No, you don't want him to fail

Tomorrow, President Donald Trump may (or may not) celebrate his first 100 days in office.

Will you be partying along with him, or will you be part of a pity party still lamenting his ascension to the most powerful office on the planet?

The phenomenon that is The Donald continues to amaze, entertain, antagonize — fill in the blank. Did you see the recent poll that showed only 2 percent of Trump voters regret having cast their ballots for him? Apparently, his rabid supporters got exactly what they thought they were getting. The rest of the country is tepid at best.

Trump scored big points even outside his core group with the symbolic — and seismic — unloading of a big bomb on bad guys. But as the much-maligned mainstream media has chronicled, the President of the United States has also bombed out on some campaign promises.

We say: He’s not the first to overpromise and underdeliver. And we’d bet a silver dollar that he won’t be the last, either.

The way we see the near future is by re- examining the not-so-distant past. A guy named Obama seemingly came out of nowhere to win the White House, stirring massive fear and antagonism among those who opposed him from the get-go. Sound familiar?

Obama supporters pleaded for patience. Give the guy a chance, they said. Even if you won’t support him, at least stand aside and see what he can do.

Now 99 days into the Trump presidency, we want to see what he can do. That doesn’t mean we’re going to agree with all of his policies and perspectives, nor does it mean American citizens should refrain from open debate and criticism. The freedom to disagree and to engage in the meaningful exchange of ideas is what separates us from despots and their shattered people.

The fact that President Trump has softened or changed his stance on several issues like opposing NAFTA, funding the wall and targeting “Dreamers” demonstrates his ability to let new information guide his decision-making process. Agree or disagree with his stances, but recognize that even the most stubborn leaders excel when they’re receptive to accurate information and wisdom swaying their opinions.

In our view, citizens should want their president to be successful, even if they didn’t vote for him.

Whether that president is Obama or Trump, failure in the nation’s highest office means trouble in your own back yard.