America: Episode XLVI – A New Hope

Hello and WELCOME back to my blog! So nice to see you! Also, welcome to the second installment of 21 in 21, the collaborative publishing project by me, Meredith Silverman and Mr. Husband, Matthew D. Futter! If you’re so inclined, the first installments of this blog series are available to read here and here, respectively.

In this installment, I’ll be discussing how I’m looking forward to a different kind of Presidential administration in 2021.

Meanwhile, in a galaxy not too far away, a NEW HOPE arose for America on January 20th, 2021. A new hope in the form of a NEW PRESIDENT, Joseph R. Biden Jr. and a new VICE PRESIDENT, Kamala Harris. A despondent America breathed a sigh of relief at the arrival of these TWO NEW AMERICAN HEROES. Heroes who will save the the American people from complete and utter despair…

Hold up…did I just do a whole Star Wars Intro schtick here?

Yeah, I totally did! You’ll just have to imagine the music and the scrolling text, though. Anyway, moving right along, but let me back up just a bit to when I noticed the winds of change beginning to blow way back in 2020.

A New Hope for A Kinder, Gentler America

During the Presidential debate back in October of 2020, a member of the Trump administration compared Joe Biden to Mr. Rogers. Republican columnist and lobbyist Mercedes Schlapp meant the comparison as an obvious diss. However, I imagine Ms. Schlapp was the one feeling quite the burn when #DemocraticTwitter jumped on her with a pair of hob nailed boots.

For instance, quote-tweeting popular Twitter user The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse), Twitter user @ForLibrarians doubled down with:

I watched Mr. Rogers all the time when I was a child, and to be honest, I’m still a pretty big fan as an adult. And I remember thinking to myself right then and there, you know, we could do FAR worse than have a President with a kind and gentle manner rather than what we have now.

A New Hope for the Treatment of Women

And speaking of the winds of change, of course let me not forget about our (at the time) future Vice President. I mean, honestly, who could forget THIS shining moment during the Vice Presidential Debates of 2020? That is to say, when one Mike Pence tried to speak over Kamala Harris:

Considering in my last job position I was often spoken over and even told to “shut up” by my former abusive Trump-loving, gun-toting Republican boss, I can’t tell you what a joy it was to hear Kamala Harris put Mike Pence DIRECTLY into his place. Don’t think I won’t be using that exact turn of phrase in the future should anyone attempt to speak over me ever again, male OR female. Oh what was that? That was the sound of the glass ceiling shattering, folks.

Oh, and lest ANYONE forget, RBG sent the fly.

So like I said, I knew at that point changes were brewing; such changes that proved to be the pinnacle of a hard-fought and hard-won free and fair election of the people. WE THE PEOPLE voted. And democracy, thank God prevailed, much to the chagrin of Old White Republican America. But you know what? Their time is over. Too bad, so sad. Even though some didn’t think things could change, well…I got news for them:

A New Hope for Dignity and Respect

What a joy it was to see President Biden and Vice President Harris get to immediate work on the first day. In the the first three days, we saw more changes to American policies than we saw in the ENTIRE FOUR YEARS of the Trump administration. Mask mandates. A return to the Paris Climate Agreement. COVID relief and vaccine supply, to name a few. And if you’d like more information, you can certainly read about these positive changes at https://www.whitehouse.gov/. But there’s something else, too.

After watching Donald J. Trump abuse the American public for four years, especially the women of this great democracy, it gave me GREAT pleasure to not only cast my vote for Joe Biden, but see him defeat Trump soundly. And to listen to President Biden speak to the American People after what we had before? What a complete difference. President Biden speaks TO us. Donald John Trump talked AT us. What a breath of fresh air President Biden is.

To put it another way, Joseph R. Biden Jr. is my 3 AM Water President.

All that said, I was already ridiculously hopeful for the changes the Biden-Harris administration would bring.

And then I saw this come across my Twitter timeline from Good Morning America on Inauguration Day. I’m not ashamed to say this brought a tear to my eye, and I’ll tell you why in just a moment.

Here’s the tweet, and I made sure to include the image from the tweet because I feel like it bears importance:

Pres. Joe Biden delivers stern directive to incoming staff at virtual swearing-in ceremony: “I’m not joking when I say this: If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat another with disrespect… I promise you I will fire you on the spot.” https://t.co/8qQJ5wbb3Q pic.twitter.com/nSV6KWFSkU— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 20, 2021

I believe it’s MORE than high time for a President that believes in treating others with dignity, decency and respect. PERIOD THE END. I found myself thinking about that today, which happens to be the 28th of January, 2021.

One year ago this very day, I rage-quit my abusive job because I could no longer tolerate being talked down to, talked over, and talked at.

Never in my LIFE had I been treated so badly.

And never again in my life will I allow myself to be.

A New Hope for Unity for ALL

This is why I’m so overjoyed to see a President who is adamant about treating others with dignity and decency, and a Vice President who will NOT tolerate being talked down to. I think they both will lead by amazing example, and I sincerely hope that more people in a position of power will follow suit and treat their employees like human beings rather than livestock to be abused at will.

And? I’d bet a dollar to a donut that Kamala Harris doesn’t have to ask to use the bathroom at work or plead with someone to watch the phone, like I used to have to.

Yeah, f*ck ALL of that noise. That’s the past. I’m all about the future! And in the future, I intend to work for folks who will follow Joe Biden’s lead.

And this, my friends, is my new hope for America; that under the leadership of President Joe Biden and Madam Vice President Kamala Harris, we can indeed become a truly UNITED states of America, by speaking kindly to one another, as a start.

Sounds simplistic, but I think there’s so much good that can come from treating others with dignity, respect and decency, REGARDLESS of what color they are, what their gender is, what their sexual preference is, or what’s in their bank account.

You know, I remember when I was small, we’d pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, ONE NATION, under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

As an adult living in 2021, I hope things can go a little bit further than just liberty and justice for all. I truly believe that with President Joe Biden and Madam Vice President Kamala Harris leading this beautiful country of ours, we have the real potential to become a truly united States of America; a republic with not just liberty and justice for all, but decency, respect, dignity, and equity for all.

Not just white folks.

Not just rich folks.

Not just STRAIGHT, MALE folks.

ALL folks.

Gentle reader, I hope you’ve enjoyed this second installment of 21 in 21! If so, please subscribe so you don’t miss the third installment. Do you know someone who would enjoy this blog? Please feel free to share it using the buttons below. Did you have a favorite part of this blog? Drop me a comment and let’s talk about it!

Stay tuned for the next installment of 21 in 21!

And as always, thanks for reading-
Meredith Silverman