Yesterday seemed brighter and more hopeful. Democracy was the winner.
Comity and common sense will return to the people’s White House in the form of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We will feel proud again about American leadership.
This is not a time to gloat. The 70 million votes for Donald Trump and 74.5 for President-elect Biden point to a serious chasm in our nation. It can’t be ignored. Trump supporters were willing to overlook the president’s mind-numbing flaws.
They liked his policies, whatever they might be. His supporters liked his bravado, unorthodox style and his handling of the economy.
Charges of socialism seemed to have resonated with Trump voters, particularly among Hispanic communities in South Florida, fearful of authoritarian regimes that they had fled. I think that the socialism charge was bogus, as I wrote in a previous column.
I would question my Republican friends whether they considered Social Security or Medicare or corporate buyouts or farm assistance as forms of socialism. I never received an answer. Trump, a superb con man, relied on his supporters to ignore the facts and truth about so-called socialism.
Am I pleased that sanity and decency will return to the Oval Office? Sure I am. Do I foresee a resurgence of competence and thoughtful decisions dominating presidential decision-making? Of course I do.
What concerns me above all else is whether Biden can figure out how to unite our angry, fractious country. Maybe it’s simply impossible. Maybe the wounds and slights are too deep. Maybe we have to accustom ourselves to constant conflict, except during crises that unite us ever so briefly.
Biden spoke often on the campaign trail about the need for healing. He exhorted supporters last night in Wilmington, Del. to bridge the fissures in America so evident in the stark differences of opinion among Democratic and Republican partisans.
Our nation faces so many serious unresolved issues, such as Covid-19, economic recovery, global warming, social injustice, economic inequality, spiraling health costs, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, personal and government distrust and disillusioned allies.
It seems to this happy retiree that many issues could be resolved, albeit with difficulty and discord, if those negotiating possibly liked and respected each other. It would be a helpful sign if Biden as president and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a highly skilled political operator and Republican chieftain, could strike a few compromises on economic stimulus, for example, and an infrastructure bill that would give American workers a boost.
Once upon a time, political compromise was a desirable objective. Voters often evaluated their elected officials on their ability “to get things done.” Not anymore. Now elected officials in state legislatures and Congress are judged by their tribes on their willingness to say no, compromise be damned.
The time would be right as of Jan. 20, 2021, the inauguration of the new president and vice-president, for all the better angels among us, regardless of party, to link arms and decide to break the antagonism logjam in our legislative and social arenas. Our nation would benefit.
Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.
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