In the worst sneak attack we'd ever faced, Japan took us by surprise on Dec. 7, 1941. 

The nation's mood then was universally anti-war, with the sentiment to stay out of Europe and not get involved in another foreign war. 

On that day, an unprepared and enranged America instantly changed its mind. 

Germany declared war on the U.S. within days.  For two years, we played catch-up to the reality of what a weak defense and foreign policy invite, translated into tens of thousands of dead American boys. 

Things began to turn around for us after the battle of Midway in June of 1942.  But, it would take another six months before the last Japanese territorial expansion finally peaked with attacks in Darwin, Australia, and Calcutta, India, in November and December of 1942.  On Jan. 2, 1943, the long climb back up bore fruit with our first big win in Buna, New Guinea, and then later the collapse of the Japanese in Guadalcanal in February.

Japan's General Yamamoto is quoted as saying:

"I can run wild for six months ... after that, I have no expectation of success."

Japan's defeat at the Battle of the Coral Sea proved Yamamoto prescient. 

In the here and now, president-elect Trump faces a similar picture. 

Instead of six months, he'll have at least 18 (six months before the next national election) to cement all the major changes he's likely to make in his final administration.  If he can't get his signature actions enacted into law by about that time, the realization is that there is no guarantee we'll hold the House or Senate in the second half of his term. 

Trump is off to a great start with multiple high-octane picks, which bodes well for his first 100 days.  Trump can't allow his momentum to slow even a little in his first 18 months.  After that, the vagaries of the election calendar, courts, and other factors will figure mightily into what's possible and what's not.

No one should ever underestimate the country's mood or how lightning-fast it can and does change.  Donald Trump comes into power with a mandate to enact change; he dare not squander this precious moment.  This is what the electorate agreed on when voting this month. 

Trump and the Republicans must be mindful that Kamala Harris received about nine million fewer votes than Biden in his first race.  (Trump received about 1.3 million more than last time.)  Political pundits are trying to rationalize the takeaways of what happened to those nine million.  The reality is, this election could have gone the other way if nine million more had voted or some portion had been counted as such, if you get my drift.

The political calendar is unfavorable to the Republicans in 2026, both in the Senate and particularly with an expected loss of House seats an incumbent presidency typically sees.  The call will soon ring out to temper our worst angels, seek accommodation, and reduce Republican so-called extremism: "Conservatives must hold steady and not yield to the siren calls for unity and bipartisanship," Anony Mee wrote in a recent American Thinker piece.  

Trump and his supporters must not squander the moment at this precise juncture with the biggest win against progressives ever.  Just as we believed this most recent election was the most consequential of our lifetime, what we do with it is even more critical.  This is the moment when we separate the true believers from those who value their political survival over what conservatism requires.  The next 18 months are all or nothing.  We can't survive if we don't win on big issues like:

A final and complete rewrite of the immigration code codifying a guest worker program, the end of birthright citizenship, and a controlled border that an illegal alien or terrorist should fear attempting to cross

A prioritized return of illegal immigrants to their home countries

De-woking our government, especially our military

Growing the power of our military to deter foreign wars

Bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States and end most welfare to fill those jobs created

Shrink the federal government by 1% a year, not growing it as Biden has, excluding the military, and reevaluating pay and benefits that frequently dwarf what is paid in the private sector for the same job classification

Rooting out partisanship throughout government that allowed FEMA personnel to think they could get away with bypassing damaged homes with Trump signs or flags or for the IRS to deny the non-profit status of conservative organizations without consequences

Change American foreign policy to be crystal clear.  No more strategic ambiguity that had the effect of having our adversaries test us and find us not instantly reacting to provocations

End the cultural wars progressives enacted over the last 40 years. End the information wars and censorship Democrats have enacted in recent years

Bring God, ethics, and citizenship back into our classrooms starting in kindergarten

Ensure tolerance is a two-way street with no one threatened for their beliefs

Do whatever we can to strengthen two-parent families and increase their birth rates

Republicans must put steel in their spines and put away petty party differences. If they do, they can become a juggernaut of change that our citizens, friends abroad, and enemies who no longer believe we can muster or sustain what our superpower status ultimately offers. Nothing is beyond Republicans' grasp if they can do that and stay true and on course.  

This is our last best chance, and it is time to show the world why America is truly exceptional.  If Trump and his Republicans don't rise to the moment, we'll all soon know the answer, and this historic moment will never return.

God bless America.

Allan J. Feifer is a patriot, author, businessman, thinker, and strategist.  Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com
 

Image: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, via Picryl // public domain

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