“America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves” – Abraham Lincoln
A day after chaos and an unprecedented attack on the hallowed halls of congress, instigated and encouraged by the sitting president, America survived, is alive but not quite well. The images of a cult-like mob projected around the world was the result of four years of indifference and apathy, of lies and misinformation and the tacit support of enablers and opportunists whose insatiable lust for power have corrupted the system.
Yesterday’s confirmation and certification of electoral votes was supposed to be routine and perfunctory and should have lasted no more than an hour but was interrupted by a mob who heeded the call of an outgoing president who refused to accept defeat claiming that he won despite over a 7 million vote advantage by his opponent.
This election should have been over on November 4th had he conceded graciously but concession is beneath this man whose lust for power knows no bounds. His campaign filed over 60 lawsuits challenging the legitimacy of the results in six battleground states which were either thrown out or dismissed by the courts in Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Trump personally lobbied and called state election officials in violation of state and federal laws to overturn the results of the election. Even the US Supreme Court refused to hear the two cases that his campaign filed for lack of merit.
Despite the interruption, the confirmation resumed and President Elect Joseph Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris were certified as winners of the 2020 election and will be President and Vice President of the United States respectively after their inauguration on January 20.
The sitting vice president proclaimed the winners at 3:30 Thursday morning in spite of protests from the Republican Party challenging the results. This is a remarkable testament to the strength and resilience of the democratic institutions established by the constitution and the founding fathers over 200 years ago.
America woke up to a new day today, hoping for a brighter future ahead in spite of the daunting challenges that lie ahead. A raging pandemic with over 21 million Americans infected, 360,000 dead and over 3000 infections per day, a tanking economy unless you are rich, deep racial divisions, income inequality and lack of affordable healthcare to mention a few.
The restoration of America’s institutions like the Justice Department, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security also needs to be prioritized after having been hollowed and politicized by this administration to the detriment of the country.
On a brighter note, if there is anyone who can accomplish this daunting task, it is the President Elect. A devout catholic who can restore decency to the highest office in the land, known to leaders around the world, honest and empathetic, a man of the people who has committed to building America back, better than ever.
After all, he has promised to be a President for all Americans, black, white, men, women, gay, straight, Christian, Muslim and even to those who did not vote for him.
