Cheery Note from President Biden Actually a Missed Opportunity

Here we see Biden taking an optimistic tone about America’s future, and there is some value in that; it’s certainly better than its opposite.

Here’s what I used to say as a soccer coach, where my kids weren’t performing well, and were just barely ahead of a clearly inferior team at halftime: “If we don’t start making better passes and improve our control of the ball, I predict we’re going to lose this game.”

The analogy to the United States in the last five years couldn’t be any stronger.  The wealthiest nation on Earth, badly damaged by Russian interference in the 2016 election, puts a criminal conman into the White House.  The most disgusting characteristics of humanity are all brought to the surface at the same time: bigotry, hate, cruelty, willful ignorance, indulgence in idiotic conspiracy theories, greed, and wanton corruption.

The country becomes an object of scorn, pity, and ridicule on the world stage.

The conman is removed from office, but his groundless insistence that the election was rigged results in an insurrection.  His ongoing control of his party enables the trampling of voting rights.

Five years after it all began, we’re teetering on the edge of fascism.

Blithe optimism seems badly out of place when we consider the horrifying prospect of losing our democracy.