...it's said, has a silver lining. A lot of people would agree that 2020 has been a large black cloud because of the combination of a rancorous election campaign and the pandemic and its effect on every aspect of life for most of us. To suggest there is a silver lining to this cloud might raise the question "What have you been smoking?". Let me elaborate. First, on the pandemic front, it looks like one or more effective vaccines will be available in the near future. Keep in mind, this is happening in a much shorter time than any vaccine in the past. On the political front, the voters denied Mr. Trump a second term and, short of shenanigans on the legal front, it appears Mr. Biden will be sworn in January 20. I can understand that the election outcome is not to everyone's liking. But realistically, with the degree of polarization we have, the likelihood of a significant majority being happy with any combination of election results was extremely low. I, for one, have learnt over the course of my life that the next best thing to the majority being happy with any situation is for everyone to be unhappy to some degree. In this case, Trump supporters (70 million+) are unhappy he lost. Democrats are unhappy the "blue wave" did not materialize and a Senate majority appears elusive. But middle-of-the-roaders should see this as a glass half-full. Once in office, I would like to see President Biden use his 47 years of experience to hammer out the kind of compromises that are possible in a divided government. And if extremists at either/both ends of the spectrum sabotage such progress, there is always the next election. I believe Americans are capable of recognizing obstruction and punishing it. In the meantime, I believe Georgia should be on everyone's mind at least till the 2 run-off elections for the Senate in January. The last election proved that while overwhelming wins may be out of reach for both sides, a lot of states are purple and narrow victories are the new norm.
One more proof of the silver lining is the fact that 75 million+ Americans of all ages, both sexes and different races were motivated to turn out to vote in the face of numerous challenges including the pandemic, a barrage of misinformation both domestic and foreign and implied threats of violence; and they voted for a 78 year-old white man and a woman of color, a daughter of immigrants, just 12 years after they voted for Barack Obama. Talk about the arc of history! The election of Donald Trump between those events should tell us not to take our victories for granted. Maybe I am a hopeless optimist, but I am not throwing in the towel. In fact, I think I will continue to write this blog as long as there are issues worth mobilizing moderates for.