By Edwin Cooney
When I wrote to you last I was convinced that a vast “blue wave” would sweep President Trump and his brand of Republicanism out of power. It didn't make sense to me that 69 million Americans would vote for a president who seemed more interested in the economy than he clearly seemed to be in their general welfare. I was wrong about that and as we proceeded through the counting and assessment of the votes, it appeared likely that the popular vote, for the second time in a row, would be irrelevant! It was just inconceivable to me that the president was about to be rewarded for deliberately putting our national general welfare second to anything except an invasion by a foreign foe!
Throughout Tuesday evening and into Wednesday, especially in the wake of President Trump's self-proclaiming and justifying speech from the White House early that morning, I felt humbled by the apparent reality that I didn't really and truly understand either human nature or the priorities and expectations of the American people. President Trump's apparent success coupled with the lack of success Democrats expected to have in taking over the U.S. Senate was exceedingly discouraging. You might remember that many Democrats saw the takeover of the Senate by the Democratic Party to be more certain than a Biden victory. Along with others, I believed that such a takeover coupled with increases in the House might even stultify an arrogant twice-elected President Donald J. Trump.
As things stand, Joe Biden is the President-elect and, of course, Kamala Harris is Vice President-elect. There's even the possibility that the election of two Georgia Democrats on January 5th may well knot the balance of power in the Senate giving Vice President Harris the deciding vote when there's a tie. (Note: The balance of power in the 2021 Senate might be akin to that during 2001 and 2002 when GOP Vermont Senator James Jeffords suddenly switched parties re-registering as an Independent and caucusing as a Democrat. That change shifted the balance of power in the Senate from Republican to Democrat. Senator Thomas A. Daschle of South Dakota served as Senate Majority Leader until his defeat for re-election in 2002.)
As for the immediate versus the far afterward, there remain a number of mind-scrambling uncertainties. President Trump remains at the top of the greasy pole of politics until at least Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 with all of the authority and power of his office. His finger remains on the proverbial nuclear trigger. He still remains exceedingly influential in the Republican Party. The pardoning power remains in his hands and the convictions of everyone from Michael Flynn to Roger Stone to Paul Manafort will surely receive a "Christmas pardon" from President Trump.
As for you and me, regardless of our political and social statuses, I would suggest the following:
(1.) Insofar as we possibly can, let's stop criminalizing the outlooks and actions of our political opponents.
(2.) We can begin doing this by realizing that President-elect Biden faces a legitimate and essential task of settling years and years of social, political, and cultural warfare.
(3.) It's important to remember President Harry Truman's assertion that "no easy question ever crosses a president's desk."
(4.) Remember that neither government, private enterprise, nor even the desirable method of political, social, or legal "compromise" is free of error.
(5.) Not even the Constitution, however it may be legitimately interpreted by any Supreme Court, is continuously adequate at addressing everyone's liberty.
The new question has to be whether or not our new president's priorities has been morally enhanced by the clear approval in 2020 of some 75 million Americans!
As I've done more than once while writing these weekly musings, I close with just one of my favorite assertions by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he said:
"I like to think of our country as one home where the interests of each of us are bound up with the happiness of us all. We ought to know by now that the welfare of your family and mine, in the long run, is ultimately dependent upon the welfare of our neighbor's family. Whatever our priorities, agendas, or ideals, the best way to achieve them is to begin comprehending and even legitimizing to the maximum degree possible the hopes and dreams of others!”
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
EDWIN COONEY
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