Democracy’s Day

 Democracy’s Day 

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was sworn in as the 46^th President of the United States this past Wednesday. Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the Vice President of the United States as well. 

 

History was made when Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first woman Vice President and the highest-ranking woman of color and South Asian descent in America. She will be joined by other women of color in the most diverse administration we have ever seen. LBGTQ individuals have been nominated to cabinet and other administrative positions. Native Americans too will join the ranks of national leaders for the first time. President Biden’s list of appointees, while not perfect, are consistently educated, experienced, competent and ready to take on their assigned roles. With control of the Senate, all should be confirmed quickly.

 

President Biden’s inaugural address hit all the right notes. He called for the nation to unify, putting hatred and division away and replacing them with respect for one another, listening to one another, having empathy and compassion and working to find common ground. He also put forth a bold agenda to deal with the crises we face together, ending the COVID pandemic, addressing climate change, dealing with systemic racism, and healing the damage done to our democracy over the past four years. His inaugural ceremony recognized and marked well our multicultural and diverse society by including people of all races, creeds, religions and backgrounds.

 

The spirit of the inauguration and the incoming administration’s moral imperative was captured by Amanda Gordon. The young poet accepted the challenge and challenged the rest of us to rise above past divisions and hatred, “for there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” 

 

The inauguration helped lift a dark cloud from our collective psyche and replaced it with the realization that people who care about us, all of us, are back in charge. They will act with respect, integrity, empathy and compassion. The ceremony, for all its pomp, renewed the American Spirit to seek “a more perfect union.”

 

After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, President Biden got to work signing Executive Orders, memorandums and proclamations aimed at reversing some of the damage done during the previous administration.

 

President Biden went right after the COVID pandemic, immigration, climate change, protecting the environment, systemic racism in our government, ending discrimination against LBGTQ Americans, pausing evictions and foreclosures, ethics in his administration and freezing pending administrative regulations. His first day actions started to fulfill campaign promises and will shore up support in Congress for a bold legislative agenda. 

 

On Thursday, President Biden released a comprehensive plan to speed up the federal response to the pandemic, increase vaccine distribution, mandate travel restrictions and other measures to combat Covid-19. 

 

Clearly, President Biden’s bold strokes will make those who oppose his actions on social or religious grounds wonder how they will unify the country. His agenda makes a clear statement. We can disagree and debate how to achieve the goals he set, but not the goals themselves. We will debate based upon facts and science, not lies and alternate realities. 

 

While much remains to be done and the work to get it done ramps up, let us relax and take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.

 

Trumpism Ends

Trumpism Ends in Violence

Democracy Prevailed

 

January 6, 2021 will be recorded in the annals of American History as only the second time a group of armed insurrectionists stormed the Capital Building in Washington D.C. demanding the United States of America surrender to a dictator. 

 

The first was during the War of 1812 when the Capital was burned buy those supporting a return to British rule. The second was when supporters of soon to be former president Donald J. Trump, incited by him directly that very morning, stormed the Capital Building, overwhelmed the Capital Police and attempted to disrupt the Constitutionally required certification of the election of Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris as the next President and Vice-President of the United States.

 

Both attempts failed miserably, and our Democracy prevailed. Congress completed the people’s business and certified the election results.

 

What we witnessed on January 6^th was the culmination of the death-throws of the current Republican Party, dominated by the cult of Trump, which rose to power on promises to change the culture of Washington and support for law and order. Those early promises were followed by a take no prisoners brand of divisive politics the likes of which we have not seen since the days leading up to the Civil War. Those early promises dissolved completely as Trump grifted his supporters and mobs of supporters attacked police on the steps and in the halls of the Capital.

 

The brand of pluralistic white supremacist nationalism that became the Trump presidency was on full display this past Wednesday. The overwhelmed Capital Police later supported by the DC Metropolitan Police and still later by the DC National Guard demonstrated for all to see the stark difference in how protests and rioting by people of color and identical behavior by white people on the alt-right are met with a law enforcement response. 

 

The Black Lives Matter protest in Washington last year was met with an overwhelming law enforcement presence from the outset. Even though Trump had been calling on his supporters for weeks to come to Washington on January 6^th to resist the peaceful transition of power to a Biden-Harris administration, there was little advance law enforcement preparation for what most knew was coming. When fringe alt-right groups vowed to show up to support the unproven false conspiracy theories that the election was stolen from Trump and his supporters, the die was cast. The resulting invasion and seizure of the people’s House was completely predictable and should have been met with a much stronger law enforcement response. 

 

Trump’s continued claims to a stolen election were supported and enabled by those members of the Republican Party, in and outside of Congress, who supported him throughout his term even has he became increasingly unhinged. Trumpist republicans are just as much to blame for what happened in the home of democracy as Trump himself. Unless they disavow Trump and all he stands for, the GOP will forever bear the stain of his failed coup and rightfully lose the trust of principled conservatives. 

 

Some have called for Trump to be removed from office immediately as a result of his actions in inciting the insurrection and then failing to condemn it or meet it forcefully. What remains of his Cabinet has the power to invoke the 25^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to declare him unfit for duty and suspend his powers. Vice-president Pence would have to sign on and would become acting President for the remaining days of the term, but he has signaled he will not. This would be the quickest way to prevent further damage short of a Trump resignation. The more cumbersome path would involve congressional impeachment proceedings which would require two-thirds of the Senate to agree to Articles of Impeachment passed by the House of Representatives. It looks like this is what will be attempted. 

 

Others outside of government have already moved to limit further Trump incitement to sedition. Most of the major social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others have blocked his on-line accounts, slowing down his access to his followers. Major media outlets have uniformly called the insurrection for what it is and condemned Trump’s actions. They report his actions accurately and are calling them what they are, acts of treason based on unsupported claims and lies. 

 

The leadership of the Republican Party from the Republican National Committee down to local party leaders in every state need to publicly disavow Trump and his enablers. Those betting on Trump’s continued influence, support or blessing must be shown the door from elected offices and party leadership.

 

We cannot begin to heal as a nation and a democratic society as long as the evil festering in our body politic is allowed to remain.