And with one mail-in-ballot unsealed and counted, the world was born anew. A fresh breeze of genuine relief, joy and hope in a world plagued by uncertainty, but perhaps still fixable, blew across oceans, continents, cities and nations. The very resurrection of a nation; an idea, a belief, a collection of values, aptly and unfortunately conveniently applied throughout history given ideological leanings and political, social and economic circumstances.
A global sigh as the flames of the towering Statue of Liberty burned once again, that A-list celebrity, reentering the spotlight after years of being irrelevant and waging war with trolls on the Internet, pushing aside his Emmy-losing uncle. The league of concerned nations sighing too, looking on in dismay as the celebrity’s spiteful and vindictive uncle had been running the Apprentice-show spinoff into the ground, and stunned as he poisoned the lips and minds of so many in God’s country and across the globe. Yet - still rejoicing as he was finally removed from the stage - from power - soon to be face to face with the strong-arm of justice he had cleverly been avoiding all his life.
The world may not have witnessed a political revolution in 2020 – but nonetheless it witnessed a shimmering and unwavering light in what for 4, long years had seemed like a never-ending horror movie with no apparent hope for a happy conclusion in sight. Right there – at the edge of the cliff of apparent doom – humanity was miraculously saved and set free from the devil’s works. Thank you Stacey Abrams.
What can best be described as a year from hell, the double infection of a relentless virus of the body and virus of the mind, came to a close. And while the mind virus is now cured and slowly fading, the body version is still out there waiting for a vaccine, just like all the lonely, quarantined masses roaming their living rooms on this planet.
They say the vaccine to the ills of America is now two congressional seats in the Senate – sent all the way from Georgia. Why wouldn’t that be a lovely gift for Christmas, socially distanced, of course. The toddlers have been evicted – the conmen will be convicted – and the grown-ups will resume power and dignified leadership will ensue.
However, whether Trumpism will merely be an anecdote and dark chapter in American and world history, rests upon the leadership of these newly elected grown-ups, and how they engage with the mind virus still out there. Because we all know – most diseases are curable, some are seasonal, and others never truly go away.
We cannot allow the political, social and economic failures that led to Trumpism reappear. The Republican party cannot allow Trumpism in any way, shape or form manifest itself and corrode it from the inside any longer. The Democrats and the Republicans should perhaps divide themselves up in order to give way and alleviate the division that the system they represent have created and exacerbated throughout the country for decades.
Progressives, centrist Democrats, Conservatives and Trumpists are very different political denominations. Therefore there is an argument to be had that they ought to be separate parties, such as is the reality in many other democracies around the world, much to the benefit of a diverse political spectrum and public debate. This could help democratise America away from a binary to a mixed political institution - truly reflecting the vast multi-cultural, religious and ethnic diversity that exists in the greatest nation of immigrants on earth.
The battle for the heart and the soul of America has just begun once again, just as it always was, always has and always will be. Belief and confidence in a political democratic project and process is a constant dialogue that requires the brightest minds, the healthiest arguments, and the best policies. I pray that America will find its way.
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