"With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle … ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
-Abraham Lincoln
“Perhaps they can be repurposed….MAGA hats I mean. I heard something the other day that stuck with me. What if it meant ‘Make America GOOD again’…I would wear a hat like that…”
-Colleen Dobbs
It’s morning again in America.
I remember that ad campaign from the 80’s. I remember why it worked so well, It made your feel hopeful.
It feels like that today.
"President Elect Biden". God that feels good to say.
Trump has been defeated and will soon depart into the ash heap of history.
Oh, he will not go quietly. Dignity has never been part of his core DNA. He will scream and flail his arms about how he was cheated and there was a conspiracy against him.
It doesn’t matter.
He will spend the rest of his days nursing his grievances on conspiratorial platforms. Some will listen and nod sympathetically. Most will not. He will live on as a ‘Crazy Uncle’. The reality show is over and, like most of these broadcasts, you are relieved and a little disappointed you watched it at all.
I think it should be remembered that there are millions of people in this country who voted for this huckster. They will be feeling betrayed and disappointed. A few will lash out. If we want to heal as a country we need to follow Lincoln’s advice. We need to strive to finish the work before us without malice. We want our President to represent all of the nation, not just those who voted for him.
For this to work, those that prevailed must live with those who lost. We still have to compromise and work together. We must bind our wounds.
It will take time. Smoke is still rising from the wreckage of the last four years. It will take courage and empathy. It will take forgiveness and a change of heart. We are a stubborn and prideful people. That change will not come easily.
Biden is not a magic bullet. He will be 78 years old when he becomes President. If we are honest, we have to accept the fact that he may not survive his time in office. Let's hope he does. Congress remains a morass of impotent quarreling children.
But at least we will have an Executive Branch with educated, serious minded public servants who reflect this diverse country. It will become a place where conspiracy theories are again relegated to the shadows and good, honest work for the people they serve will be the order of the day.
And we will no longer conduct policy by ...tweets
The problems we face will not immediately go away. The pandemic is still raging, the economy is suffering, and racial injustice remains. There is work to be done that will continue long after Biden, or any of us, remain.
But, we can breath easier, at least for a little while. We can hope that serious women and men will now inhabit the halls of the White House. We can hope that decency returns and we can continue the good work of making this country, our home, a place for everyone.
It is a worthy aspiration to strive for; that ‘undiscovered country’ - a shining city on a hill. We are not there yet.
Today, here in the new morning light, we can see a glimpse of it in the distance.
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