Donald Trump is many things, but he is not a conservative. President-elect Trump wants to pass a huge spending bill. That’s not conservative. He’s socially liberal (don’t tell the rioters that, they seem to not realize that they got a guy closer to their policy preferences than they realize.) That’s not conservative. He’s used protectionist rhetoric when it comes to trade. That’s not conservative.

I’m under no illusions here. Like George W. Bush, whose “compassionate conservatism” drove me crazy, I suspect President Trump’s mish-mash populism will drive me crazy.

Some Republicans already suffer anxiety due to the news today that Trump may not fully repeal Obamacare:

President-elect Donald Trump said he would consider leaving in place certain parts of the Affordable Care Act, an indication of possible compromise after a campaign in which he pledged repeatedly to repeal the 2010 health-care law.

In his first interview since his election earlier this week, Mr. Trump said one priority was moving “quickly” on President Barack Obama’s signature health initiative, which Mr. Trump said has become so unworkable and expensive that “you can’t use it.”

Yet, Mr. Trump also showed a willingness to preserve at least two provisions of the law after Mr. Obama asked him to reconsider repealing it during their meeting at the White House on Thursday.

 Mr. Trump said he favors keeping the prohibition against insurers denying coverage because of patients’ existing conditions, and a provision that allows parents to provide years of additional coverage for children on their insurance policies.

Here are my hopes:

• An administration filled with unapologetic cost-cutters: Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Gary Johnson. These Governors are fearless with a budget veto pen. Let them start carving away the fat on the Federal level in various agencies.
• Immediate undoing of every Obama executive order. All of them. And then end executive orders. (Make that be the last executive order.)
• Reverse horrid legislation like Obamacare and Dodd-Frank and get the REINs act passed.
• Push Federalism everywhere. Get the Federal government’s nose out of as many issues as possible.
• Be cheerfully American everywhere. Enough of the self-flagellation of the last eight years. A bit of Reagan’s sunniness would go a long way.

It’s important, though, to remember that Cruz was right about Trump’s New York values–he’s not a rock-ribbed conservative. He seems to be a pragmatic populist and a volatile one at that.

What will that mean for America? Time will tell and it’s happier to be cautiously optimistic. Still, it’s unwise to pin ones hopes on a fallible human beings–especially of the political persuasion.

Better to manage expectations and set the bar low than be miserably disappointed for four years.