DV Journal

The results of the elections show many are optimistic that President-elect Trump will bring about a new Golden Age in America. What will this new era mean for the world? Most seek peace, prosperity and the hope of a better future for all. The hardships associated with the Biden administration, including inflation, crime, and border insecurity, are ready for much-needed relief.

America, the greatest nation in history, expressed its voice through election results coast to coast, returning a trifecta of conservatism to the presidency, Senate and House of Representatives — including a significant victory in the popular vote. The American people are sending leaders into office with a mandate.

Recent history reminds us of the fatigue and loss that war brings. The bitterness of bloodshed is abhorred by all involved. With a change in leadership, we have the potential to promote harmony and save lives.

Rather than investing in allies’ wars, Trump will act as commander-in-chief and diplomat-in-chief to broker ceasefires in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Trump will invest in saving lives, not merely providing warfighting equipment, with a steady backbone of competence and conviction.

“Peace through strategy” is the long-standing mission of Defending Our Country. On the eve of this most consequential election for America, with the future of Western democracy on the ballot, we attended a United Kingdom-sponsored event in London. From academics to taxi drivers, waiters and shopkeepers, everyone we encountered wished for Trump to return to the Oval Office.

With the election results determined and campaign season over, the time for governing is here. However, the rhetoric that rallies a nominee’s base differs from the diplomacy needed to lead the Free World into a new Golden Age. It is time for Trump and the transition team to think strategically through hiring decisions that can broker “peace through strategy.”

The strategy for manifesting a Golden Age demands an executive branch filled with the most innovative scientists and researchers, accomplished business leaders, and acclaimed minds from the private sector. The inbreeding of government bureaucracy and the Ivory Tower pipeline of how Washington has always done business continues to miss the mark and the heartbeat of democracy, as evidenced by the historic vote of the American people and sentiment abroad.

The path forward for the Golden Age requires Trump to select capable leaders with a record that speaks to their dedication and calling to serve the nation faithfully and effectively. By constitutional design, the executive branch represents a bench of talented experts who can advise on and execute the entire functioning of the federal government.

The priority should be retaining an executive branch that will formulate and streamline the federal budget. Second, policy frameworks should include a grand strategy that brings in allies and partners across the globe instead of isolating and creating adversarial coalitions. Third, an emphasis on the “peace through strategy” narrative should be adopted. Leaders and the public have realized that the brute focus on “peace through strength” has not served America or its partners productively since the end of the Cold War.

The 21st century has brought unique challenges and increasing conflicts that have redefined effective strategies. It is time for adversarial world leaders, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping, the Iranian Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to redefine their legacies and join the Golden Age — not watch it occur as tyrants on the sidelines. These adversarial leaders have proven to the world that their paths to war do not win, are unsustainable, and have not advanced their national interests.

As Americans voted for Trump, the world watched and longed for his return to power. The Golden Age is the clarion call of Trump to America’s citizens, global leaders, and individuals worldwide to live securely and safely.

America is at full potential, and a Golden Age is achievable if the president hires those with a different spirit and mindset who can innovate, create and shape a better future through the manifestation and global mandate of “peace through strategy.”

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he is appointing Dr. Mehmet Oz as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator.

Oz ran for U.S. Senator in Pennsylvania in 2022, losing to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)

Oz is famous as a former television doctor who cut his TV chops with the television personality Oprah Winfrey and hosted his program, “The Dr. Oz Show.”

The cardiothoracic surgeon who invented a heart valve and practiced at Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center in New York.

Oz, a Republican, sought to replace former GOP Sen. Pat Toomey. Although his wife grew up in Bryn Athyn and the family has a home there, although Oz lived part-time in New Jersey to be closer to work. The Fetterman campaign successfully targeted him as a carpetbagger.  According to an X post, Fetterman said, ““Well, I’ve been very, very clear if Dr Oz agrees to protect and preserve Medicaid and Medicare, I’m absolutely going to vote for the dude.”

Jim Worthington, an RNC delegate and owner of the Newtown Athletic Club (NAC), said he knows Oz well.  Worthington became friends with Oz after Trump appointed both men to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition in 2018.

When Oz ran for the Senate, Worthington said he backed him wholeheartedly. Worthington said Oz is “brilliant.” When Oz lost to Fetterman, “it was one of my saddest days.”

“America lost out. Dr. Oz would have been a great senator,” he said.

At a campaign event at the NAC in September 2022, when radio talk show host and DVJournal columnist Dom Giordano was speaking, a woman in the audience fainted.  Oz jumped into action, leaped over a railing and revived her.

Oz is not only a “world-renowned heart surgeon” but a businessman and someone who “can do anything,” said Worthington. Appointing him to the CMS “will be good for the country.”  Oz knows about senior citizens, medicine and business, said Worthington.

“He’s a great guy,” said Worthington. “His wife, Lisa, is great, too. She’s brilliant in her own right. They’re good people.”

Longtime Republican consultant Christopher Nicholas said, “It’s an important job – glad another Pennsylvanian has been tapped to help steer it.”

Oz has been an outspoken Trump supporter, and Trump endorsed him when he ran for the Senate.

In a statement, Trump said, “America is facing a healthcare crisis, and there may be no physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again [MAHA]. He is an eminent physician, heart surgeon, inventor, and world-class communicator who has been at the forefront of healthy living for decades. Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on the illness industrial complex and all the horrible chronic diseases left in its wake.

“Our broken Healthcare System harms everyday Americans and crushes our country’s budget. Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing disease prevention so we get the best results in the world for every dollar we spend on healthcare in our great country. He will also cut waste and fraud within our country’s most expensive government agency, which is a third of our nation’s healthcare spend[ing] and a quarter of our entire national budget.

“Oz graduated from Harvard College and earned a joint MD and MBA degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School, my powerful alma mater. He rose to become a professor of surgery at Columbia University while receiving numerous patents on his medical inventions, authoring more than 400 original publications, and publishing numerous New York Times Best Selling books,” the statement said.

“He won nine Daytime Emmy Awards hosting ‘The Dr. Oz Show,’ where he taught millions of Americans how to make healthier lifestyle choices and gave a strong voice to the key pillars of the MAHA Movement. Dr. Oz and his wife, Lisa, expanded this effort by founding HealthCorps, a non-profit that has improved the lives of millions of underserved teens nationwide over the past two decades.”

Oz, whose parents immigrated to America from Turkey, and his wife have four children. He grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, where his father was a thoracic surgeon.

Oz is “a great person. He’s a great pick,” added Worthington.

Trump said, “I have known Dr. Oz for many years, and I am confident he will fight to ensure everyone in America receives the best possible healthcare so our country can be great and healthy Again!”

Some Democrats, locally and nationally, are in denial about the huge Trump and Republican win on Nov. 5.

But the sleeper issue of males playing in girls’ spots that I pointed out in my column just before the election proved to be a winner for the Trump campaign.

The Trump campaign spent about $33 million on ads showing Vice President Harris supported taxpayer-funded surgeries for prisoners who were here illegally and wanted to change from male to female. That snapshot of Harris’ policies, along with Democrats’ support for boys/men to play against girls/women in various sports, moved the needle to Trump for a variety of voters.

Some Democrats, like Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, see this issue as an indicator that his party needs rebranding.

Moulton said, “Democrats spend way too much time trying to not offend anyone. I have two little girls. I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field  by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd echoed that, saying, “Democrats learned the hard way in this election that mothers care both about abortion rights and having their daughters compete fairly and safely on the playing field.”

That thought process did not seem to register with many Democrats, particularly the very liberal Central Bucks School Board. At its most recent meeting, the board doubled down on the vote to overturn of the previous Republican-led board’s barring biological males from participating in female sports.

It even cited the fact that the school district had a female player on the boys’ football team to push back against safety concerns. My advice to those arguing against males in female sports is to lead with the argument of fairness, not safety. Females have worked for years to compete at high levels, and mediocre males with distinct physical advantages should not be allowed to overwhelm them.

I have also noted Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, had not recently spoken out on the issue. In the past, he has accused those who oppose males playing in female sports of discrimination. This issue that impacted the presidential election could also be a sleeper issue for the governor’s race in Pennsylvania in 2026.

The most outrageous response to the 2024 election results has been the Bucks commissioners’ antics as they sat as the county Election Board in counting votes between the Pennsylvania race for the United States Senate between Sen. Bob Casey and Dave McCormick.

McCormick still has a lead that is mathematically impossible to overcome. So, Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia tried to change the rules. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled twice that misdated and undated ballots cannot be counted. Marseglia admitted she knew it was illegal to count these ballots, but she was going to do it anyhow.

She said, “I think we all know that precedent by a court does any matter anymore in the country. And people violate the law anytime they want. For me, if I violate the law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention to it.” Democratic Commissioner Bob Harvie also voted for it.

And, ironically, Marseglia sits on the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Once again, Gov. Shapiro has been silent on this. People in Bucks County have not been silent, and there are calls for her impeachment.

The bottom line is that many Democrats still reject the voters’ will in the 2024 election cycle. Let’s see how long they continue that stance.