A difficult goal: Healing our nation

Presdient-elect Joe Biden is talking about bringing the country together and healing us a nation. A laudable goal, but I have little faith in it. We are a hyperpolarized country and I don’t see that changing. I speak from my own family’s perspective.

I voted for Mr. Biden and despised Donald Trump. Mr. Trump’s botched handling of the response to COVID-19 and his cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin should have been enough for Americans to abandon him en masse. But 74 million voted for Mr. Trump and, thankfully, 81 million voted for Mr. Biden. Mr. Trump and his base are still in denial about the results. When he said in 2016 that he would accept the results “if he won,” he was serious!

Then the courting of Nazis, the fascist and the Klan by Mr. Trump — this should have ended his political career and it didn’t.

I actually have a cousin who donated $7,000 to Mr. Trump. And the vile crap my one cousin spewed at me about us “socialists” made me see this dream of bringing the nation together is just that — a “dream.” It took us years to get where we are and it will take years to get to a more unified nation. I don’t see this happening in four, eight or 12 years!

I don’t see me approaching my Trump-loving cousins anytime soon and I bet they feel the same way about me. It’s amazing we were a family. I was pallbearer for both their parents and although we weren’t really close, this hatred wasn’t seething through the family.

Now I will still be politically active about the things I believe in. If anyone calls me a socialist, I will ask them to define the word. Typically, they won’t be able to. It’s sad they use terms like this as a slur and it’s in the dictionary! Please, people, look it up!

NICK BALANDIAT Baldwin Borough