Joe Biden gave the heartfelt, bone honest speech that you knew that he would, wherein he promised not only the traditional, “I will be a president to all Americans,” but he said, “I will put my whole soul into this.” I have no doubt he will. Joe Biden has wanted this all his life and the fact that this, his crowning success, comes in his sunset years makes it all the more sweet.

Lindsey Graham, in a moment of pre-Trumpian sanity said that “Joe Biden is as fine a man as God ever put upon this earth.” Biden was also close friends with Graham’s dear friend and mentor John McCain. This is a relevant point to make, because it displays the best of American politics, the friendships that go across the aisle, the fact that people of opposing viewpoints can agree to disagree and get on with the business of government, while respecting one another’s humanity and enjoying them as people.

It’s a shame that Graham sold his decency down the river for a chance to be Donald Trump’s dog and get scraps from his table. So did Mike Pence, but he attempted to atone for it by showing up at the Inauguration today. In Pence’s case, I fear it doesn’t matter. I think Pence is finished in politics. He’s not Trumpy enough for the orange tribe, who wanted to lynch him two weeks ago, and his devotion to Trump has backfired with the red tribe, the traditional GOP. That leaves Pence as a man without a party. Pence bet on he wrong horse and he lost. And certainly Graham did. He was friends with McCain and Biden for years. McCain is gone and I’m sure the Bidens are disillusioned.

Joe Biden said, “It’s time to end this uncivil war” and vowed to “confront and defeat” political extremism, white supremacy, and domestic terrorism. He also thinks could improve, “if we show a little tolerance and are willing to stand in the other person’s shoes.” He’s not only right, he’s reiterating a comment that Obama made about how you need to “meet people where they are” and talk to them on their own plane of understanding.

Now that is the hardship here in a post-Trump world. We live in a country where there are two disparate and opposite narratives of reality being broadcast and commented upon at any given moment. The people who stormed the Capitol last week did so because they really believe that the election was stolen. That’s not only the fault of Donald Trump. It’s the fault of right-wing outlets like Fox News, OAN, Newsmax and of right-wing radio. These outlets have literally been spreading lies and disinformation and that is why we have an uncivil war. We are at each other’s throats because we can’t even agree on basic facts, let alone what those facts mean.

And beyond what the facts are, always remember that facts are not feelings. Trump was a grand manipulator of people’s feelings. From the day of his election to the siege at the Capitol two weeks ago, Trump’s followers felt that they could do anything, say anything. This attitude of carte blanche to misbehave was there from the very beginning. A few days before Trump’s inauguration in 2017, Texas Congressman and Democrat Filemon Vela reported that a group of migrant children which he brought to Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration were disparaged by Trump voters who called them, “beaners,” “burritos,” and even spit on them. Another thing that happened is that young schoolboys began grabbing girls by the crotch, because they thought it was “cool” to do so. That is the level of degradation that Trump brought this country to from the very beginning.

George W. Bush remarked at the Inauguration four years ago, “that was some strange shit” as Trump did his now famous American Carnage speech. Trump got up and said, “Politicians prospered but the jobs left and the factories closed.” That was just another one of his lies. The reality was that employment was at an all time high in January, 2017 and inflation adjusted wages were higher than they had ever been. Then he went on about the “rusted-out factories, scattered like tombstones” and the “depleted military” and you remember the rest. It was all a scam, an appeal to the emotions, not any kind of reasoned discourse which allowed him to elaborate on his policies — because there were no policies, not one, only posturing and talking points.

The reality TV poseur is gone and today we have President Biden and Vice President Harris. Our government is out of the outhouse and back into competent hands. Hallelujah.

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7 COMMENTS

  1. Real talk…I cried at various times during this inauguration. The hardest was Gorman’s poetry, which laid it all out there on the field. Not all of us made it. Not all of us can quite believe it. But the day we have prayed for has finally arrived. Now…the real work can begin.

  2. Not one second too soon, the adults are back in charge. Wasn’t sure we would ever sèe that again. There is soooo much to do, but it WILL get done. Carry on……….

  3. People at risk of becoming cult members are drawn to lies that reinforce what they’ve been taught, or what they want to believe. I don’t buy the unity thing without consequence for all this evil. Unless every damn body accepts whole numbers, hard to talk algebra. We have 75 million people who haven’t moved, except to try to end democracy & install a dictator. That’s proof enough for me. What else u got? Good intentions i hear only paves the road to hell. Good intentions in europe, trying to appease the nazis, only escalated. Love to be wrong, but the truth based on facts has to be the process.

    • Peace and strength. Unity and justice. Law and order for all not just the usual suspects. The small list I have typed: Not inclusive nor exclusive. We shall see.

      Their will be a radical agenda: compared to the chaos and stupidity for the last 4 years. Just doing the “normal” government stuff will be a welcome breath of fresh air. But Biden must push his “team”… the whole Dem enchilada to do big things in the first 10day, 100 days, and first year.

      Dems can multitask. Try to get a handle on the Trump botched COVID response and management efforts. Then try to finally start infrastructure. Real infrastructure. 535 people will have ideas on that.

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