On August 20, 2012, then-President Barack Obama drew a line in the sand for Syria. And after that line was drawn, Syria stepped over it by using chemical weapons. President Obama did nothing—holding fast to his ideology of strength through weakness. This was just one of many ideological positions that helped President Donald Trump win the presidency, and today, we are witnessing bipartisan support for President Trump, who thankfully did not simply draw a line in the sand and reprimand Bashar al-Assad.
Some on Wall Street are indicating this move could mean uncertainty for the markets. And we all know, of course, how much markets hate uncertainty. I don’t believe this brings uncertainty at all, but rather certainty that America will use its strength and will do what is necessary for humanitarian reasons. President Trump’s actions also further strengthen the agenda of peace through strength.
President Trump took a very decisive action with the support of our allies—the keyword being “decisive.” Decisiveness, strength with precision and an unwavering commitment to a well-thought-out plan is not uncertainty. Around the globe, we can expect some uncertainty in the reaction of others, but remember, they will be reacting with the understanding that there is a new sheriff in town.
The swiftness of this attack is also a credit to the strength of America, to the president of the United States, and his wisdom in choosing Gen. James Mattis and others who advised him in making this decision. This is a win for America; it will not only generate even more enthusiasm and optimism about the years ahead, but will be positive for the economy and markets.
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One could argue that we have many things to be concerned about when it comes to the economy and markets, but I would argue that this missile strike is not one of them. As we experience more and more concern over health care, tax reform, debt ceilings, budgets and infrastructure, our worries ought to be about the pace in which things are or are not getting done.
If this president is making any mistakes, it’s that he is looking at 535 people on Capitol Hill—most of whom have never juggled more than one ball in the air in their lives—and asking them to actually multitask when they have been working in an environment where “multitasking” means eating lunch and discussing business at the same time.
President Trump’s greatest hurdle is choosing whether to slow down or figure out a way to deal with politicians who just aren’t capable of moving at a different pace than they have over the past 30 years or so.
If there’s anything bad for the markets right now, it is delay, indecisiveness and divisiveness within the majority party, resulting in an inability to get things done. There seems to be no lack of confidence in the agenda of this president, but the lack of confidence in Congress is alive and well.
(Dan Celia is president and CEO of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries, Inc., and host of the nationally syndicated radio and television program “Financial Issues,” heard daily on more than 600 stations across the country and reaching millions of households on the National Religious Broadcasters Network, BizTV, Dove-TV and others. Visit www.financialissues.org.)
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