Inauguration Day’s peaceful transfer of power stood in sharp contrast to what we witnessed 14 days prior, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to undermine the will of the people.
President Joe Biden’s inaugural address likewise sharply contrasted with that given by Donald Trump four years earlier. Trump spoke of “American carnage,” which in many ways he came to represent. Mr. Biden called for unity and racial justice. We pray he comes to reflect just that. In such polarized times, that may be a pipe dream. But one thing is certain, American democracy dodged a bullet after four years of Donald Trump in the White House.
In 2016 a large segment of the electorate voted for a man they hoped would tear down institutional norms, in hopes that such action would improve their well-being. These past four years is a reminder to be careful what you wish for. The near daily chaos of his presidency included the frequent stomping on democratic norms and assaults on democratic principles. The events of Jan. 6 are the results such assaults create. No good deed a president may achieve ever justifies such an attack on American democracy in action.
As president, Donald Trump cast a spell of mass delusion on millions of Americans and on a majority of the Republican Party. That spell created the false impression that our economy grew in historic proportions, when in fact, it slightly lagged that under President Barack Obama, as a review of economic data will prove. The spell allowed people to accept Trump’s claims of success, which were not in fact his. Finally, the spell of mass delusion left seven in 10 Republicans with the inexplicable belief that the election was stolen from Trump. The delusion so blinded his followers to reality that it mattered not that neither Trump nor his associates ever produced a shred of evidence. His statement of fraud was proof enough for the deluded millions.
Inaccurate predictions of a political party’s doom are pronounced at least once every decade. The internecine battle waging now within the GOP is, however, vital to its survival. Will it remain a party of democracy or continue on the path to being a party of the mob? Failure for traditional Republican conservatives and moderates to wrest control from Trumpism would hasten its demise. Nature abhors a vacuum. If the GOP remains a party of a personality cult, our political nature will create a new one. For the sake of a strong two-party system, we must pray that Trumpism is defeated or that a new party, one committed to American principles, will replace it.
If Biden’s inaugural address had a singular theme, it was most certainly a call for unity. A poll conducted by Georgetown University revealed that 87% of the American people believe in their hearts that lofty goals and compromise are worthy ambitions. That is the good news, which could spell hope for this beleaguered nation. Except for one thing: Exactly 87% of those polled also said they were “tired of others compromising their beliefs.” In other words, Americans are quick to call for compromise but only if the other side’s compromise is greater than theirs. This is why, after Obama called for bipartisan compromises, Republicans decried his steadfastness. What they viewed as his “lack of compromise” was the realization that while he was willing to compromise, he would not cave into their demands. Such personal intransigence is, in my humble opinion, the single greatest roadblock to American unity. Until each of us budges there will be no unified America.
Michael Adkins formerly was chair of the Hancock County Democratic Party. Send comments to [email protected].
