La Plata County Republicans give mixed reviews of President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, ranging from tempered approval to full-throttled support. But most seem to agree on one point: Given the chance to do it again, they’d vote for Trump over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
“Did I think he was the best choice? Absolutely not,” said Ron Etz, who served as Republican chairman of precinct 23 (west of Ignacio) during last year’s caucus. “But the reality of voting today is you don’t really have someone good to vote for – that you can really feel solid about. It’s the lesser of two evils, and she was more evil than he was.”
Trump won 40 percent of the popular vote in La Plata County compared with Clinton’s 50 percent. The remaining 10 percent went to third-party candidates.
Republican leaders gave Trump passing grades for his first 100 days in office, which culminate Saturday. They are buoyed by his tough stance on immigration, hawkish attitude toward national security and general push toward fiscal conservatism.
So far, Trump has appointed a U.S. Supreme Court justice, abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership, launched missiles into Syria and signed numerous executive orders, including some reversing decisions of former President Barack Obama, such as the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
But he’s run into roadblocks on other objectives, including those outlined in his “100-day action plan to make America great again.” Those efforts include repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, fund construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and reform illegal-immigration laws.
His supporters seem forgiving of any perceived shortcomings, saying Trump is moving in the right direction, and that’s what matters.
Etz said Trump deserves credit for putting America first and not policing the world. When asked about Trump’s decision to lob missiles into Syria, he said Obama didn’t follow through on a lot of his campaign promises, including closing Guantanamo Bay and removing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Sometimes you need to be focused on your own country and its issues and what you have going on, and not worry about running around and trying to clean up everybody’s mess,” Etz said.
Trump is decisive, takes action and doesn’t placate, he said. But the leader of the free world should be “a little bit more thick-skinned” when it comes to criticism, he said.
“I would love to shutoff his Twitter account,” Etz said. “You don’t need to react to every negative comment that somebody makes. You’re president of the United States, somebody is not going to like everything you do. ... It just lets people know they’re getting under your skin.”
It’s unfortunate Congress, under Trump’s leadership, hasn’t improved health care, Etz said. Republicans had eight years to work on a replacement, he said, yet the House couldn’t come to an agreement on a bill. The proposed fix was a bad bill, he said, and he doesn’t blame hard-line Republicans for rejecting it.
“You’re just putting a Band-Aid on something,” Etz said. “You don’t vote for it just because you want to follow the party line. I’m not that type of Republican. You vote for what’s good, and if it’s not good enough, you don’t vote for it.”
Bayfield resident Kristeen Melrose, who chaired precinct 19 during last year’s Republican caucus, said her district west of Bayfield is made up largely of farmers, ranchers and self-employed people. Of the 32 precincts in La Plata County, her precinct ranked fifth in support for Trump, with 58 percent of voters going for Trump.
“I would say most of the people that I speak with are in the same mindset as I am, that he’s doing a good job, and they would much prefer to have him in office than Hillary Clinton,” Melrose said.
She added: “Most people, they don’t want their guns taken away, they don’t want their ranching taken away, they don’t want (government) to dictate how they’re going to run their farms. There are very many things as to why Trump would be chosen over Hillary Clinton.”
She’s encouraged by Trump’s tough stance on illegal immigration, saying people who enter the U.S. illegally are “sucking the life right out of our country.”
“In other countries, if you cross their borders illegally, they shoot you,” Melrose said. “Here they bring you in and give you a free phone, free medical, free benefits, free food stamps, free college – all that. That’s just insane. I don’t know what they expect – that we’re going to go broke to be able to raise a whole other country’s kids?”
La Plata County resident April LaJune blames the “left” for obstructionism when it comes to Trump’s agenda. And by left, she includes elected Republicans such as Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham.
“People like that are still obstructionists,” LaJune said. “They’re sitting there in chairs, in Republican seats, but they are really Democrats.”
LaJune chaired precinct 15 (northeast corner of La Plata County), where 58 percent of voters went for Trump, the fourth highest in the county.
Republicans in her district don’t feel like the GOP or Democrats represent their interests, she said. Locally, liberals are “uncooperative” and “unreasonable” when it comes to renewable energy demands for La Plata Electric Association.
Residents in her precinct also are upset with the condition of roads. “They’re deteriorating so quickly it’s ridiculous,” she said. Yet, 60 percent of voters in her precinct rejected a proposed mill-levy increase last November that would have been used to make road and bridge improvements.
LaJune’s explanation: “Why should we give them more money to spend irresponsibly, when they should be balancing the budget, should stop unnecessary spending? ... Fix what you already have, show us that you can be responsible with our money, and then we might think about giving you more.”
Republicans believe government should start local and work its way up, not the other way, LaJune said. But that’s not how it’s working, she said. Trump is trying to return the power to the people, she said.
“He doesn’t want the government to have the power,” she said. “He’s trying to push all the power back to the people in the states, which is better. But the states need to push it down to the local.”
She added: “I think he (Trump) has done a fabulous job. He’s doing as much as he can with opposition from the left. He’s not a king, so he’s doing what he can. He’s also shown that he can lead the country against our enemies, which I think is really good.”
Durango resident Sidny Zink, a former city councilor, said people don’t understand how complicated it is to govern until they’re thrust into it. Trump hasn’t stuck to all of his campaign promises, she said, but that’s likely a reflection of on-the-job experience.
“I give him a little leeway for not being afraid to change his mind if he has learned new information,” Zink said.
Zink chaired precincts 1, 2 and 3 during last year’s Republican caucuses. The precincts, which comprise most of Durango proper, produced the first, second and fourth lowest support for Trump in La Plata County.
From talking to people in the precincts, Zink said residents who voted for Trump would vote for him again – even though some people are “a little nervous” about what’s going to happen next.
“I think, in general, probably, Republicans still feel like the only way we’re going to make any progress is to have a real shake up, and we’re getting some of that.”
Zink said she’s disappointed in Trump’s leadership style, saying it’s too “bombastic,” but “it’s important that he shows strength, and he is doing that.”
shane@durangoherald.com
Trump's 100-day contract (PDF)
