You can’t fix it. People respond to stimulus in a way their mind’s are wired to do. Without complete control over communications similar minds will congregate and amplify what they are predisposed to believe. The education system would be ideal to fix it but the education system itself is perceived as propaganda and indoctrination.
To answer the OP, I’m relieved that we’ve had another peaceful, well let’s make that mostly peaceful, transition of power. When folks rank the presidents I typically see Lincoln as 1 and Washington at 2 or 3. But the precedent of a peaceful transfer of power at that point of time in those circumstances is so great that I have to put Washington clearly at #1 if only for that one reason.
Lincoln is, and likely always will be, numero uno in my opinion - if only for having kept a union together and removing slavery, which was one of the worst flaws contained in our constitution. Washington and Jefferson are both underrated, though, and should definitely be at or near the top of anyone’s list.
I can’t pick between Lincoln and Washington. Both were indispensable. I have them as 1A and 1B. There is no doubt whatsoever who has last place wrapped up for all eternity.
I don’t do The Twitter or The Facebook, but I was drawn into it, despite my better intuition, just see the nonsense Trump spewed. It was an embarrassment to me as an American. Almost everyday he’d do something stupid. Mind you I am right leaning independent. 4 years of a clown. Representing the greatest country in history.
Leading up to New Years Eve 1999, I had been worried about a large terrorist attack, and felt some very smug relief that there wasn’t one. Then Sept 11th happened not long after.
So I am somewhat relieved, but I can’t let myself relax completely. I have this queasy feeling like there’s one more shoe waiting to drop on us.
I’m just relieved that there’s not some fresh government outrage every single fucking day. Simply the fact that the federal government is now doing some positive things rather than vile and evil things every day is a relief. I’m also relieved to be able to look at the news without having to watch Trump bleating nonsense.
I wouldn’t bet on that. The Republicans will make sure that they are outraged every day and they will not be ignored. They will pitch a fit and do everything to ensure this government fails.
I am relieved that - at least for the next four years - my non binary kid will not face an attack by the federal government on their rights.
I am relieved that we will likely pass the John Lewis Voting Rights act. The thing I am most disappointed about in my “democracy” is how many people want to keep people from voting, rather than encouraging them TO vote.
And I’m relieved to have adults in the White House. I teared up this morning watching Dr. Biden hand out cookies to the National Guard at the Capitol and thanking them for leaving their homes. And acknowledging that the White House staff made the cookies - that there are real people behind all of this.
This thread is about what we are relieved about. There are plenty of other threads to talk about doom and gloom. I’m well aware that there are going to be problems.
Finally serious, adult people are in charge. Assholes like, to name just two, Steven Miller and Betsy fucking DeVos will hopefully be heard of no more. So many shitty appointees whose names I thankfully don’t remember will be gone. They cried about “cancel culture”. They deserve the corn field.
I’m relieved that some politicians can laugh at themselves now. That Bernie Sanders meme was a hoot, and Bernie enjoyed it.
[For those people who don’t watch videos, there was a picture of Bernie Sanders sitting in the Inauguration with his big coat and huge mittens. That picture was photoshopped in a bunch of other photos. As an aside, the lady who made the mittens got a huge influx of orders for them.]
I’m relieved that Anthony Faucci feels liberated to talk about science since his actual job is talking about science, without fear of losing his job. And Faucci laughing was nice too.
I’m relieved that a majority of American’s didn’t buy his bullshit, and that there are enough Republicans in positions of power who value Democracy over pure partisanship that is possible to have an election win which a Democrat won a national office. The erosion of democratic norms under Trump and McConnell scares me more than any individual thing that Trump did while in office. We can (and did so far) survive errors in policy, but not the complete subversion of our democratic elections.
To my mind this is the third time in our nations history where our bedrock ideals as a nation were threatened. The other two being the Civil War and McCarthyism. I’ve been waiting desperately for a “at long last have you no sense of decency” turning point. I hope that the attack on the capitol may have been that turning point. Unfortunately we will have to wait and see.
In a similar vein, I’m curious if any prominent Republicans will deliver a “Khrushchev denounces Stalinism” type of repudiation against Trumpism. For my purposes, any speech has to be followed through by actually voting to convict Trump during the upcoming impeachment trial.
I’m not holding my breath though, as it seems clear that Republicans feel they have more to gain by casting their lots with the white nationalist and conspiracy theories crowd.
In keeping with the topic of this thread, I’m relieved that government policies will be once again be driven by science, and we might finally start to make progress on containing the pandemic and preventing climate change from getting worse (I’ve long given up hope of it ever getting better).
Whomever this Van Jones rooster is, they are patently an idiot.
By that analogy US democracy under most sane standards should have gone into the rehab ward in Nov-20. Instead there’s 74mil who thought they were better off with the near death experience. You are two election cycles from recovery.
WaPo has been keeping a tally of Trump’s lies and misleading statements. On the final day, the tally was at 30,573. I’m relieved the tally is done, and I won’t be reading more of it from his term as President, especially since the count was increasing so much toward the end.
