In his acceptance speech, Donald Trump laid out an upbeat, aggressive roadmap for America if re-elected.  Hubris, braggadocio?  Of course.  Would it be a Donald Trump speech if it weren’t a little (a lot) over the top?

But he made a good case for much of his agenda, by recalling the successes that he had in his first term: Trump tax cuts, resulting in increased federal revenue; defeated ISIS; challenged our allies and our adversaries alike; effectively shut down the border; opportunity zones for poor and minority communities; reduced regulations; no new wars; energy independence; the Abraham Accords; and more.

Donald Trump proposed new tax cuts, including the elimination of taxes on tips; increased manufacturing jobs, particularly autos; lowering inflation; an Iron Dome (nod to the defense contractors); saving Social Security and Medicare; safer streets; closing the border; deporting those who are here illegally; and more.

For several moments, I envisioned a shining city on a hill, paved in gold bricks, children playing in parks, older citizens strolling on the beach, $1-per-gallon gasoline, plentiful good-paying jobs, food in abundance, with beer and wine being dispensed for free from fountains in the public square.  Then it hit me: the wrench in the gears.

Donald Trump will still have to deal with feckless Republicans and radical leftists.

Although unity was the theme of the convention, and many previously outspoken critics of Mr. Trump appeared to stand shoulder to shoulder with our next president, if history rhymes, as some have said, the prospect of achieving half of what President Trump has proposed would be miraculous.

I have been a Republican since 1979.  Sadly, I have too often seen our party clutch defeat from the jaws of victory.  Will we rally behind our next president?  Will “the people’s will” be served, and not the lobbyists in Washington, D.C.?  Will Donald Trump learn from the hiring mistakes from his first term and surround himself with merit-based, America First loyalists?

More critically, will Mr. Trump institute a zero-tolerance policy toward leftist activist groups — Antifa, BLM, the LGBT mafia, and the “death to America” wing of the Democrat party?  Allow for and encourage freedom of speech, but at the instance that protests turn violent, give police the green light to arrest, try, and imprison these miscreants at will.

America’s future could be bright, as envisioned and articulated by Donald Trump, or it could be brought to collapse.

I pray for the former and will fight to defend against the latter, for our children and grandchildren.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.