It was an undeniably bitter defeat for someone who has said so many times that he does not like “losers” and, accordingly, has disparaged his opponents by calling them “losers,” along with many other pejorative names and remarks, but . . . he lost. Period. Donald Trump truthfully and legally lost his bid for reelection. He has yet to accept this fact, which is beyond realistic dispute.
When at the height of the Vietnam War the Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater, lost his bid for the White House to Lyndon Johnson, who scored a landslide victory, he accepted the outcome, congratulated his opponent, and promised his continued prayers for and service to this country. Goldwater truly understood constitutional, representative democracy and he respected it.
The same can be said for the Democrat candidates, Hubert Humphry and George McGovern, who both lost to Nixon. And mentioning Richard Nixon, he voluntarily resigned from office for the good and, specifically, the unity of the country. Humphry, McGovern, and even Nixon truly understood constitutional, representative democracy and they respected it.
The Ex-Presidents Club
And, yes, the same can be said for Republican Gerald Ford and Democrat James E. Carter, who lost the presidential race to Ronald Reagan. Even in the controversial 2000 election, Vice-President and Democrat nominee, Al Gore, eventually conceded the race to George W. Bush, assuring him of his prayers and support, and wishing him well. He understood constitutional, representative democracy and he respected it.
So, too, the American people, or at least most, but not Donald Trump, and so now he constitutes the one greatest threat to our system of governance. Trump currently poses the greatest threat to democracy, yet in this his true colors are showing. There is no evidence of voter fraud or, more generally speaking, a corrupted election, and this is something even conservative, Republican-appointed judges have said from the bench.
The U. S. Supreme Court is currently comprised of six conservative justices, three of whom were appointed by Trump himself, and three liberal justices, yet even these justices have unanimously knocked down two attempts at overturning the legal results of Election 2020. Yes, even Trump’s own appointees have ruled against allegations of voter fraud and election corruption!
The fact of the matter is, the 2020 election was free, fair, legal and level. Period. It is far past time for Donald Trump to accept this, but he will not, and he will not back down. After four years of witnessing just how he operates — what makes him tick, how he acts and reacts, his motivations and (seeming) fears — no one should expect him to act reasonably and out of any genuine concern for the country.
This being the case, it’s up to the rest of us to put the election behind us, at least as much as possible, and congratulate Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris, promising them our prayers and support, while also (hopefully!) putting these last horrific four years behind us. This is imperative, because quite honestly, our country is undergoing an extreme (but ultimately good?) transformation.
It is this current, ongoing, sociopolitical-cultural transformation that has birthed nearly tangible fear in the hearts and minds of so many millions of Americans . . . mostly conservative, traditionalist, Caucasians, who pine for the “good ole days” when the United States was unquestionably ruled by white males (with, perhaps, a few women, too.) They long for bygone days of white, “Christian,” supremacy, to tell the truth.
The country is going through transformation anyway, despite their wicked longings and unreasonable fears, so that America is changing right before our very eyes. We are really and truly growing and maturing into a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, socio-politically and religiously varied society. We will no longer be the America of “I Like Ike,” and “I Love Lucy,” mostly white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs).
The dawning of an altogether new era actually began in earnest in 2008, with the election of Barak Obama. In 2016, after eight years, came the militant reaction to this transformation. It was almost instinctive, certainly expected, and quite visceral. It was, along with the tens of millions who voted for Trump this year, the gasping breath of a dying corpse of white, Protestant “Christian” (and white, conservative Catholic) privilege.
So, yes, congratulations to Biden and Harris. May as many of us, who are ready and willing to be reasonable, respectful and peaceful, commit ourselves to prayer for and support of our country, government at every level, and above all our fellow citizens. We cannot wait for those who simply refuse to even acknowledge reality as reality. We must lock arm, join hands, and simply march forward together . . . as one.
Tweedledee or Tweedledum? Does it matter? Pass the rum! We’ve now made our choice And the world hears our voice; Either way we knew the next Four years will bring us tears; But really, who do we have to blame? Shame on US for playing such a game! All our elected leaders only feed off Of ‘we the people,’ who really need To better tend our country and mend So many of our troubles ourselves Rather than living in our bubbles! But here we are now and we bow. . . Tweedledee or Tweedledum? Does it matter? Pass the rum!
Here come Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Sound the trumpets and beat the drums, And the President will be who? Neither one can fill the shoe, So just laugh and cry while Nero strums!
Note: A limerick is a humorous poem consisting of five lines. The first, second, and fifth lines must have seven to ten syllables while rhyming and having the same verbal rhythm. The third and fourth lines only have to have five to seven syllables, and have to rhyme with each other and have the same rhythm
Bring out the paint to make some saints, and don’t forget the masks For brash-crass politicians to bypass truth and bask in the circus Of gleeful glory while piling manure over the real story in an effort To seal the fate of an entire nation of lemmings, condemning them To an unsuspected fate by bait of impossible promises pulled from Effervescent clouds floating in liquescent sky under crescent moon So soon to fade away on the day empty oaths are sworn with plenty Of pomp and circumstance while citizens watch in mindless trance And the puppet-servants prance while pence-bought clowns dance In the romance of self-made fantasy of having gained something In the election by their defection from flimsy conviction without Realizing they’ll soon be served an eviction because they no longer Serve any real purpose, but the party will go on beyond reason For a season till the people understand too late that they’ve taken Poisoned bait … again, that they’ve been pricked by self-serving Dicks and tricked … again, and then they’ll cry to begin anew But so few will make the effort to actually take action because Of fear of harsh reaction and making such a fussy muss in pain To regain life and liberty, sense and sensibility; and so the band Plays on without any real reprimand — same tune, same song — And so this is where we belong … in the grand ole U. S. of A**
Shrouded in doubt, clouded by deception, we wait for the reception Of some new conception that will wipe away our tears and all fears, Yet knowing that no selection in any election will lead to perfection; Our destination is cremation of our nation to which we give nutation Without thinking or even blinking; we just wink and nod and go on About our business as usual, which is unusual for people in distress, But why obsess over the inevitable, or impress with vain knowledge When it’s easier to repress our feelings peeling away at our souls? Here then is the conundrum of living in a dying kingdom with lying Queen and bellicose autocrat vying to sit in the white tower of power: What choice do people have with no voice, and over what to rejoice? Ah! But most are intent to remain content, so long as they belong To the games and the circus goes on with all silly gaffs and laughs Without a thought that this happy show has been bought at the price Of liberty by simplicity of trickery grown from the gross fertility Of unchecked, wicked wizardry of those who hide in dark anonymity; But will the simplicity of it all finally Shine through the red, white and blue? Will we see and refuse to bend the knee To such insidious, political cruelty? Are there better ways for brighter days?
noblethemes 