My heart soared with happiness last Tuesday when Joe Biden asked Kamala Harris to join him on the Democratic ticket. As if that weren’t bliss begetting enough, Joe’s very sensible statement about facing down the coronavirus was like a freshly whispered dream of sweet serenity.
Masks please, everyone!
I not only appreciated the solid advice he was giving the country, but I kind of felt as though he were already president just by virtue of the leadership he embodied. I’m guessing many others, at least briefly, had the same feeling I had - that the country was finally benefiting from the reassuring presence of a sensible, decent, and empathetic leader.
The news has been so ghastly lately – Trump trying to kneecap the Post Office in order to snuff out voters’ rights, Trump cranking up a new racist birther conspiracy against Kamala, the pandemic spreading unabated, millions facing financial stress even to the point of eviction, and so on. In the face of all the enraging and disgusting effects of Trump’s policies, I decided today that, as a counterweight, I would imagine what life will be like if, as is currently expected, Joe and Kamala take over in January.
I realize talking as though the good guys are going to win may give some people the uncomfortable feeling that I’m jinxing their prospects. But I need this moment of reverie right now. Some say you should never count your chickens before they hatch, but to them I say, “Screw it - count on!”
Think of all the wondrous effects a Biden-Harris leadership team can bring. First of all, consider the many crooks and thugs who will be sacked and bundled off to oblivion if not to Sing Sing next year. Think, for instance, of these shoddy-souled losers:
Vice President Mike Pence – “If you’re gay, ask me about a cure!”
Attorney
General William Barr – “My slow, soft-spoken voice should convince you I’m not
as crooked as I seem.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – “I’m very loyal. Unlike my predecessor, I refuse to call Trump a ‘fucking moron’ out loud.”
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos – “No questions, please.”
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy – “Yes, we have your ballots. It would be a shame if anything happened to them.”
And so on.
Can you imagine the lifting of American spirits that will (may) be brought about by a cabinet that included Attorney General Stacey Abrams, Secretary of State Julian Castro, Secretary of Defense Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Labor Andrew Yang, UN Ambassador Mitch Landrieu, and so on? My heart leaps up at the very thought.
Also, there is the amazing Susan Rice who has long been determined to see her native Washington DC become a state. So have at it, Ms. Rice. Your dream could very well become a reality with Joe and Kamala in charge. But we couldn’t call the new state Washington, so what would it be? Maybe it could be the Great State of Martin, after the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
And of course the Supreme Court. With a rejuvenated court we could keep defending women’s right to choose and, just as important, we would be able to overturn the godawful Citizens United decision. That decision was nothing more than an invitation to crooks and sleazeballs to push their selfish agendas under cover of darkness. How a seemingly decent guy like Chief Justice John Roberts could have supported that decision, I’ll never know, but with new and improved, Biden-appointed justices, that blunder will be corrected.
I feel better just thinking about this prospect. Of course, I have to acknowledge those who will say I’ve jinxed our prospects just by speculating about a Biden-Harris victory, but, if you could see me now, you would notice that I am countering the jinx by knocking on wood! Tap tap.
And if that isn’t safeguard enough, there’s always, “Buttercup!
