Week in Review 1-8-2021

 
As Joe Biden said, "The words of a president matter, no matter how good or bad they are."

For the past four years, our president, Donald Trump, has been using words to divide this country, to encourage people to hate each other, and to sow distrust in government.

It all came to a screeching crescendo Wednesday afternoon when his thuggish supporters attacked the Capitol. Trump has been dangerously creeping towards this moment, along with his GOP colleagues, since he took office.
 
His words encouraged domestic terrorism. Earlier on Wednesday, he thanked his supporters when they chanted "fight for Trump." He told the crowd that they will never take back the country with weakness and they need to show strength and be strong. He even praised them saying he loved them.
 
Many GOP members denounced the violence and called for Trump's removal from office. But their words are meaningless. Their silence for the past 1447 days is unconscionable. They only spoke out when the violence Trump personally endorsed touched them and forced them under benches and desks.
 
This dark moment in America will not be forgotten, nor will the bright moment that followed. Congress reconvened to confirm Joe Biden's win. Democracy prevails.

The Capitol will be repaired. The offices will be cleaned. Work will resume. But the scars on our democracy's heart will take longer to heal.

Unfortunately, this week's bedlam overshadowed our victory in Georgia. We hoped we left an ugly piece of the past behind when the Southern state elected its first Jewish Senator and its first black Senator. Mobs waving the confederate flags and wearing antisemitic slogans on shirts ransacking the Capitol reminded us that we haven't actually travelled very far.

It will soon be Joe Biden's task to lead us to a better place. It will take his strength and fortitude, along with that of Congress, to work to end the racism and bigotry that also forced its way into the Capitol.

If Democrats and Republicans can hide together while under attack, then they can work together to address the critical issues facing our country.