As I write this, today is the day that, according to the experts, the people of this country have given Donald Trump, undoubtedly the worst President this country has ever had to suffer through, the heave-ho. This is the day that I, along with so many others, have devoutly wished for. I should be overjoyed. I’m not.
When something I very much want to happen finally happens, I, for reasons totally unknown to me, can’t seem to enjoy it. Part of me actually feels depressed. The first time this happened was when I got out of Basic Training. I was in the National Guard in the early 1970’s and as part of that horrid experience, I had to attend the same training regimen as do all soldiers. I spent two months at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and two more months at Fort Gordon, Georgia. I despised every second of it. I literally counted days, sometimes hours, until it was over. I fantasized about driving away from the base on the way home and the unrestrained joy I would feel. Then, when it finally happened, I vividly remember sitting in the car and realizing that my fantasy wasn’t happening. And that depressed me.
Maybe it’s because nothing could have made me as happy as I imagined I would be. I don’t know. I just know that I feel the same way today.
What I feel are many, many emotions. Maybe it will help me to try to explain. Here’s what I feel:
- Joy. Of course, I am very, very happy that the Ignoramus-In- Chief will be evicted from the White House (maybe even literally). I am thrilled that we will no longer have to deal with his babbling and his lying and his selfishness and his racism and, yes, even his hair. Nothing about his losing this election can be bad, and that makes me happy.
- Confusion.How the fuck did this creature get 70 million votes? If I listed all of the atrocities that the Orange Menace has committed, my typing fingers would fall off. Anyway, we all know them. But, 70 million people didn’t care. They wanted him back. What kind of bad parenting did these folks have? We have wondered since Election Day four years ago how all of this happened. Just because our guy squeaked through this time doesn’t solve that mystery.
- Concern. It’s very possible that I misunderstand, but I have been led to think that a legal challenge to the Pennsylvania vote may actually have a possibility of success. The Supreme Court has heard the case twice. The Court split 4-4 whether to hear it and halt the vote. The issue is whether the state’s Supreme Court acted unconstitutionally when it allowed mail-in votes to be counted if received within 3 days of Election Day and if there were some minor flaws in the signatures. The four Justices that wanted to hear the case wrote that they had serious concerns about that ruling. Now Trump’s “Handmaid” is sitting there. What if the Handmaid fulfills her mission? What if Biden needs Pennsylvania in order to win? What if there are enough questionable ballots to change the result? I’m worried. Maybe, we need to win without Pennsylvania.
- Fear. Does anybody really think that this narcissistic nudnick is going to just go away? I don’t mean just leave the White House. Ultimately, he will have to do that. I mean leave the public forum. His already gargantuan ego had been fueled by the most voracious ego feeding mechanism ever created – the Presidency of the United States. Hell, they play a fucking song with bugles and drums every time you enter a room. Even Oprah doesn’t get that. No, he won’t leave. He’ll continue to hammer away at how awfully corrupt the US election system is. He will continue to claim that he is the rightful President. He will undermine, if not the legitimacy, at least the effectiveness of his successor. His criticism of our system will play perfectly into the hands of our enemies. His criticism of our system will pay perfectly into the hands of our enemies. Of course, he may go to prison. However, even that will not stop him. It will only energize his followers and give them the argument that the Democrats’ claim of Trump jailing his political opponents was hypocritical. The Democrats did it themselves.
- Doubt. Finally, what if a Biden Presidency does nothing to make our lives better. That’s not out of the question. The problems are enormous. The anxiety to have them solved will be irrationally urgent. This election did not exactly given Biden an overwhelming mandate. He won’t be able to do whatever he wants to do, even if what he wants to do is good. And I’m not just talking about opposition from Republicans. The left wing of the Democrats – the ones whose support made the difference between Biden’s election and Hillary’s loss – will expect a lot of things that they may not be able to get. And if Biden fails to correct what we think needs to be corrected, could Donald Trump, Jr. in 2024 be far behind?
I sincerely hope that my worries are the result of my unavoidable inability to enjoy having received what I want. I will assume that that’s the case and I will enjoy myself, at least for today.
We were right 
Somehow I missed this one. I must say that you aren’t alone in your worries. The day that I heard the news that Biden was declared the winner, I literally jumped for joy. I was elated and said that it was one of the best days of my life. That feeling lasted about a day and then the clouds of doubt, fear and worry began to creep in. Like you, I thought that it shouldn’t have even been close. After 4 years of this nightmare, how could so many people (70 million!) actually want 4 more years of it? It is incredibly disheartening to think that there are that many Americans who think that he is the greatest and practically worship him.
My concern that he may actually prevail in the courts has fortunately been put to rest. I’ve been very encouraged and delighted to hear reports of every case being shot down and even mocked by judges. That concern has been replaced with disgust. Disgust at the Republican Party for their refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of the election and its results. Disgust at their continued cowardice to do the right thing in fear of some imagined threat from their Dear Leader.
I also fear all of those things you mentioned. Even when trump is out of office, the cancer of his legacy will be felt for years. His followers will have no interest in “healing” and coming together as one nation. They will be a thorn in the new administration’s side and do whatever it takes to undermine it.
My other concern is the runoff elections for the Senate in Georgia. It’s critical that the 2 Democrats win. With Biden taking Georgia, I’m hopeful that the momentum will still be there with the voters in January but it could end up a close loss. Here’s hoping that Stacey Abrams can work her magic and get those voters out there!
My theory is that Biden won won partly because he is a moderate .Most of America isn’t ready for the ideas of the far left. We need to get there but in increments. Biden won votes from some Republicans because he isn’t viewed as a “radical liberal”. I think the reason that Democrats in the House and Senate lost their seats is because they were branded, albeit falsely, as “radical socialists”. Republicans did a good job of constantly labeling them as such and they weren’t effective in pushing back on it. The people like AOC need to cool their jets and not pressure Biden to do their bidding.
Despite all of this, I still feel hopeful because I feel that Biden is the right man at the right time for the job. His history of his many years in government has given him the experience and knowledge of how things run in Washington and he has the respect of many of his former colleagues from across the aisle . He may not be able to do everything that needs to be done or we would like to see happen but at least he will make a good start, beginning with undoing all the executive orders that trump signed and bringing back good relations with our allies and rebuilding respect with the rest of the world.
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Bev – You should be the one writing a blog. Very well said. My only thought – not a disagreement – is about the Georgia Senate elections. Short term, two more Democrats would be great for our cause. But, for the reasons so well explain, the country isn’t ready for a lot of what may become possible with a Democrat-run Senate and it may cause a backlash that would generate another Trumpish President (or Trump himself) after 4 years. Maybe I’m being a Pollyanna, but if Biden can indeed work with a Republican Senate, the kind of moderation that you mention might give us a better long-term prospect. Just a thought. Thanks again for your incites.
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