Perhaps one of the most lasting icons of the 2008 presidential election was the poster down by Shepard Fairey of Barack Obama looking out with the word “HOPE” at the bottom of the poster. Everyone in the US and possibly the world saw that poster. At the time when the world was on the very edge of a world wide economic collapse, the hope of the whole world was put on to this young man.
Obama came through. Twelve years later and one Republican term in the presidency and once again Americans and many in the world are once again are looking to a Democrat to work some miracle and once more pull the world back from the precipice. This time we look to a much older man. However, what these two have in common is that both are Democrats. One was even the vice-president in the other’s presidency.
So once again the Republicans have left an economy in tatters, a world on the edge and a nation turns its eyes to the Democrats to put the country and the world back together. FDR had to do it after Hoover. Obama had to do it after Bush II. Now our hope rests on Joe Biden. In slightly less precarious times, Carter inherited a shaky and battered nation from Nixon/Ford and in 1992 Bill Clinton revived and economy run down by Reagan/Bush I.
Biden also inherits a country driven to large social divides by an administration that used division as a tactical policy. Healing such a divide will be hard. At the same time Biden will be making a real effort at giving traditional minorities a real voice in joining in running what is their country also.
Never have we seen the number of minorities and women being nominated to the cabinet and other major administrative posts. These are not just folks being named to fill some quota. These are quality people. Considering the people they are following into these offices they will have their hands full. We can expect a top-notch job from all.
Thus while we look to Joe Biden with hope to save our futures, women and minorities can look to the new administration with the hope that they will be given an honest chance to show what they can do. They in turn will be the beacons that will give hope to the younger generations of women and minorities in the future.
Don’t you feel like we are slowly crawling out from the dark and into the light? Don’t get ahead of the vaccine. The pandemic must be taken care of first. Then we can act on our hope.
Hope for the end of the pandemic.
Hope for our kids as schools are truly reopened and we no longer have Betsy DeVos ruining schools.
Hope for more stability in the world, especially with our traditional allies and with an Iranian nuclear deal back in place.
Hope for the environment and healing the damage we have done.
Hope for minorities and women to take their deserved places in running the place.
Hope for the re-establishment of our democracy.
Hope for re-establishing the rule of law in the US where NO ONE is above the law!
Hope that America will once more be the beacon of the world.
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