By Bill Press
For me, the headline on a column by Joel Mathis Wednesday morning said it all: “Biden is Winning, Democrats are Grieving.”
Indeed, by the time you read this column, Joe Biden will probably have secured at least 270 electoral votes and been declared the 46th president of the United States, after receiving over 50 percent of the popular vote and more votes for president than any candidate in U.S. history.
So why are Democrats feeling so glum? Because, to be honest, there’s not much to cheer about. After four years of Donald Trump, what America needed on November 3 was a thorough scrubbing: not just the defeat of Trump, but the total repudiation of Trumpism. And we didn’t get it. Yes, Biden won the White House, but what’s depressing is that Trump came so close to keeping it.
Forget whether he’s a Democrat or Republican. Trump’s the exact opposite of what we were taught as children about right and wrong. He’s the contradiction of everything we thought America stood for. Both on a personal and professional level, he’s the antithesis of America the Beautiful, the land we love.
On a personal level, he’s a pathological liar, having told close to 25,000 lies as president, averaging 50 lies a day in the final days of the 2020 campaign, according to the Washington Post. He treats people with disrespect, relishes in personal insults and name-calling, pays porn stars not to talk about his extramarital affairs, and he’s a serial sexual predator.
On a professional level, he’s turned the presidency into a for-profit scam, forcing taxpayers to shell out millions of dollars for golf, meals, and overnights at his own properties. He’s debased the White House and national monuments by using them for campaign events. He’s destroyed the independence of almost every government agency – the Justice Department, State Department, Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security, and even the Supreme Court – by trying to turn them into agents of his re-election campaign. He’s used the awesome power of the presidency to divide, not unite, Americans.
Yet here’s what’s so disconcerting: after experiencing four years of the most incompetent and corrupt president ever, almost one-half of Americans stood up and declared: “He’s my man.” As odious as he is, Donald Trump surpassed expectations, getting over 68 million votes, 48 percent of the total vote, and – here’s the worst part – five million more people voted for him than last time!
And that, despite the scourge of the worst public health crisis in our lifetime, with the United States suffering more cases and more deaths per capita than any other country on the planet — 9.5 million cases. 237,000 dead. On November 4, the most cases in a single day. Together with the resulting economic crisis: millions of jobs lost and over 100,000 small businesses forced to close their doors forever. Yet again, instead of holding Trump responsible for his failure to take the pandemic seriously, almost half of Americans said: “We don’t care, we still like our Donald.”
Of course, the cloud of gloom hangs not only over the White House, but over Congress. Democrats were expected to pick up 10 to 15 new seats in the House. Instead, with votes still being counted, it looks like they’ll lose 5 to 10 seats. And any hopes for Democrats to regain control of the Senate went down the drain in Maine, Iowa, South Carolina, and Montana.
All of which means that, even if Trump does finally, reluctantly agree to vacate the White House, he won’t go far. He and Trumpism will still survive. He’ll threaten to run again in 2024. Any efforts by the Lincoln Project or others to rebuild the mainstream Republican Party are dead in the water. And Mitch McConnell will block anything Joe Biden tries to accomplish, just like he did with Barack Obama.
Now, I realize: You may see the glass half full. After all, you argue, Joe Biden’s still in the White House, with a chance to reunite the country and get things done on COVID-19, jobs, and climate change. Not me. I see the glass almost empty.
I think it’s time for some real soul-searching. What’s wrong with this country when a man so disgusting, gross, ignorant, and corrupt is so popular? What’s it say about us as a people?
Like you, I love this country. I believe it’s a great blessing to live in this land of freedom, equality, and unlimited opportunity. Today, I’m just not sure we’re worthy of it.
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Bill Press is host of The BillPressPod, and author of the new book, “Trump Must Go: The Top 100 Reasons to Dump Trump (And One to Keep Him).”
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