Lead if you’re going to lead, Mr. President

I try my hardest to avoid the President’s Tweets. I don’t follow him. I’ve purged my feed of people who embrace his bombastic style or his oft-liberal policies. Sometimes, his Tweets sneak in and when they do, I cringe at the implications.

The latest one is a stark demonstration of his unwillingness to lead.

It's very sad that Republicans, even some that were carried over the line on my back, do very little to protect their President.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2017

It’s important to note that I say he has an “unwillingness” to lead. He’s capable. I was wrong early on in 2015 when I thought he lacked the ability to lead. His victory demonstrated that he knows how to say the right things, push the right buttons, and strategically position his message in a way that will get the masses to follow him. Unfortunately, the strength he demonstrated during his Presidential campaign has been replaced by his stronger tendency.

When the cards are stacked against him, he has a single trump card for every situation: the victim card.

This is an opportunity for the President of the United States to guide the beleaguered Republican Party to the place they’ve promised to be if given the chance. They have the chance but they’re squandering it. Instead of bringing them together, their default leader is pointing fingers and asking them why they’re not protecting him.

One question, Mr. President: Why are you asking for protection?

More questions: Shouldn’t you be asking for support? Shouldn’t you be laying down a path for them to repeal Obamacare, build the wall, reform the tax system, and reduce threats abroad such as Russian interference with elections and policies?

In short, shouldn’t you be leading instead of whining?

It’s been six months and despite erroneous claims to the contrary, the President’s administration has accomplished pitifully little. There have been good things; I’m not one to ignore reality. The EPA is heading in the right direction. The travel ban, while far from perfect, is a necessary action even if it was clumsily rolled out and amateurish in nature. Regulations, which are often the biggest impediment to growth for the private sector, are being reduced dramatically. There have been positives, just not nearly enough.

Now is the time to bring the nation together to face the problems that have been brewing with nearly three decades of failed leaders at the top. To do that, the President must start leading and that leadership must start within his own party. Stop pointing fingers. Stop being the immature whiner so many have tagged you as from the beginning. Start being accountable for failures and earn the respect of the people you serve.

Start leading.

It’s no secret that we’re building the Federalist Party to oppose the GOP, but we put the nation above the party. I’d rather see the GOP succeed with a small-government agenda that repeals Obamacare fully, reduces taxes, and kills off bureaucracy. If they fail (which seems more imminent every day), we want to be there to pick up the pieces.

In lieu of a long rant, I’ll close with this. The office of the President of the United States is one that has always gotten things done through dignity. Even when the wrong people sit in the Oval Office, the position held power by being above the fray. Watching the President roll around in the mud like a juvenile is not just counterproductive. It tarnishes the remnant of dignity the office itself still holds.