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| Election Special |

A NEW CONTRACT WITH AMERICA

6 MUST-DOS IN THE PRESIDENT’S FIRST 100 DAYS

1) RESTORE AMERICAN DETERRENCE

After eight years of world apology tours that empowered or ignored the actions of rogue states and non-state actors and blurred distinctions between friends and foes, the next administration must project new confidence in America’s exceptionalism, set red lines and back them with action, and reward allies while punishing enemies. Left unchecked, aggression by Russia, North Korea, China, and Iran will continue to destabilize the world and threaten America’s global interests. “The range of steps that the next president might take to rapidly project the image of resurgent US power is lengthy,” noted John Hannah, a deputy national security advisor in the Bush-Cheney administration, writing in the November 1 edition of Foreign Policy. Hannah’s shortlist includes destroying ISIS, deploying a missile defense system against a North Korean nuclear attack, and warning Iran: “The next time Iranian gunboats swarm one of our ships, they will face lethal force.”

2. RECONCILE WITH CONGRESS

The latest Gallup Poll shows that dissatisfaction with government ranks highest among the non-economy-related concerns of the American people. While more Americans assign greater positive approval ratings to President Obama than to Congress, the burden is normally on the president to reach out and create constructive relationships with key Congressional leaders. When the chips were down, Republican President Reagan and Democrat Tip O’Neill could drop their gloves and sit down over glasses of Irish whiskey and discuss tax and Social Security reform measures. Contrast that with the nearly 20 months it took for President Obama and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to meet one-on-one, and President Bush, who rarely met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, according to No Labels, a Washington political advocacy group chaired by former US senators Joseph Lieberman and John Huntsman. Another group, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Commission on Political Reform, recommends the president hold monthly meetings with congressional leaders and be invited by leadership to attend joint congressional caucuses twice a year.

Excerpted from Mishpacha Magazine. To view full version, SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE or LOG IN.

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