15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. – John 13:15-17
Global creative joy, mirth, and dancing erupted globally when it was announced that former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris were projected winners of the 2020 US Presidential US elections. The elections show that the former Vice President amassed not only the majority of the popular vote (over 76 million people) but also acquired 279 of the Electoral College votes against his competitor, incumbent President Donald Trump (71 million popular votes and 214 Electoral College votes).
There are triple reasons to sing and shout for joy in this win (which is yet to be conceded to by Trump and his Republican Party officials). Biden’s win brings to the highest tables of US leadership the first female Vice President, Kamala Harris, an African American, born of immigrant parents who were a Jamaican father and an Indian mother.
The cream on top of all this gaiety, Joe Biden also happens to be the second Catholic elected to the US Presidency, in US history.
Four years ago I was sick for four days when Hilary Clinton lost the electoral vote paving the way for outsider Donald Trump to be declared the 45th President of the US; four years later, I have not stopped breaking into dancing since the announcement on Saturday that Biden has won and Harris is his VP. Thank you America, democracy is back, again liberty is guaranteed, and to quote former US President Gerald Ford, “the long national nightmare is over.”
Global celebrations included among others, bells peeling in Paris, fireworks erupting in London, dances bursting outs along streets and parks in most major cities, all giddy in joyous celebrations like some menacing dictator had fallen. Through all the formal media and social media platforms, this gaiety manifested in an endless spontaneous stream of news articles, cartoons, mimes, and humorous forwards. A German front-page newspaper had two cartoons, one with Trump cutting off the head of the Statue of Liberty; next to it is one of Joe Biden replacing the decapitated head back to Liberty; another cartoon is of a very giant Liberty shouting to a small Trump the famous words from his reality show, “You’re fired!”
World leaders congratulating Joe Biden include Pope Francis, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor, Angela Merkle, French Premier Emmanuel Macron, and many others.
The election of Joe Biden and Hamala Harris is a 76 million-strong repudiation of Trumpism, the four-year rule that has reigned terror on almost every sector of the US with extended tentacles in the global community.
In the US, it was four years of lies, using conspiracy theories, high among them that the global COVID pandemic is a hoax that will miraculously go away. This led caused him to fail to act swiftly, to develop a national plan for mitigating and stopping the spread of the virus. He also dangerously advanced a malaria drug as a cure for COVID, and later said that injecting bleach could possibly kill the virus. He refused to model to his followers during his rallies, to wear a mask.
Even before he was elected president, Trump said that the first African American president (Barrack Obama, the first African American US President) was illegitimate because according to Trump, Obama was not born in the USA. He sought to undo many achievements that were introduced during the Obama presidency, among them the Affordable Care Act, the Clean Air, and Emissions of Gas Act.
Historically he is also the first president to ever seek re-election for a seat in which he was impeached. In December 2020 articles for his impeachment were approved by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives: these included charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Republican-controlled Senate voted against his removal from office. He is widely accused of being assisted to have won the 2016 elections with help from Russia. He broke from vital global agreements among them the Paris Treaty on Climate Change, WHO; and he also breathed hot coal on the NATO allies, and just showed a lot of disrespect on American friends.
Around the world, President Trump moved away and alienated the US from its traditional allies and instead admired global dictators; he warmed up to and embraced the once enemies of America; among them Russia and North Korea. He denigrated African countries as “shitholes,” called Mexicans rapists and drug dealers, separating over 600 children from their parents as they sought asylum in the US.
President Trump ironically treated Russia with unfamiliar kid gloves when it came to Russia. He said he believed Putin in opposition to US intelligent sources that accused Russia of meddling in US elections; Trump also failed to demand an explanation from Putin on the accusation that Russia was offering bounties for the killing of US troops in Eastern Europe.
This caused large parts of the Republican Party to break and from the Lincoln Project that campaigned for the Biden/Harris ticket. It also caused a large group of minority voters – among them African American women, Latinas, young and never before voted; flooding the voter airwaves in the early vote and election day, they came like a swarm of bees.
As the count continues, President-Elect Biden lead is widening, as soon-to-be-former President Trump and his allies hang on to recounting of votes, court cases and intimidation tactics. He has also promised to hold rallies to show voter fraud and how the Biden side is attempting to steal his win.
But American democracy won bigly. “We the people” have spoken. For the second time, they’ve elected a catholic and for the first time, they’ve elected a woman, who is also a person of color and daughter of immigrant parents, the VP. Harris will hold the second-highest office in the US. Her picture will sit among a sea of male faces.
Ooooh what a feeling, I’m dancing on the ceiling! “We the people” have spoken.
