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Hold onto your hats, because 2017 is going to be an interesting year. From a national perspective, it's a whole new agenda. We should be seeing a sea change with respect to the federal agenda. Obamacare looks like it's on life support (no pun intended), double-digit increases in minimum wage won't sound so acceptable, and sanctuary cities might not find the support they've had in the past. I could go on, but suffice it to say, the mindset in Washington is going to change. New faces will step in to run federal departments, and some appointees have already made it known they don't really care for some of those departments. Cabinet nominees will hold philosophies that are very different from those of the Obama administration. Republicans will control the Oval Office, the House and the Senate. If you're a conservative, the good news is your party has taken back control and the agenda will change. The bad news is there will be zero excuses for not moving forward on an agenda. They'll be no reason for finger-pointing or blaming the Democrats, because you'll have control of Washington. If you can't make it happen, it's your fault! Having said all that, President-Elect Donald Trump will be the wild card. Most likely, he's not going to support the Republican agenda across the board. My sense is he really didn't need the party to win the election and he won't totally rely on the party to drive his agenda. The Trump loyalists who helped elect him in the first place expect him to do the things he promised, but I doubt they'll hold his feet to the fire on everything. He'll have some wiggle room and a lot will depend on how much he can drive this economy. If he puts people back to work and the economy is firing in all cylinders, he'll have tremendous support. If not, he'll be just another politician making promises he can't fulfill. That's what I love about democracy. By its very nature, it changes the playing field. Take the past several decades of presidential shift: Bush/Republican to Clinton/Democrat; Clinton/Democrat to Bush/Republican; Bush/Republican to Obama/Democrat; Obama/Democrat to Trump/Republican. Get the trend? America is one of few countries that can insist on and make a shift in policy happen. We love an underdog and someone who will buck the system and remind us that WE are ultimately in control. But here's what's a little different about this election. While I know of many people who didn't vote for President Obama they, like me, had tears in their eyes watching his inauguration. Though not voting supporters, we were moved and we were proud that our country voted our first African American president into office. That's not so much the case this time around. I admit Donald Trump doesn't do himself any favors by calling out anyone and everyone who crosses him, but in many cases, he's saying things people are thinking. That's why they voted for him. He was elected through a very long, arduous process and deserves a chance, given the success he's had. He's not a perfect person, none of us are, but he's demonstrated his love for his family, his country and his desire to make it great is clear. His margin of victory was narrow, which means he will have to deliver and deliver fairly quickly to hold his base. So, let's give him a chance and be happy that in this country, you can vote for change every four years and maybe create a whole new set of happy and unhappy Americans. Tony Iannelli is president and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. His column appears weekly on the Business Cycle. He can be reached at tonyi@lehighvalleychamber.org. Read the original article here.