We Win

Let’s be honest. You were scared. Frightened he’d win, or steal it. You’re probably still concerned. What will he do to cling to power, to go full fascist, to end democracy as we know it in the USA? But nothing can take away that feeling of vindication and relief when Joe Biden won the election, and decency triumphed over calumny. It was a victory for those who felt America had one last chance, after the electoral system failed them in 2016, after Mueller pulled his punches and refused to call Trump out for who he is and what he did, and for  those who felt emotionally battered after a grim and brutal last four years. It was a triumph not of the will, but of hope and humaneness. It was a last stand that Americans can be rightly proud of. This moment is to be savoured; a return to normalcy.

Trump is busy licking his wounds, and plotting. He’s planning on either usurping the democratic mandate, or making as much money as he can from his army of deplorables before he gets dragged out of office in January. He’s still working away, firing those who disagree with his ludicrous position that he, not Biden, won the election, and litigating on absurdities, as the lower courts throw out almost every appeal he makes in the hope of some long shot travelling all the way up to the Supremes. His is not the Japanese soldier in the jungle, but an annoying drunk refusing to leave the bar when asked to do so. He deserves no dignity, as he’s never shown that to an opponent in his life. But Trump knows there are millions out there, part of the subconscious id he’s tapped into, that admire the ways of the crook and the bully. They’ve been emboldened since 2016 are not going away.

Trump’s trashy legacy is such that he will forever be thought of as that ‘Ugly American’ amongst most people who’ve given even passing thought as to what constitutes qualities they look for in a wise leader. The sad truth is that a large percentage of the US population saw nothing wrong in voting for this malign buffoon second time round. Indeed, many made a virtue of it. The next sixty days need to be about the gradual diminution in status of this ludicrous imposter. Reinforcements on the good guys side are coming, and while they may seem like some distance away, they are on the way.

Trump could do everything in the next two months from bombing Iran, to, theoretically, declaring martial law. The US constitution has been tested to the absolute limit, and there will be more alarming moments ahead. But, the majority of voters have had enough. They want him gone and silent. They need an end to his lies, his hangers-on, his stupidity, his constant grift. He has brought much of the Republican Party establishment down into the gutter with him. He has disgraced his oath, and been a reminder of that human nature has a very dark side indeed.

That’s why President Joe Biden will be a balm on the wound of crassness and outrage that’s opened up under his predecessor. It’s a change that will make us stop and think if we really endured the insanity of Mad King Donald. You only have to listen to Joe Biden and know a little about his family to know that he is the polar opposite of the man he’s replacing. Biden’s family life has been marked by tragedy, and he’s an emotional person not afraid of being seen as less ‘manly’ for being so. He served under President Obama with loyalty and distinction. Of course he wanted to be President, but he also saw running in 2020 as his civic duty, a call to arms to save the Republic. His will be a team that will be sworn to uphold the constitution and they will act accordingly. Biden will restore a lot of his country’s damaged reputation abroad; he is at heart an Internationalist. There will be no rage-tweeting, no bullying of the Press, and no appeal to the lowest common denominator. Kamala Harris will make a worth deputy, and must already be the favourite to be the Democratic Party nominee in 2024.

The USA is still a massively divided land. But the fact that Biden won back some of the key states that went to Trump last time demonstrated the potential Joe Biden has to be a healing president. There’s a wind of global good will blowing behind him, and he will do his best to tackle the enormous problems he faces when he ascends to the White House. Trumpists will never accept that the 46^th President will work for all Americans, no matter who they voted for. In this moment, let’s stay optimistic. Biden is a good man who will go on to do many good things.