One of my favorite Shakespeare quotes:
“There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.
Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea we are now afloat. And we must take
The current when it serves, or lose our ventures.”
Never mind that this passage was spoken by Brutus, who was plotting to do in Julius Caesar.
The tide is rising now, a massive Blue Tide that will push history in a progressive direction. It’s different than the fleeting Blue Wave of 2008, a momentary spike driving by a once in a generation political personality. That wave crested and then fizzled.
This is different. It’s been swelling since the Women’s March of January 2017, through the struggle to save the ACA. It rose enough to change the House profoundly in the last election. It witnesses the daily injustices of Trump and McConnell and becomes stronger with each passing week.
It’s not driven by a personality. Biden is not Barack Obama or Franklin Roosevelt. He’s just a guy who’s in position to take the reins as we clean up the chaos left by a fascist living in the people’s house.
That said, I do have concerns. A potential Blue Tide was demolished in 1968 when Robert Kennedy was killed.
1. Voter suppression is more determined and widespread than ever.
2. Absentee voting is complicated, and many ballots will be rejected based on technicalities.
3. A Biden illness would be tragic.
4. If McConnell manages to retain control, nothing good will happen for two more years.
5. If the Trump team managed to pull out a Bush v. Gore victory in a very Trump-friendly supreme court, this country is toast.
6. Post-election violence is a real possibility.
I’m cautiously optimistic that we will ride the tide to a better future, but the shoreline is still quite rocky.
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