Happy Unnew Year

We in the U.S. all tend to think of a new year - whether it's the calendar year, or the chronologically later beginning of a new President's term, as a fresh start. Out with the old problems, on to new challenges and projects. We think that, but it's never true. Not in our personal lives, nor in the life of a nation. Things carry over.

That's true in spades now. Trump is impeached, could face conviction, and is on his way out, but he will continue to make trouble, and no ban on future political activity is likely to stop him. Republicans in Congress, almost every one of whom helped to enable Trump's destructive acts, were slightly chastened by the violence at the Capitol on January 6, but many, especially in Congress, persisted just a few hours after being saved, in questioning the outcome of the 2020 election, while others still suggest that election was "stolen." Voters still voted for Trump in large numbers in 2020, and they're still mostly in his corner and find his false claims credible. The rioters who trashed the Capitol and Democracy itself are being tracked down and at least some will be brought to justice, but they and their cohort remain a threat, even if it's not clear yet of what magnitude. Many issues - including the pandemic, our foreign relations, and the partisan divide have been left in tatters, or half finished.

So our new President will have all that to deal with but will also need to demonstrate useful progress on the nation's issues while (in my  opinion) working to expand the big tent of the Democratic Party before the 2022 elections.

I hate to be a buzzkill, but the truth is, there's not a lot to be euphoric about in this new-year, new-administration season. I do think it can be handled, and that things may look cheerier in a year or two.

Meantime, how shall we mitigate all these problems? Trump created or exacerbated every one of them. It would be nice to think he might be prevented from making things still worse, but even a full impeachment with a ban on running for public office, unlikely as it is, wouldn't stop him from communicating with, and rousing, the rabble. Sadly, unless he just drops dead, the only option seems to be to assume Trump has a "better nature" somewhere, and to appeal to it, as I did years ago, at the time of the Charlottesville riots:      

"Letter to a Former President" (August 2017)

 

Comments

[stssis]

Your observations are very thoughtful and, sadly, very true. If only Trump had followed your suggestion in August, 2017!

[PiedType]

We'll be years cleaning up the messes Trump has created. Meanwhile he'll be out there somewhere, on the loose, creating new messes. Possibly even worse because he'll be an angry poor loser followed by angry far-right radicals. They'll probably appoint him "Generalissimo" and carry on as before.