A New Day has Come for America
Hope returns but remember the past to darkness from returning
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are now President and Vice President of the United States. Take in those words again.
Breathe, celebrate, rejoice, for this is America’s day and a moment is one we all need.
We are the United States of America. Read those words again.
The states are radically different from region to region — California to Alabama we live different lives or have different values but we are a united people. Those words rang true in President Biden’s inaugural address calling for unity:
“Uniting to fight the common foes we face: anger, resentment, hatred. Extremism, lawlessness, violence. Disease, joblessness, hopelessness. With unity we can do great things. Important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome this deadly virus. We can reward work, rebuild the middle class, and make healthcare secure for all. We can deliver racial justice. We can make America, once again, the leading force for good in the world.
I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear and demonization have long torn us apart.”
These words may sound idealistic but with hope America can do anything together.
We face many challenges in these trying times. Coronavirus will continue to ravage our nation, the economic recession, rising inequality, racial injustice, as well as issues yet to come in the future are all things we cannot face alone.
Not as single Americas. Not as single divided states. We need each other.
Yet no one should forget what happened over the past four years.
Donald Trump was as real as his failures.
The Trump administration’s policies led to:
- A muslim travel ban
- The botched response to the coronavirus
- And many more issues that must be addressed by the new administration
Some of these policies can be undone through President Biden’s signature of executive orders. Other policies will need legislative aid in order to undo failed laws such as a tax system that benefitted the wealthy. Instead the Democratic congress must work to undo these laws to ensure the rich and big corporations pay their fair share.
Donald Trump may not be President anymore but he still has significant say over the GOP. Regardless of if he has twitter or not Fox News and other right wing media will push his message to his supporters.
Recognize the conditions for someone like Trump still exist.
The Republican party currently has a weak leadership team, as people like Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell have been unable to call out the underlying causes of what allowed Trump to rise to power.
Right wing media still holds far too much power speaking to nearly 75 million Americans with mostly lies. Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and others are spewing lies every day. Their viewers are isolated in a world of fake news that remove those millions of people from basic facts.
Someone smarter than Trump could take advantage of his power vacuum and have far worse effects. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley have already tried to make a play for this power. Thankfully they were caught trying, but someone smarter may come along.
My own parents seem like they live in a different reality. They believe Trump was cheated, that somehow the system was rigged or that coronavirus isn’t a big deal at all. If my parents believe lies like these, I believe the 75 million other Trump supporters believe similar lies or worse.
We Must Find Common Ground
The country is not controlled simply by Democrats. The senate is split 50–50 with Vice President Harris’ tie breaking vote, as well as the House of Representatives only having a slim Democratic majority of 222 to 211 for the GOP.
Not quite divided government but razor close. So Republicans must come to the table in order to get bills passed to help the American people.
Poll after poll finds that Americans actually want policies that protect their rights or work to solve problems or rebuilt the nation’s infrastructure.
If we don’t find common ground a force like the Tea Party may swing back to push the GOP farther and farther to the right. Liberals will seem further to the left.
Biden, Harris, and all Americans must work to start the real work of fixing these issues together.
We must defeat the echo chambers of fake news and hyper partisanship.
This deadly pandemic must be beaten back.
Action must be taken to secure a future for our world from climate change
Rebuild the crumbling infrastructure of the nation
Solve the issues surrounding immigration
Create an economy that works for all Americans
People of good will must work together as we strive to build our nation back better than just the pre-covid nation, but a nation for each and every one of us.
These are difficult problems that Biden and Harris do not face alone, we all face these issues together. Every American should hope for the best for them because they are trying to do what is best for us, all of us, regardless of political affiliation.
I will end with these few words from Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman:
“We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
Of such a terrifying hour.
But within it we’ve found the power
To author a new chapter,
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves.”
We can author a new chapter from today on, but also remember that things will not change overnight. We will struggle. There will be disagreements. Remember these past four years were a battle themselves. We must draw from those experiences as we work to write that new chapter of healing.
