I still remember exactly how I felt on that Saturday morning in November, following the election, when the news outlets made the call that Joe Biden had carried the state of Pennsylvania and had secured enough electoral votes at that point to win the White House.
I had just walked into the living room where my wife was watching the NBC news coverage. Of course we had a good idea by then that the news would be good, as Trump's election day ballot lead had dwindled and then evaporated in the tide of mail-in ballots that were slowly but surely being counted and adding up for Biden. We had previously lived in Pennsylvania and I knew that, under its somewhat antiquated rule that mail-in ballots could not be opened and counted until the polls closed on election day, it would take a while to get the news. I thought Arizona would announce first, but suddenly, there it was.
After watching the coverage for a few minutes, seeing celebratory crowds materialize everywhere, and feeling exactly the same way, I cried. Real tears came, the emotional outpouring of relief, of feeling that the country had been saved from what might have been an irreversible disaster. That took me by surprise. But the mood in the living room quickly turned celebratory, just like that among the thousands who were turning out everywhere. Even in our apartment building, people were gathering with smiles on their faces.
Those Same Feelings Are There Every Single Day
The absolute horror of Trump's attempts to subvert the Constitution, bring down the American Republic and fight against what is a cornerstone of American democracy, the peaceful transfer of power, has made the celebration since even more sweet. I knew Trump was not mentally, emotionally or intellectually fit for the Presidency long before we learned that lesson the hard way. But everything he did between the election and Biden's inauguration is proof that both he and his supporters are dangerous subversives, capable of ruining the country to hang on to power. Thank God there were some real patriots who saw where it was headed and defeated every attempt Trump made to hang on to power he wasn't entitled to have.
I get up every morning and thank God that Joe Biden is the President. In the wake of what was the worst Presidency in all of American history, and the worst administration in the entire history of Democratic goverrnment, the fact that someone competent and knowledgeable of American history and principles with a public servant's heart and a record of service and experience in serving the people, is in charge of the Presidency gives me hope.
President Biden was selected by President Obama as his running mate because of his experience and knowledge. Obama observed, took notes and relied on Biden's expertise. Biden never overshadowed or over-stepped. And now, it's clear that Obama's approach of not over-reacting to sensational media or hysteria has been passed along.
Unifying the Country
Joe Biden may be one of just a small handful of individuals with the expertise, knowledge and sense of how the federal government works to lead us out of the divisive, partisan hole into which we've fallen, the product of years of right wing extremism and propaganda from the likes of Rush Limbaugh, the intellectually bankrupt automatons at Fox News like Hannity and Carlson, and all the wannabes who follow them with tissues and toilet paper. There will always be those who thrive on opposition, who hate those who are different enough to want to limit their rights and who just don't know any better because American education doesn't do them any favors. That kind of selfish bigotry was embodied by Trump who appealed to it and used it for his own political purposes. It is also the opposite of true American values.
Unifying the country means pulling together a group of people who know what a Democratic Republic looks like, how it operates and that it is a government "by the people." Subversives like Trump and his followers will always be around, but they will never be the majority. We now have leadership that understands this and while the wounds are deep, and will take a a long time to heal. President Joe Biden is the man who can bring all of that about, over time. People who understand what the country is all about will eventually get on board. The selfish subversive Trumpies can either live with it or emigrate to Russia.
Joe Biden is an old-school Democrat, one of those politicians who recognized the diversity of opinion that existed within government and was willing to work with the "opposition" to get things done. He sees everyone as having a different perspective but on the same side. And while there are a few Republicans who see it that way as well, Trump has suppressed and forced that kind of thinking under the table. I think Biden realizes it would be nice to just go back to a time when you could work with Republicans, but that time isn't now and there are important priorities that need attention. If anyone can get done what needs to be done, it's President Joe Biden. And yes, he understands progressives and appreciates, and respects their supports.
Republican Governors Acknowledge and Compliment Biden's Efforts to Unify the Country
Republican Governors like Greg Abbott in Texas, Rick DeSantis in Florida and the extremist Kristi Noem in South Dakota have all acknowledged the gracious, bi-partisanship leadership of President Biden. These governors aren't much for words, at least, not on this subject, but--actions speak louder than words. Each of these governors has affirmed Biden's leadership by accepting the funding coming their way in the infrastructure bill, and they each havev plans to spend the money in accordance with the President's wishes. In so doing, they have complimented the President and by doing this they are, in their own unique way, acknowledging that his leadership is unifying the country.
They must be hoping beyond hope that the voters in their state don't pick up on the fact that all of the jobs and benefits provided by this stimulus package are due directly to President Biden's signature pieces of legislation and that only their Democratic members of Congress supported it. Of course, Biden is making public appearances to make sure that doesn't happen. I watched Noem's attempt to try to tell her state legislature about how this bill had set South Dakota on its most sound financial footing ever, and what it would be used for without acknowledging that it was President Biden's initiative, or that no Republican vote supported it. Unfortunately for her, there are several Democratic legislators who are making sure every South Dakota voter knows what Democrats, NOT Republicans, are doing for them.
A Sense of Urgency
History is never wrapped up in nice packages with the outcome as smooth and certain as it appears after the fact. When its happening, there is a lot of urgency and uncertainty, and that's why, from our perspective, we can claim that we would have avoided the pitfalls that happened in the past, because we can see what those who were living it at the time could not see. It would be nice to get past the Trump disaster quickly, with all the problems resolved, the danger gone, the perpetrators, including Trump, in prison.
There are deadlines, of course. I, for one, am glad that Biden sets them for his administration. It shows that he has a sense of urgency as well, though the way they set priorities prevents mis-steps. The mid-terms are approaching, and with them, the sense of urgency created by the predictability of American politics, the fact that the party in power in the White House always loses seats in Congress in the mid-terms, is a major factor. But I think that's going to be different this time around.
In spite of all the doom and gloom, job approval ratings, and polling data, when it comes down to actually casting ballots, Trumpism is still going to be a factor. Pay a little bit of attention to what's happening on the Republican right, and that may lend itself to the conclusion that it's not all going to slide to the right in 2022. The most outstanding number in the polling data isn't Biden's job approval or the generic ballot (which, by the way, gives Democrats an overall 7% lead in the congressional races), it's Trump's favorability rating, or lack thereof. Depending on the polling data, the solid average hovers just above the 60% mark in the "unfavorable" categories with a clear and strong 55% majority having a "strongly unfavorable" opinion. So while there may be some politicians who see identifying with the orange headed buffoon as an asset, the fact of the matter is that number is going to lead to some defeats, not only in races they've decided to "primary," but in general elections. The percentage of Republicans who don't view Trump favorably wavers between 12 and 15% consistently. Losing that much of the party's vote, with the overall voter registration numbers for the GOP shrinking, will cost a lot of marginal Republicans their election.
With Biden in the Presidency, I'm fully confident that justice will take the right course with regard to those who planned and conducted the January 6 Trump Insurrection, including Trump and members of the House and Senate who are implicated. If he feels it needs to jump over to the DOJ track, he'll get it there. I am also confident that, for the first time in a while, the party in power in the White House will see its majorities in both houses of Congress grow as a result of the 2022 election.
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