They’ll both do fine

It’s time for a couple of predictions. Governor Mike Dunleavy will not be recalled and President Donald Trump will not be removed from office by Congress.

Dunleavy appears to realize that his earlier approach to reducing the size of state government was a little too Godzilla-like for many Alaskans. Our state government organization was built when the price and Alaska production numbers on oil were both high and money was flooding into the state treasury.

The size and cost of our state government were unsustainable and Dunleavy came along at the right time. He knew tough decisions were necessary and he made them, though perhaps not with enough salesmanship to alleviate the pain for those most directly impacted, either in their jobs or in state services delivered.

In a recent speech to the Alaska Federation of Natives in Fairbanks, the governor said: “We all know the budget discussions were very difficult and at times contentious this past year. I will be the first to say that as governor I must take responsibility for my part in this process and I will work hard to ensure the budget process goes much more smoothly this year. I will make every effort to incorporate the perspective of all Alaskans.”

Dunleavy has made his point to most Alaskans about the need to reduce state spending, probably even more than he did this year. But hopefully his next phase of cutting will involve a little more salesmanship.

He has been selling his approach to a national audience through interviews with national conservative media outlets, though why he is making his case to a national audience instead of Alaskans is something of a mystery. If nothing else it should win him additional financial backing from conservatives.

The governor also recently hired Ben Stevens, son of the late U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, former president of the Alaska Senate and a top-notch political operative, as his chief of staff.

All of these things suggest a promising future for Governor Dunleavy and continuing improvement in Alaska’s government size to something more appropriate for its income.

President Trump faces ongoing turmoil in his political situation and could even be impeached by the U.S. House, where Democrats are in control. But an impeachment is like an indictment and the actual trial would be conducted by the Senate, where Republicans are in control.

And since the public seems to consider Trump’s quid pro quo negotiation with the Ukrainians more politics as usual than a real crime, the Democrats could be seen by the American public as trying to impeach the president on a technicality rather than a shocking crime. The Senate Republicans won’t let that happen.

A spokesman for the president told media representatives that such deals are made all the time in politics. Though the admission shocked many people, much of the public simply nodded their heads in agreement.

Donald Trump is a real anomaly in the Oval Office. He is, to use the nicest term I can come up with, a rough-hewn character given to gross statements and characterizations. He is not the kind of guy most of us would invite to our daughter’s wedding.

Trump has accomplished many great things as president and a lot of good things have happened, partly as a result of his decisions and approaches. The economy has added four million jobs during his term, manufacturing jobs are up by 400,000 and economic growth is up more than four percent. Trump has largely pulled the United States out of the endless war in the Middle East, though he jeopardized allies and worried others in the process. He has put U.S./Russia relations on a better footing and much more.

Actually Trump would look like a much better president if First Lady Melania would take his tweeter away. While he does his job well for the most part, his late-night Twitter postings are often downright obnoxious and give him the appearance of a fool in a very high place.

There is a chance that Trump could even be re-elected next year, especially if the Democrats nominate one of those candidates pushing socialist notions like Medicare for all. That might be a nice idea but millions of people are likely to worry it would threaten the Medicare they now have and on which many families depend as their primary source of medical insurance.

Next year at this time the world could look like a much different place.

Tom Brennan is an Anchorage columnist and author of five books. He was a reporter/columnist for The Anchorage Times and an editor and columnist at The Voice of The Times.