The big question is how did it happen. That is, the election of a misogynist, lying, cheating, racist, convicted criminal as leader of this nation founded on such high principles two centuries ago, now the leader of the free world. There is no absolute answer with speculation and opinion flying freely.
The above description is not just that from us, his political opponents. It would be bad enough if it were just one person carried away with his own self-importance, but quite another for persons of a once respected political party holding high office to “amen” his actions beyond the law or the land or accepted moral standards of the society.
A few have belatedly made mild hints that he was less than of high character that we once expected of our leaders and even admitted some of the many instances when he had been less than what he swore to be in his first term as leader. Nevertheless, they continue to support him. What do they expect to get from him? Where is their loyalty to the Constitution, to which most of them have had occasion to swear allegiance, and to which all of us are expected to do.
Here let me recognize former Rep. Liz Cheney for her courage, her loyalty, her character in speaking out early instead of the too little, too late of those speaking out so late and so mildly. Incidentally, not being a fan of her father, a former vice president, I never expected to be in a position of admiring her actions. She paid the price, but as I have always said it does no good to hold an office if you do not do the right thing. She did the right thing.
At this point is a good time to note it seems that in this nation women are still viewed as less endowed with the ability to hold high office than men. To the rubbish heap went our high hopes that the time had come with this our second superbly qualified female candidate in this short period of time—one even getting the majority of votes, but let us leave that Electoral College provision for another time!
As if electing this man were not enough, at this writing the Congress appears to be in control of his party giving him a free hand to near complete dictatorship reinforced by a Supreme Court decision deviating from all previous interpretations of the U.S. Constitution, another process to be dealt with at another time.
Biden did not even have a fully supporting party in Congress to direct the economy of the nation yet that seemed to be a major factor in defeat. Despite all the normal measures giving the economy high marks, it was perceived as not benefitting the ordinary citizens that so many give as reason for supporting the disgraced “winner.” I put “winner” in quotes because it might be an individual winner, but I seriously doubt it will be a long-term winner for the nation, much less for the planet. Too many of the monied players who had such a big role in this election are hardly known for sharing their dollars.
We can only wonder just how much they need to live on and just how long the workers who serve them can survive on the amount they are expected to receive for their labors. Just a bit of advice to those who have so little appreciation of others in lesser spots than themselves is that degrading conditions feed revolutions.
It is too much in the news for me to enumerate other contributing conditions here, but any one of them is a severe departure from the principles that have made the nation the envy of the world. This takes us back to the original question of what’s next. Most important: What do we do about it? We need not place ourselves above the banana republics that we have so long denigrated. I think it is a safe bet that much of the world has placed us in that role now.
I believe it was Oliver Wendell Holmes, a Supreme Court justice when all the justices, not just some, were respected jurists, who told us that it mattered not where we had been but where we were going. Our work is cut out for us. Where are we going?
