On January 20, 2021, dignitaries gathered in front of the Capitol to witness Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony. It was in the same spot on Wednesday, November 6, that we saw insurrectionists climbing the walls, breaking windows, and attacking guards in a vain attempt to stop the event that was taking place, the constitutional confirmation of Joe Biden’s victory.
Four years ago, Donald Trump delivered his first address as president and told the country about ending “the American carnage,” under his predecessor. At that point, the people sitting in the stands, that included Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush were puzzled by the statement. It was a dark speech full of fear and foreboding. Nobody knew at that point that that was in fact the beginning of a true period of carnage and tragedy for this country. Donald Trump did not bring Covid-19 to this country, but he made it possible for the deadly virus to advance and kill 400,000 Americans by the end of his only term in office. Republican politicians are now calling for peace and reconciliation, appealing to their countrymen and women to leave behind the chaos and embrace the promise of the future. And we are happy to do that, but also feel the obligation to remind everyone that we are where we are at this moment, because of the man who just left Washington. He must have seen the chaos he left behind as Air Force One took him to Mar-a-Lago. When the airplane took off with the Trump family Joe Biden was in church with other dignitaries. A man of faith replaces a man of no faith and no integrity–a man who has not been able to mention the name of his successor and goes into oblivion with bitterness in his heart. As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris make history, we can only hope that they succeed and bring this country back to a sense of normalcy, where we do not wake up every day worried that the man in the White House has brought more damage to the nation, to the environment, and to the world. We want to express our best wishes to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Their success will be our success, as they prepare to face the challenges left behind by Donald Trump and a compliant Republican establishment that made his destructive government possible. Peace and hope reign today in the land of Lincoln. As we just witnessed recently, our democracy is fragile, but men and women of goodwill can rebuild and reinforce the ideals that built this nation. Today is the start of rebuilding and the hope for a better future.
