Now that the 2020 Election is over....

[Charles Austin]

And it looks like everybody in the crowd was wearing a mask and the Biden and Harris family, when they were on the stage, were all wearing masks.
No nastiness in the speech, all about the future. All about the kind of country we want to be. All about the best things about us.
Extra cheers in the minority communities.
He has said he will re-enter the Paris environmental agreement and re-join the WHO on his first day in office.

[James S. Rustad]

Nope. Don't cling to Trump colluding with the Russians. Can you admit that the Russians meddled in the 2016 elections?

Sure.  No problem.  But the story that was clung to by much of the left (including some posters here) was that Trump had colluded with the Russians on meddling in the 2016 elections.  That's the piece that's no one has ever come close to having proof for.

[Charles Austin]

 James S. Rustad
But the story that was clung to by much of the left (including some posters here) was that Trump had colluded with the Russians on meddling in the 2016 elections.  That's the piece that's no one has ever come close to having proof for.
Me:
No. Yes. Maybe. It is time to look ahead. Wallowing in the past is not a good idea.

[Richard Johnson]

I've removed about a dozen posts that were irrational rants by James, and people urging him to stop. James, I will continue to do that, even though I have plenty of better things to do. This is a warning that your hysteria will no longer be tolerated. You are about one post away from being banned.

[David Garner]

James S. Rustad
But the story that was clung to by much of the left (including some posters here) was that Trump had colluded with the Russians on meddling in the 2016 elections.  That's the piece that's no one has ever come close to having proof for.
Me:
No. Yes. Maybe. It is time to look ahead. Wallowing in the past is not a good idea.

Indeed.  Republicans are about to hold their majority in the Senate, they are almost certain to take the House in 2 years, and they have a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court, a majority that might extend further if Steven Breyer decides to do as Ruth Bader Ginsberg did and delay his retirement until what he hopes is Biden's second term.

Oh, who are we kidding, Biden isn't going to be in a second term.  He might not finish his first term.  And since it's been established that COVID-19 is the president's fault, and since Biden's economic plan is going to slow recovery, we could be looking at a veritable lock on the Court for a generation or more if a Republican wins the White House in 2024.  I doubt Breyer will chance it though.  Because if a Republican takes the White House in 4 years, Clarence Thomas will likely retire, cementing a conservative majority on the Court for the first time in my lifetime.  I know right now you're probably not seeing a path to a Republican victory in 2024.  I'd wager Democrats didn't see one in 1976 either, and whatever one thinks of Donald Trump, he is a far, far better president than Richard Nixon.  Still, Reagan won and the rest is history.  And if you put Harris at the top of the ticket?  I mean, there are few people in politics more unlikeable than she is.  Donald Trump was one of them, but there aren't a lot left with him out of the way.

Anyway, add to that the number of state houses Republicans still control, and keeping in mind it is redistricting time for the next 10 years, and I feel great about the future. Tuesday was a phenomenally good day for people like me.  Biden winning is, in my estimation, a great blessing.  I anticipate a realignment I've been envisioning for a while now is imminent, where the Republican party focuses on what is essentially Catholic social policy (though they won't call it by that name). Where they realize that the vacuum created by smug college educated suburban and urban liberals has left the working class unrepresented, and more, that Republican values of family and religious freedom and love of country and so forth align perfectly with working class people of all races and backgrounds.  If that happens, I will be proud to vote for Republicans again.  In fact, about the only way for Republicans to ruin this for me is to re-nominate Trump in 4 years, or worse, one of his kids.  Since party faithful tend to blame losers for losing, I don't see that happening.  There's a reason Mrs. Clinton didn't run again in 2020.

On your side, by contrast, nearly every leftist I know is furious that Biden was the best you all had to offer.  They voted for him because they hate Trump worse, but not many are happy about it.  Oh, the pure partisans are -- people who would vote Democrat no matter who they put up.  But I know a lot more people who voted for Biden that view it much as I viewed my ill considered vote for George W. Bush in 2000.  Something they felt they had to do, but aren't particularly proud of.  And when Democrats lose the House in 2022 -- which again is all but inevitable -- the infighting in that party will be something to behold.  Having cost moderates their seats, the hard left will blame them anyway.  It's already happening.  Without Trump at the top of the ticket, they will be far less motivated to vote for what a pacifist anarchist friend refers to as the "Jim Crow Joe and Copmala ticket."  Really, all the Republicans need to do in order to win the White House in 4 years is nominate a half reasonable person who can speak respectfully to voters Trump was winning over already, and bring back voters who left because of his demeanor and immorality. 

It will be fun watching your side revert to the anti-Trump Resistance(TM) playbook and call that person a racist and a puppet of Vladimir Putin too.  Because it will look as stale and tired as it actually will be.

So yeah, the future is bright!  I've rarely felt more optimistic than I do right now.

[Charles Austin]

Here is the closing of President-Elect Biden's speech tonight, and the citation of one of our best hymns. The hymn is by Michael Joncas, a Roman Catholic priest. Another Joncas, related, I am sure, but I do not remember how, is an ELCA pastor.
The closing of the speech
   In the last days of the campaign, I’ve been thinking about a hymn that means a lot to me and to my family, particularly my deceased son, Beau. It captures the faith that sustains me and which I believe sustains America.
   And I hope it can provide some comfort and solace to the more than 230,000 families who have lost a loved one to this terrible virus this year. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. Hopefully this hymn gives you solace as well.
   “And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings,
   Bear you on the breath of dawn,
   Make you to shine like the sun,
   And hold you in the palm of His Hand.”
   And now, together — on eagle’s wings — we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do.
   With full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with a love of country — and a thirst for justice — let us be the nation that we know we can be.
A nation united.
A nation strengthened.
A nation healed.
The United States of America.
God bless you.

[Dan Fienen]

Presumptive President Elect Biden has expressed his intention to govern for all of America, not just for Democrats, not just for Blue states, to reach across the aisle and work with both Republicans and Democrats in a bipartisan manner. He presumably won the election, he won the chance to be taken at his word until and unless his word proves false. Bur we need to begin from a position that that is his intention.


This would mean considering the ideas and proposals from both Republicans and Democrats, listening and meeting the concerns of both Republicans and Democrats, and crafting policy that reflects the ideas and concerns from both sides of the aisle. To govern as "we won the election, you can just lump it" will not bring peace and unity to the country. Can Biden/Harris do this? Time will tell, but we all need to give them the chance to try.


To be really effective, Congress from both sides of the aisle will need to go along in bipartisanship. This means really listening to and seriously considering the proposals and concerns from both Rs and Ds. Policy and legislation needs to be crafted recognizing the value of both sides of the aisle. This was never seriously tried after the 2016 election. Perhaps Republicans and Democrats can be more responsible this time around. Effective governance is the arena of Realpolitik not ideological purity.


A good place to start that does not need to wait for Biden"s inauguration would be for Congress to set aside partisan bickering and honestly work together to craft a truly bipartisan COVID relief package. Such a package would not fully satisfy partsans of either party, nor contain all the Christmas tree ornaments they would wish to gift themselves, but would be a great blessing to the country and a start on a new era of bipartisanship.


Possible? We can only hope, but will it be even tried? It takes two to tango, but only one to break up the dance.

[Charles Austin]

The impeachment is over. The Trump presidency is about to be over. We need to look forward.
Even the malice that some of us feel concerning Trump doesn’t matter here and now.
I for one, am glad I will not have to consider Trump’s various inadequacies for very much longer. That is a relief.
We can have a discussion about strengthening the institutions of our society rather than destroying them.
It is much more satisfying to consider the possibilities that lie ahead, possibilities that did not exist under the Trump president.

[GalRevRedux]

https://amgreatness.com/2020/11/07/went-to-bed-in-america-woke-up-in-a-banana-republic/

I am in despair.

[David Garner]

The impeachment is over. The Trump presidency is about to be over. We need to look forward.
Even the malice that some of us feel concerning Trump doesn’t matter here and now.
I for one, am glad I will not have to consider Trump’s various inadequacies for very much longer. That is a relief.
We can have a discussion about strengthening the institutions of our society rather than destroying them.
It is much more satisfying to consider the possibilities that lie ahead, possibilities that did not exist under the Trump president.

The institutions of our society, specifically the media and bureaucracy, destroyed themselves. Often with your active apologia, and even cheerleading.

If you want to strengthen them, stop making excuses for their awful behavior and hold them accountable.

[Charles Austin]

Are you in despair that such a crud-pile of whining, divisive screaming of unsubstantiated allegations should be poisoning the atmosphere?
Is there credible evidence of massive voter fraud or not? Is the mind behind this piece capable of understanding the explanations of how and why the tally developed? I’m not good with such things, but I can understand it.
Does this person believe that - quickly and quietly overnight - the Democrats took control over vote counting in seven states and faked the results? Then why didn’t they mess with the races for the Senate and the House?
I ask again. Are we looking for a cooperative future or not?
(I might ask where we have had to worry about “banana republic” traits in recent years, but that would not help us look at the future in a peaceful, cooperative way.)

David Garner:
The institutions of our society, specifically the media and bureaucracy, destroyed themselves. Often with your active apologia, and even cheerleading. If you want to strengthen them, stop making excuses for their awful behavior and hold them accountable.
Me:
Cannot deal with such vague, broad declarations. The “bureaucracy” of government has been, for four years, in the hands of the party that lost the presidency (but remains strong elsewhere). Dominant media include Fox News and Trump-lovers all over social networks. (I have not been swishing pom poms and shouting for them.) Other “institutions”? Science? Medicine? Education? Retail stores? Religion? Philanthropy? Sports? The arts? Hardly “destroyed,” for which we thank God and the resilience and good will of the American people.
This is Proof that we should be able to work together for a better future..

[Pr. Don Kirchner]

"Let’s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division," [Michelle Obama] wrote. "We’ve got a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/michelle-obama-biden-harris-president-congratulations-message

Guess they're going to correct us, re-educate us. You know, from...

“'They have been on-air saying this: These people have revealed themselves for the racists that they are, the tribalists that they are, they don’t care about 'E Pluribus Unum, ‘from many, one,’ they care about ‘got mine and, you know, you shouldn’t get anything of yours,'' [Malcolm Nance, an MSNBC contributor and former US Navy senior chief petty officer] said.

'You think that’s every Trump voter?' Maher pushed back, Dailymail.com reported.

Nance doubled down. 'They voted for this consciously, knowing what Donald Trump stood for, for the last four years,' he said. 'They know him.'

'It’s almost a level of fanaticism that I’ve only seen in cult groups and Middle East terrorist groups.'

In another segment, Nance referred to the caravans of Trump supporters seen on highways in the run-up to the election as 'Vanilla ISIS.'"

https://nypost.com/2020/11/07/bill-maher-slams-panelist-who-calls-all-trump-voters-racists/

And of course there's still the good ole Russia card.

"'Trump should concede, but I think the Republican Party has a responsibility here,' Clyburn told CNN's "State of the Union." 'This country is bigger than any one person. This democracy is teetering. ... We are in a very dire set of consequences here, and we had better get hold of ourselves and this country and stop catering to whims of one person.'

Clyburn seemed to allege that Trump is a puppet of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

'We have been the envy of the world, but we have also received a lot of disdain from places around the world,' Clyburn said. 'So I don't understand how the Republicans can allow Putin to dictate the fortunes of this country and that is what is going on here.'"

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/james-clyburn-joe-biden-trump-concede

IOW, "So long as you racist fools change and see it our way, we might get along. "

[Dan Fienen]

To quote the hippy dippy crowd, give peace a chance. Massive voter fraud is being investigated and I'm confident the evidence will be found if it is there. To make peace and unity to work, suspicion and hostility from both sides needs to be toned down. Not every Democratic proposals is a prelude to socialism, nor is strengthening the social safety net. Nor are all Republicans racist homophobes and respect for the religious freedom of those who haven't bought tickets on the progressive bus isn't merely an excuse for bigotry. Letting the past be past needs to come from both sides of the aisle. While it is credible that this election was a repudiation of Trump it was not a massive repudiation of Republicans or conservatism. In general its looking like except for the top, Republicans came out a bit ahead. Biden and the Democrats did not receive a mandate to crush or run roughshod over Republicans. If in their hubris they try, their calls for bringing the country together will prove to be a lie, and in the long run they'll lose.


Meanwhile it's in the Republicans' best interest to try to work with the Democrats fairly representing their ideas and policy proposals but not playing the Democratic obstruct and resist game from the last four years.

[Dan Fienen]

"Let’s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division," [Michelle Obama] wrote. "We’ve got a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/michelle-obama-biden-harris-president-congratulations-message

Guess they're going to correct us. You know, from...

“'They have been on-air saying this: These people have revealed themselves for the racists that they are, the tribalists that they are, they don’t care about 'E Pluribus Unum, ‘from many, one,’ they care about ‘got mine and, you know, you shouldn’t get anything of yours,'' [Malcolm Nance, an MSNBC contributor and former US Navy senior chief petty officer] said.

'You think that’s every Trump voter?' Maher pushed back, Dailymail.com reported.

Nance doubled down. 'They voted for this consciously, knowing what Donald Trump stood for, for the last four years,' he said. 'They know him.'

'It’s almost a level of fanaticism that I’ve only seen in cult groups and Middle East terrorist groups.'

In another segment, Nance referred to the caravans of Trump supporters seen on highways in the run-up to the election as 'Vanilla ISIS.'"

https://nypost.com/2020/11/07/bill-maher-slams-panelist-who-calls-all-trump-voters-racists/

IOW, "So long as you racist fools change and see it our way, we might get along. "

There will be those on the left who won't let their narrow mindedness and hatred die.  As well as those on the right. I hope and pray that cooler and more reasonable heads on both sides can prevail.

[Coach-Rev]

In fact, we've even got a betting pool on when pelosi has him declared incompetent and gets Kamala in as POTUS.

Jeff, I find a tasteless statement like that to be not only uncharitable in the extreme, but profoundly ignorant of how the 25th amendment works. I hope you are joking, but frankly, it isn't funny.

I"m sorry you find it tasteless and uncharitable.  I do not believe it to be so, but rather a statement of reality.  If I'm wrong, then I guess I can add that to the list of sins I must confess on judgement day.  Are we actually betting?  No.  But honestly, I find this whole election a travesty, and considering Nancy threatened to use it on Trump, many, MANY of us saw it as a warm up for Biden and his clear state of mental confusion. 

Like Donna, this article summarizes why I lose trust in more and more institutions almost daily:  https://amgreatness.com/2020/11/07/went-to-bed-in-america-woke-up-in-a-banana-republic/