I know I promised my next post would be knitting. I have pictures and text in the works. But public events in my country cannot be ignored.
A few days ago our nation held a national election for the selection of new members to our Congress - both houses of congress, many local elections including some State Governors and state representatives. It is called the mid-term elections because the US President is not up for reelection in this cycle. Typically this election is not attention getting and is largely ignored by the population. But this year it was not only attention getting but also historic in its response to demanding a change. And by now almost everyone in this nation and (apparently) in many other nations across the globe know the outcome. The President’s party, the Republicans, were roundly defeated in race after race throughout the nation. There was a resounding outcome that rejected the President’s actions and the Republican’s lack of action. Guard rails that were built into our institutions to prevent or correct the development of a dictator failed one after another. Where was the Cabinet and the 25th Amendment - that allows for the removal of a President? Why wasn’t there an uprising of patriotic members of the Congress (Republicans AND Democrats) to impeach and remove a wanna-be dictator from the highest office in the land? And at the Judicial level (the Supreme Court, for God Sakes), was the MOST embarrassing by giving him permission - legal permission - to be above the law? It was left up to the final guard rail (the American people) in a historic outpouring of frustration and anger to stand up and say “Enough is Enough.”
Thank God they did - because beyond “the people” there is no other safety net.
I am not going to give a list of all the promises he made and how they were broken. That is for others who are keeping track. I just want to be grateful that one of those guard rails held.
BUT we are not out of the woods yet! The Democrats, who have been handed control of both houses of Congress, now must step up to the plate and demonstrate that they hear and see what their citizens want. It will be a long legislative list of corrections from the last 2 years as well as a sincere attempt to repair international friendships that Trump set about to destroy. It is a big job. But the people gave the Democrats a majority and as a result, the power to make change.
Don’t fail us now. We want better. The world needs better.
And to BOTH Republicans and Democrats - make no mistake, that final guard rail has a long memory! I suspect you will be hearing from us again in record numbers in 2 years
Democrats - do what you promised. Fix our broken system. And stay focused on the people. Because that is where the American Power is kept safe.
Republicans - figure out what happened to the party of fiscal responsibility and smaller government. Get back to your roots. There are tons and tons of conservatives who did not drink the Kool Aid and follow the half-crazed Trump. They are looking for the party that left them.
