy-turvy mood. If this were another country (take Argentina as an example), one wouldn’t be much worried. The world doesn’t usually look to Argentina for global leadership. However, this is the United States of America which fought two World Wars in the 20th century and is now looked to as the leader of the world. It would have been reassuring had Mr. Trump been tutored at least a bit in the intricacies of international diplomacy.

As Van Miller used to say: “Fasten your seat belt folks!”

But, all of this is now conjecture. As Van Miller used to say in announcing Buffalo Bill’s games: “Fasten your seat belt folks!” We have a new President, and we must wish and hope for him to be successful.

I see some bright spots in his leadership team. His nominee for Secretary of Defense, James “Mad-dog” Mattis had a stellar career in the Marine Corps and was exposed to the quagmire of the War in Iraq. Mike Pence, his Vice President, served in the Congress and as Governor of Indiana—he knows how difficult it can be to run a government.

Then, there is his son-in-law, Jared Kushner: a young, 35 year-old man, but a person who seems to have depth and perspective. He studied sociology at Harvard, and received his JD and MBA at New York University. You cannot have gone through that and not picked up on the complexities and challenges of running a country like America which has obligations of leadership throughout the world. Mr. Kushner will now be Senior White House Advisor to the President.

So good luck, Mr. President. You won the election and now all of us will be affected and governed by your decisions. We are in the same boat now!

Rolland Kidder
Stow, NY

Electoral College Is Our System

Published January 1st, 2017 in The Jamestown Post-Journal

There are two issues that have surfaced since the election: one which, in my mind, should cause some real concern. The other should be forgotten and left behind.

The “real” issue is whether and to what extent the election was influenced by a foreign power(s) through hacking on the internet and abuse of the electronic media. The name most mentioned is Russia, but the issue goes beyond one country. If our elections can be interfered with or corrupted by any foreign power… it is a matter that should concern us all. Both Democrats and Republicans in the Congress have expressed concern about this, and hopefully, can they can get to the bottom of it.

The other issue which has received a lot of “buzz” is the matter of the Electoral College. Since Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by over 2 million votes, there are a lot of voices calling for the direct election of the President. To that, an old cliche is probably the best advice: “Don’t waste your time, forget about it!” The Electoral College is a part of the U.S. Constitution and it is not going to change.

Back in college I read James Madison’s Journals of the Constitutional Convention. What came out in those journals is that the Constitution was created through a series of compromises. The agricultural states were concerned about the influence of the commercial/industrial states. Small states wanted protection against bigger states. And, there was an underlying concern about the wisdom of the populace in directly electing the President. The creation of the Electoral College was one of the compromises made to address these concerns.

So think about our politics today. Nothing much has really changed. The small states still want protection from the bigger states, and smaller states benefit by getting leverage through the Electoral College. Agricultural states, like Iowa, still worry about the overpowering influence of large populated, commercial states like California and New York. Southern states still resent the financial power of northern states, etc. The beat goes on!

Since the Constitution requires a vote of three-fourths of the states to amend the Constitution, what are the chances that smaller states in the union would ever approve an amendment diminishing their power by eliminating the Electoral College? I would say slim to none. If you lived in the Dakotas, Rhode Island or Wyoming would you vote for such an amendment? Probably not. 

If you lived in the Dakotas, Rhode Island or Wyoming would you vote for such an amendment?  Probably not. 

So we have to move on. This year the Electoral College benefitted the Republican candidate. Next time it could benefit the Democratic candidate. What we do know is that everyone running for President knows the rules. Not only do you need to win the election, you need to carry a certain number of states in order to secure your victory in the Electoral College. Usually, the popular vote winner also wins the vote in the Electoral College — but not this year.

It is not a perfect system, and it may seem undemocratic and unreasonable to people from other countries. However, it is our system. It has been our system since the founding of the union, and it is doubtful we would have had a union without it. It will continue to be the system used in our national elections for the Presidency of our country. Forget about trying to change it.


Rolland Kidder

Mr. Kidder is a Stow resident.