The fascinating
election week came to blessed close yesterday when Joe Biden was declared victor.
Predictably, the Trumpster refuses to accept the result but he’s painted
himself into such a finite corner with his prior statements there is no way he
could exit gracefully, if he is even capable of such an act. He should be allowed to fade into the
dustbin of history as a failed experiment in American populism. His numbers can’t
be ignored however and that will be the challenge for the new administration.
As much as they would like to grind their opponents into the dust, someone has
to break this cycle of political vengeance that dates back to the Clinton years.
I’m heartened to hear people from both sides of the political spectrum voice
their confidence that Biden is one who can breach the barriers we’ve set up
between ourselves. His speech last night was an excellent start where he once
again promised to be a president for the entire country, even those who voted
against him. He reached out to them in a meaningful way. My fervent hope is
that he means it and, more importantly, proves capable of doing it. While he
received more votes than any president in history, he didn’t have coattails for
the house and maybe the Senate. This means a lot of people (myself included)
voted more against Trump than for him. The nation needs healing and that can’t happen
if he takes the Trumpian tact of marginalizing his opponents. The best line in
his speech (paraphrased): “we’re all Americans!”. It’s will be so nice to have
a president that at least sounds presidential and doesn’t govern through
twitter.
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| 'Nuff Said |
The
next few months will be equally fascinating as Trump will certainly refuse to
cooperate. I have confidence in the federal government, at the worker bee
level, will be ready to do the nuts and bolts work of ushering in the Biden
administration. They, along with he military, serve the constitution and not
the occupant of 1600. The new administration will have to work hard not to rise
to the ample bait Trump will provide with his lack of cooperation. They should
continue doing what they have started out with, being professional and
conciliatory. Don’t let the radical elements of their party/society and their
need to scour delay the needed healing. This was an opportunity that Obama didn’t
take full advantage of.
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Latest Puzzle Completed
|
I’ve
gotten too good at jigsaw puzzles which is a direct symptom of life in Pandemia.
I knocked out the latest 1000-piece puzzle in less than two days. I did this
while continuing to work and also catching up on Netflix and Disney shows my
lack of internet delayed. The good/bad news is that was the last puzzle I have
although every time I wander through Amazon they have a huge number to recommend
to me, damn those algorithms. I took full advantage of my freedom from post-surgery
physical restrictions yesterday. I mowed the lawn and started to winterize the
yard even though we had temps in the 70s. That was weird because last week I
was clearing five inches of snow away. My Favorite Panamanian was monitoring me
all day and kept asking if I was feeling okay. It was almost fun being able to
do physical labor again. She wandered into the house at one point which is when
we learned Biden had been declared the winner. She was jumping up and down in
joy and immediately started putting every American flag we have outside. We
called our kids and found my daughter celebrating in a socially distanced
neighbor’s back yard. The FBR actually wanted to talk with us because there were
no other children around. After a couple celebratory beers and lunch I wandered
down to the Man Cave and promptly fell asleep. Apparently the six weeks without
physical labor meant I was more tired than I thought. Still, very satisfying
day and you can almost feel the malaise of 2020 starting to fade.
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RECURRING CHARACTERS
BR3 – granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter,
ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete =
my daughter in law; Wingman – my son
in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 –
friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great
Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous
Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything,
poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh
College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in
Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard
deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two
close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3rd musquetera
(musketeer); Riggins - also known as
the Grandpuppy, son's dog; PanaGals
– female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife
accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia
member, Favorite Panamanian - the
wife (of course); First Friday –
celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her
single days in Brooklyn
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