It is important for the 81 million Americans who voted for the Biden-Harris ticket, and those who believe in their values but didn’t vote, to clearly understand the current American landscape. Seventy-four million Americans voted for Trump-Pence to continue the Trumpian madness. Countless others who support those values but didn’t vote are not disappearing from the landscape either. In their own words, many of the marauding insurrectionists clearly articulate that they believe they are patriots on a mission. They see a second civil war as the only way to resolve their complaints against the status of American life and values. They fear their diminishing numbers will render them politically powerless in the foreseeable future. They are aghast at the “browning of America”, the increasing emphasis on equity and inclusion, the changing values and increasing acceptance of gender identity and same-sex marriage, to name just a few of their concerns. The danger to our democracy is the vehemence and vitriol with which they express themselves. The fury they displayed, their willingness to kill or be killed during the storming of the Capitol, the weaponry they had with them, and lastly the words we heard from their own mouths, leaves no doubt as to the fire that burns within them and their determination to succeed.
We must appreciate that Trump did not start this; he did unleash it. The fury has simmered since the ‘60s with civil rights legislation, integration, The judicial system, and law enforcement devised ways to continue much of the Jim Crow thinking and actions despite the spirit of the law. The evolution of values concerning gender, gender identity, and same-sex marriage, the increasing approval across the country for medical and recreational marijuana disturb many. They blame the opioid-induced deaths of many of their progeny on the increasing efforts to decriminalize marijuana rather than on the physicians who irresponsibly prescribe the opioids. Trump gave voice and approval to their fury, their sense of entitlement to their America, the insistency on their supremacy. Biden-Harris and much of their team probably are aware of the longstanding nature of the thoughts and feelings of the trumpeters. He wants to be POTUS for all Americans. The insurrectionists aren’t going away. What can the new administration do? These folks want to destroy us, not be a part of us.
Stay tuned,
Dr. Monica