The Blue Thunder Bolt

Ten years ago last night I sat on the sofa with Carter watching the election returns. I was certain that it was going to be a history making night and wanted to share it with her. As the returns came in history was being made, not just the one we were hoping for. A despondent Carter went to bed crying that we would not have a woman president. I stayed up, shocked by what I was witnessing. I had no idea that it was barley a flicker of the shock I would feel over and over and in ever increasing jolts.

So last night as the returns started coming in I girded myself. I did not want to feel too giddy, too fast. I have lived through so much political disappointment and shock. I stayed up until one in the morning watching as seat after seat went blue to a degree I could not have ever hoped for.

This election was not just won by democrats it was lost by the arrogance of the current President and his cronies. The lying, cruelty and grift have almost become status quo and I think they felt invincible. But the foolishness of starting an unprovoked war trying to take our eyes off the Epstein files was a miscalculation of epic proportions. When you throw the economy that was the envy of the world out you better have a good plan.

The rolling over of most republicans to a man who had no loyalty to anyone other than himself cost them everything. I heard him say last night, “they lost,” but certainly know that if republicans had won he would had said, “I won.” It says everything about him. He is not a leader, a leader takes responsibility.

The overwhelming blue thunder bolt does not mean that the issues facing the country can be easily solved. The democrats have a three pronged fork of trying to hold those who have cheated and stolen accountable, while trying to make some deals with the office holder on legislation that is good for the whole country and coming up with a winning agenda for the future.

Undoing the seismic disasters that got us where we are right now will take lots of time and having the presidency. We need to put legislation in place that reigns in powers from being out of balance. We need legislation that prevents office holders from making a fortune in dirty dealing. We need term limits for lots of offices. We need to control absolute power which corrupts. We need to build back a free and fair press. We need a true separation of the branches of government. We need to rebuild trust of our foreign friends and need to know the difference between our true friends and ones in sheep’s clothing. We need to make honesty, fairness and compassion the pillars our public servants at a minimum. We need to take the temperature down and stop hating our neighbors.

Last night should be a wake up call, but we shall see if people learn my lessons. This is no time to just celebrate. It’s time to get to work.