Republicans in Clallam and Jefferson counties celebrated the inauguration of Donald Trump as president and talked of their hopes for eased business regulations, more freedom of speech and religion, better health care and a strengthening of the United States’ image in the world.
“I think finally there’s someone in there who believes in the little guy,” said James Preston, a Clallam County precinct committee officer, after a champagne toast (or one of beer, cider or water) of the newly sworn-in president at the Clallam County GOP headquarters in Port Angeles on Friday evening.
Republican Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United State on Friday morning.
Billionaire Trump isn’t a little guy, Preston admitted, but he thinks the new president, who heralded an era of “America First” in his inaugural speech, understands their position.
“The little guys are really hurting,” said Brian Garrett, former CEO of Community Banks of California who presently has a “hobby” of a barbecue catering business.
He is looking for regulatory relief from the Trump administration.
Preston said regulations can be put into place that balance business and environmental concerns. “Do it responsibly,” he said. “Government can facilitate business, but the last eight years have killed it.”
While about 30 people RSVP’d to the Clallam County gathering, 75 people showed up for the celebration at the Highway Twenty Roadhouse in Port Townsend, said Jon Cooke, Jefferson County Republican Party chairman.
“We toasted our victory” with champagne, Cooke said.
“They were really excited. It was an exuberant crowd,” he said. “In Washington, we don’t get to see a lot of Republican victories, so it was a special night for us.”
Cooke said Trump supporters hope that he will “create jobs for our economy, put people back to work and have a society that respects each other. All the violence coming to an end would be really nice.”
A majority of Clallam County voters supported Republican Trump by 18,794 votes, or 48 percent, to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 17,677 votes, or 45 percent.
Jefferson County went overwhelmingly for Clinton, who won 12,656 votes, or 62 percent, to Trump’s 6,037 votes, or 30 percent.
Matthew Rainwater, Clallam County Republican chairman, hopes Trump will invigorate the USA’s global image.
“After eight years of Obama, in the eyes of the world, America’s been greatly weakened,” Rainwater said. “I hope he takes us back to a position of strength.”
Rainwater and others referred to former President Barrack Obama’s August 2012 “red line” in regard to a question about possible use of force in Syria. Obama said that use of chemical weapons by Syria would constitute a “red line” with “enormous consequences.”
In 2013, President Bashar al-Assad forces killed more than 1,400 people in a chemical-weapons attack. The U.S. was primed to attack, but Obama put on the brakes, seeking congressional approval for military intervention in Syria, which he did not get. Eventually, he brokered a deal with Russia that had Assad agreeing to destroy most of the regime’s arsenal of chemical weapons.
Failing to attack hurt the nation’s credibility, said several Republicans.
In comparison, Trump on Friday spoke of eradicating “radical Islamic terrorism from the face of the Earth.”
Said Rainwater: ”I think Trump is serious when he says he will do everything he can to eradicate Islamic terrorism.
“The world now knows we have a president who means business.”
Joyce Gautschi hopes for more of the religious freedom “that has been gradually taken away from us.”
Daniel Gautschi wants to see more freedom of choice, a revival of First Amendment rights “of conscience, of the ability to say no or yes.”
As an example, he said: “If you work in the public sector, you can’t say ‘merry Christmas’ because you have to keep church and state separate.”
Tom O’Donnell hopes to see more fact and less emotion in the global warming debate.
“I hope Mr. Trump can bring more rationality into the study of the climate,” O’Donnell said. “No one would disagree that the climate is changing. Are we causing it? I don’t think so.”
Dick Pilling, former chairman of the Clallam County Republican Party, spoke of his concern about the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I want to make sure the Supreme Court maintains an appropriate balance,” he said, meaning that the late Antonin Scalia is replaced with a conservative.
Asked what he hoped Trump would accomplish, Mel Frazier said: “All of it.”
Pressed for details, he said: “America First. If you want us to come to your aid and save your butt, then be willing to do something yourselves.”
The cost of health care insurance under the Affordable Care Act “is just killing some people,” Wanda Frazier said.
“You’ve got to leave Obamacare in place until we get something else in,” she said, but urged that it had to change.
“I’m hoping he’ll do such a good job that all of the skeptics and naysayers will be tempted to vote for him the next time,” Pilling said.
Jokes were made at the Port Angeles gathering about themselves as “deplorables,” referring to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s comment that “you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call a basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic,Islamaphobic — you name it.”
The characterization “might have cost her the election,” said Joyce Gautschi. “That was trash talk, below the belt.”
The quote preceded Clinton speaking about “that other basket of people are people who feel that the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they’re just desperate for change. It doesn’t really even matter where it comes from. They don’t buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won’t wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroin, feel like they’re in a dead end. Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well.”
Virginia O’Donnell, vice chair of the Clallam County Republican Party, said she is “looking forward to everyone settling down.
“I’m looking at the bigger picture of how we are all going to work together — Republicans, Democrats and independents,” she said.
“It’s going to take the work of responsible Republicans, Democrats and independents to clear away the chaos and move toward a future of hope.”
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
