All I’ve ever wanted for the past 15 years was a chance to see if our country would fair better if we replaced career politicians in the POTUS and heads of the Federal agencies with successful private sector folks and it appears my wish has finally been granted.
If I had known Trump would have placed people in his cabinet who were not career bureaucrats then I would’ve not only voted for him but I would’ve donated to his campaign and knocked on doors. And it appears he’s doing just that.
Rex Tillerson (State), Steven Mnuchin (Treasury), Sonny Perdue (Agriculture), Andrew Puzder (Labor), Tom Price (HHS), Wilbur Ross (Commerce) and Ben Carson (HUD) are just to name a few who spent most of their professional lives in the private sector.
Having a POTUS from the private sector who is used to measuring success based on hitting time and financial targets will cause a paradigm shift in the way DC operates. And this means the House and Senate will not have 4 (maybe 8) years of business as usual.
The recent meeting of Congressional Republicans in Philadelphia highlights that perfectly in their listing of ambitious year 1 goals (Repeal and replace of Obamacare, a defense and border funding bill, an infrastructure bill and a tax overhaul and revamp of the IRS). Repealing/Replacing Obamacare and a revamp of the IRS are two items that I had thought would take years (if ever) with past DC cultures but I’m glad to see the expectations have been drastically elevated.
Even Republicans in the house are starting to realize that life under POTUS Trump won’t be like normal business in DC:
“President Trump comes from a different world,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters. “Out in the business community, he likes things done fast, and he’s going to continue to push them.”
And from this WSJ link, even Speaker Ryan knows that expectations have been raised.
“This is going to be an unconventional presidency,” House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) told reporters. “That’s something we’re just all going to have to get used to.”
Amen, put the foot to the floor and get shit done so fast we forget what it was like when bureaucrats spent months debating whether a bill should be brought to the floor for a vote and feared what the reaction would be from the Main Stream Media.
cosmoscon 
Cosmoscon, I watched the confirmation hearings with Betsy DeVos, and found it absolutely embarrassing how clueless this person is about anything regarding education. To make things worse, when she was asked three times if she supported that private schools are held accountable the same way public schools are, she refused to say so. She admitted to Bernie Sanders that her family donated in the range of $200 Million to the Trump campaign, which is probably the only reason she was considered for this position.
You are amazed at the speed of developments under Trump: Don’t forget that by the time the next elections come around, people will have woken up, and the republican majority could easily disappeare (if Trump is not indicted and/or removed before that happens). So, to achieve anything, they have to move really fast…
The only thing positive I find is the attempt to simplify the tax code. 200,000 pages with thousands of loopholes is a terrible thing. This is one task that should come first.
I will agree with you Wolf that reform of the tax code should be a priority. I’d like to see a Fair Tax or anything that simplifies what we have and reduces the size of the IRS. And I say this as I start my annual ritual of filling out my tax return. It’s the 21st century, surely we can think of a better way!
I agree with you, Cosmoscon.
Part of my glee is the whirlwind that has taken DC by storm. A mostly conservative whirlwind.
Another cause for glee is I seem to be seeing the GOP elite turning their ship…not sure but it seems that way. It’s almost like Trump’s campaign promises are in charge…
And then there’s this.
Sorry, a little off topic but I do agree with you.
Yes, even if Trump never accomplished anything in the next 4 years, at least he prevented Hillary from getting into the White House!