Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"[...] I'm so deeply disappointed in the American people and their commitment to what I thought were American ideals. Why is this even close? We needed Trump and his closest enablers to be not just beaten, but thoroughly repudiated, so the Republican Party (and the Democratic Party, as a warning shot) would learn to Never Do This Again. We've had four years to see him in action; there's no benefit of the doubt any more. We know he's going to 'drain the swamp' by outsourcing it to alligators; we know he's not going to 'grow into the job and act Presidential', but only grow more paranoid and self-serving; we know 'the adults in the room' aren't going to keep him in check because they've all been fired. But from a squeaker of an election, the lesson is instead 'next time we need to suppress a few more black votes, and pick a fascist-racist candidate who's a bit less personally offensive.'

"I thought the American people, by and large, believed in the system of checks and balances, in not concentrating too much power in one person, and in at least occasional bipartisanship.

"I thought the American people, by and large, wanted their leaders to make reasoned decisions based on facts.

"I thought the American people, by and large, wanted their leaders to serve the public rather than their own pocketbooks.

"Most of all, I thought the American people, by and large, wanted to think of themselves and their country as good."

[...]

-- hudebnik, 2020-11-07 [thanks to cellio for linking to this]