A call to rally behind President Biden
Not only was 1/20/21 the first palindrome Inauguration Day, it won’t happen again for a thousand years. Many of the Wednesday’s events also fell into the once-in-a-lifetime category. There were the sounds. One was the hush that enveloped the National Mall in contrast to celebratory blares of the past. The other sound was a virtual one — of a glass ceiling finally shattering with Kamala Harris’ swearing in as vice president. It has taken our nation far too long to elect a woman to serve in the White House.
There were the masks. Yes, they have become as much a wardrobe staple as shoes, but seeing them on the faces of new President Joe Biden and predecessors Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George Bush was a grim reminder that they were making their debut at a tradition that dates back to George Washington’s inauguration in 1789.
⏩ There was the phalanx of security summoned to Washington, D.C., in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots. It’s not the first time a president has been sworn in under fire. Abraham Lincoln was surrounded by the cavalry as he rode by carriage to his first ceremony. After Lincoln was elected, 11 Southern states seceded.
There was Donald Trump’s absence. The image of the outgoing commander-in-chief boarding an aircraft can be inspiring, an American symbol of the transfer of power. But a petulant Trump chose to skip Biden’s party, the first such snub since Andrew Johnson, who had also been impeached, did so 152 years ago.
Four years ago, we invited Americans to make a common pledge hoping for Trump’s success. In the wake of the riots, it is even more important for Americans to rally behind Biden.
Biden spoke at the podium Wednesday of the “next chapter in the American Story.” That chapter cannot be written without considering the lessons of the past. The fabric of our flag seems sturdy enough in 2021 that we needn’t fear states seceding.
In this case, recent history must take precedence. Biden’s reference to more American lives certain to be lost to COVID-19 than were sacrificed in World
War II was in stark contrast to Trump’s last public address as president, in which he spoke of the pandemic as though it had passed.
The next page for Connecticut is promising. Trump and George H.W. Bush are the only presidents of the past 40 years to serve a single term, and both are one-time Greenwich residents. But Trump, who has changed his party affiliation several times, was openly hostile to blue states during his administration.
Our members of Congress responded in kind. We look forward to U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, as well as Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, focusing on their home state instead of parrying with Trump. The delegation must seize this opportunity, for example, to secure federal funding for overdue infrastructure enhancements that Trump deflected.
We don’t know what the next thousand years will bring, but a better tomorrow seems possible.
Biden spoke at the podium Wednesday of the “next chapter in the American Story.” That chapter cannot be written without considering the lessons of the past. The fabric of our flag seems sturdy enough in 2021 that we needn’t fear states seceding.