Some thoughts on the inauguration of Joe Biden

It was 12 years ago when I sat and watched the historic inauguration of Barack Obama, as he became the nation's first black president. I was excited then, as the historic nature of the day wasn't lost on me. On that day, this nation's possibilities seemed limitless. Today, for the first time since that historic inauguration, that sense of excitement, of endless possibility, returned. 

   No, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is no Barack Obama. He lacks the personal charisma that Obama carries so effortlessly. He's not exciting. He's not young. In fact, he's the oldest person ever to assume the office, at 78 years of age. What he is, though, is what this country desperately needs right now: a thoroughly decent man who is utterly sincere in his desire to heal this country and to put us back on the right track. He is, in effect, the "anti-Trump."

   Four years ago, I warned anyone who would listen that Trump would be a disaster as president. It gives me no great satisfaction to have been proven correct. The truth is, Trump will go down in history as the single worst president we've ever had. Worse, even, than Richard Nixon, who was caught up in the Watergate scandal, and who was forced to resign in disgrace. Don't believe me that Trump is the worst ever? Think I'm just overreacting, or simply being a partisan "Never Trumper? Consider the evidence. In the last four years, Trump has:

1. Destroyed or severely damaged longstanding alliances that have been in place for decades

2. Undermined the public's confidence in our news media by introducing the term "fake news" into the public lexicon and declaring it "the enemy of the people." 

3. Further fractured an already divided nation by fostering, in fact encouraging, an "us vs. them" mentality.

4. Given shelter and encouragement to the dregs of our society, including white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

5. Badly bungled the response to the Covid-19 pandemic by downplaying its severity, ultimately resulting in 400,000 needless deaths.

6. Refused to concede defeat, and incited a riot among his followers in an effort to overturn the election results and thwart the will of the voters.

6. And perhaps, worst of all, completely destroyed the Republican Party by once and for all exposing its utter corruption and incompetence. It's hard to imagine where the GOP goes from here, or how it even begins to recover any semblance of the moral authority it once held. My sense is, that if the party is to survive, the Trump loyalists will have to be driven from the party, or they will have to simply form their own party. One thing is certain, though. The Republican Party cannot survive with Trump's supporters as part of their coalition.

   Biden faces a tough road ahead as he assumes the presidency, and it remains to be seen how much of his agenda he can accomplish, even with control of both houses of Congress. But you know what? That doesn't even really matter in the long run. The truth is, if Biden can bring this country together, if he can begin to heal some of the deep divisions that have scarred this country during he past four years, and if he can begin to restore some sense of calm, some sense of normalcy, then his presidency will ultimately be judged a success, no matter what else he accomplishes.