by Robert Fischer
I’ve enjoyed lots of wonderful Thanksgivings and lived through many presidential elections that came off reasonably well other than the 2000 Bush-Gore contest. Normally we would be putting the recent election behind us and getting ready for a festive family holiday. Not this year; bad times are here.
With the pandemic raging out of control with its second big surge and an incumbent president who denies losing the election, we find ourselves in uncharted waters. It is a sad spectacle all around as we face an increasing death rate and a potential breakdown of our political system.
The covid-19 pandemic is the worst to date since the 1918 Spanish flu. The virus has taken a staggering toll with over 12 million cases and over 250,000 deaths in the United States. And right now it is taking more and more lives daily. It is a frightening situation, to say the least, but with several vaccines soon to be available we can look forward to some relief during this coming year. The American people will get through this no matter how bad things are right now.
Unfortunately, the political outlook offers little encouragement for better times ahead. The president’s behavior and threats prior to this year’s election together with his truculence in defeat has not only stressed long-held traditions but potentially damaged our democracy long-term. His continued defiance in spite of losing by over 6 million popular votes and a wide margin in the electoral college has rattled the long-accepted confidence in our elections and promises lingering issues in the years to come. Perhaps above all, it has divided us more than ever and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Usually, no matter how rough and tumble campaigns are, we come back together so that we can at least work together. Trump has worked against this, sowing discontent and discord going forward.
Trump’s recalcitrance during this election and after will scar our political system irreparably. It reveals that the framework put together by the Framers is not foolproof, that it depends on the good will of the players and is dependent on the chief executive for rational behavior. Further, even more frightening is that this debacle provides a blueprint for the next wingnut of a president and his henchmen to corrupt the system. Clearly checks and balances have their limitations.
These four years and its aftermath have been a nightmare orchestrated largely by a madman out of self-interest. Our foreign policy and domestic urgencies have suffered terribly. Moreover, bad luck gave us the pandemic when we had a president least qualified and interested in dealing with it. Our Nero, Trump plays golf while Americans die unnecessarily