Some in southern Mass. hope for a quiet future full of compromise under Biden administration
When President-elect Joe Biden takes office next week, Judith Gayle’s biggest hope is that she doesn’t hear about it.
There are some policy changes the Attleboro woman wants to see passed – criminal justice reform and some relief for the burden of student loans – parts of Biden’s platform that she can happily align herself with.
But mostly, Gayle is hoping the political atmosphere will relax into quiet – and her along with it. After a loud and combustive four years under President Donald Trump, she is happy she won’t have to pay attention to the next president’s tweets.
“Never before have I had to follow the news like I did in this administration,” she said.
Gayle moved to the U.S. from Jamaica in 2007 and worried about her status as a minority and an immigrant under Trump’s administration.
“As a minority, you have to follow the news because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” she said, adding that was true of other minorities, like women and the LGBTQ community, as well.
An executive order by Trump banning diversity training by government agencies and contractors scared her before it was eventually blocked by a federal court judge last month.
“Tomorrow I could wake up and the immigration laws could change,” Gayle said. “It was just so erratic and it didn’t go through the process or discussions it was supposed to.
“I know (Biden) has a stable hand. I can relax and I don’t have to be afraid.”
Daniel Currier hopes for compromise.
As a Republican, the Attleboro teenager said he is concerned that the Democratic party has a “virtual trifecta” over the Senate, House of Representatives and the presidency – which sets them up to push policies from what he calls the “progressive left.” Currier said he hopes some of the more conservative Democrats in Congress will forge a path for compromise and level the playing field.
One of his main priorities is in Biden’s education agenda, which Currier, a Foxborough Regional Charter School student, hopes will support the institutions as an alternative to public schools.
“I believe all students should not be beholden to their neighborhood public school if it does not offer the educational value that the student or parent desires,” he said in an email. “I hope that Biden will see the benefits of charter schools, and I am thankful that he chose a more moderate selection for education secretary rather than a leader of an anti-charter school teachers union.”
He also hopes Biden will work with Congress to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill to expand economic opportunity during the recession that Trump’s administration let pass by.
Lynne Mendes said she hopes – and expects – integrity.
“I’m really tired of feeling sick to my stomach, once a week or maybe even more,” Mendes said. “All of this dismantling and deregulating – I want things to progress.”
The Attleboro woman said that as a former teacher for nearly 35 years, values like honesty, integrity and trust are at her core.
“The lying always got to me the most,” she said. “To have somebody as our president who is lying about everything, from big things to small things – I’m really looking forward to not having that every day.”
Mendes said she feels confident about Biden’s cabinet nominations, especially those in positions related to education and the environment, believing they bring experience that could move the country forward.
“Things in my mind look promising, but it’s still scary that these white supremacists are bent on keeping Trump in power or dying,” she said, referencing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol during the Electoral College confirmation of Biden. “But I still have hope.”