The election of Manhattan business tycoon and reality television star Donald Trump sent shockwaves through the United States. Republican partisans, however surprised, slept soundly on November 8, knowing that beginning in 2017, they would control both houses of Congress and the White House. Conversely, Democratic partisans are now fearing the rollback of President Barack Obama’s crowning achievements, such as the unaffordable entitlement expansions included in the Affordable Care Act and other liberal policy gains made over the past eight years.
Americans’ anxiety about the election results — especially Trump’s victory over the odds-on favorite Hillary Clinton — indirectly reflects the power accrued by the executive branch, and thus the president, over the past several decades. Few, it seems, are immune to the allure of the powerful office of the presidency — including even so-called “conservative” Republicans.
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