This will be my final comments here on the 2020 election unless something huge happens between now and January, when Joe Biden is sworn in as president, and I just have to say something.
But I do have a few parting shots, which I'll put in bullet points.
-- Although I don't tell readers of my newspaper column whom I voted for, I'll tell you. I voted for Biden. I was not excited about him as a candidate and I am not excited about his being president-elect. After hearing last night that Pennsylvania had pushed him over the top in the electoral college, I wasn't celebrating. I won't go into all the reasons I decided to vote for him, but I did, and I'm glad I did, and I'm glad he won. I congratulate him and I will pray for him. I think he's a good guy. But I'm not excited.
-- Biden's election was not a mandate (no matter what Nancy Pelosi, understandably giddy at the thought of standing behind one of her own at the State of the Union address, says). It looks like Biden will carry the electoral college in a similar way as Trump in '16. And it look like the popular vote is about the same, percentage wise, as 2016 also. Yes it's a majority, but it's hardly a mandate. And Madam Speaker, it's not like your Democratic brethren tore it with up with House seats, either.
-- I think Biden's first move as president-elect, interrupting the Notre Dame-Clemson game to address the nation, and causing NBC to switch coverage to the USA network, was a poor one. OK maybe I'm kidding, but really, Mr. Prez-Elect, could you not have waited until, say, Monday? Your presidency isn't going anywhere. (I would not have listened even if it had not interrupted the game. Along about Thursday, when I could tell where this thing was heading, I pretty much lost interest).
-- Everyone who voted for Donald Trump is not a fan of Donald Trump, just as I am not a fan of Biden. I am aware there are some ardent disciples who will argue till they're blue in the face that he's the best thing that ever happened to this country and we're in the middle of a big fat conspiracy to keep him from serving a second term. They will say some ridiculously stupid things. Those people are largely crazies and I get that. But most of the folks I know who voted for Trump did so because they agree with a big part of what he did while he was in office. They put a lot of the other stuff aside and decided, of the two candidates, he was the better choice. Make no mistake, I DO NOT agree with them, but I respect their decision. I will not lump them in with the lunatics.
-- Trump's election in 2016 was not a national nightmare, nor the end of life as we know it. His reelection would have been neither of those things either. Likewise Biden's election now. This is still a great country and we will all carry on just fine.
-- Between now and January, Trump will do what Trump will do. He has the right to a recount in some states and if he wants to explore legal options, let him do it. He knows he's leaving office, but he loves the theatrics. The best thing we can do is ignore him. He has one last chance to show some class and put the interests of the country above his own, but don't count on it. One way or the other, he'll leave office January 20th, 2021. My prediction is he will eventually throw in the towel, maybe in December, but he will whine and complain, and that will lay the foundation for the rest of his life as a former president.
-- I'm hoping against hope the GOP will retain the majority in the Senate. Apparently it all hinges on two runoffs in Georgia, and can you imagine the amount of cash that will be infused by both parties into the campaigns of those candidates? But a Democratic president, a Democratic House and a Republican Senate will keep some balance and will hopefully prevent way-too-far left or way-too-far right legislation from being pushed through, and might even lead, say it with me, to compromise and bipartisanship. We can hope!
7 comments:
Well said, Bob. I especially agree with your final point. I saw one of my left-leaning friends saying she sure hoped the Democrats gained back the Senate, so that something could actually get done rather than everything blocked as when Obama was president. Funny thing is, I seem to remember Obama pushing through the majority of his agenda in his first term. I don't think having a "mixed" legislative branch hindered him much. But... if it does happen, well, there's always a mid-term election just two years off.
I'm just ready to move on.
I will say I'm happy to see there will be a "first dog" once again. (and he's a rescued animal, at that!)
Once again, I agree with every single point except the Clemson interruption which I didn't even know about until now. I didn't listen to Biden's victory speech because I already knew what he would say. Let's not tear each other apart and all be one nation again... starting now.
My brother is up from Alabama and we've been doing some farm work together this last week and some of this coming week. He had mentioned coming to my house to watch the Clemson game since there is no television at the farm but when push came to shove, he said he was just too tired and decided to stay down at the farm for the night with my dad. Sounds like he made the right choice.
Well he might have heard by now it was a really good game! Notre Dame won in double overtime. NBC resumed coverage once the Biden speech was done. I was watching a different game on the SEC network (no interruption for the speech) and switched over to ND-Clemson in the 4th quarter. I’m guessing there were some pretty angry Clemson and Notre Dame fans if they got NBC but not USA. I really was just making light of it though.
I didn’t realize that he cut into a game, but then I don’t watch much sports. That said, I thought his speech was good and to the point. Biden isn’t someone to get excited over, but maybe that’s a good thing after the last four years. While I was not overly excited about the choice, I do think it was a better choice than we had in 2016. I agree, most of the time, that a divided government is best. But I find McConnell so bad (as well as the one of the senators from GA who should be charged with insider trading), that I’d like to see the senate 50/50 so that McConnell along with Kelly L. would be out.
Believe me I’m gritting my teeth/holding my nose/choose your metaphor at the thought of some of the GOP Senators (e.g. former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville in AL whose sole campaign issue was his allegiance to Donald Trump!), BUT because legislation is so often affected along party lines, I still believe a Republican Senate and a Democratic House will help curb the extremes. Of course I’ve been wrong before!
I am probably going to lose on a bet that I had with a friend of mine that President Trump would be the first president impeached twice. I guess technically there is still a chance if one believes the rhetoric that he will run again in four years. I would rather pay off the bet than hope to collect.
Your hope and my hope are the same hope.
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