2021 Brings Hope and Challenges

​The new year is finally here, and no one wants to put 2020 in the rearview mirror more than I do. The beginning of a new year is a time to reflect, take stock, and move forward with the hope that the year ahead will be better than the last. Much of what made 2020 challenging, (I’m being kind), will follow us into the new year. The coronavirus pandemic cast a dark shadow on much of 2020, and its impact will be felt for much, if not all, of 2021. Politics also dominated 2020. The hyper-partisanship continues, and we start the year with a very busy political calendar which will set the stage for 2021. This blog post is a brief look at what’s on my radar, and my wishes for 2021.

Political Calendar January:

January 3, 2021: The start of the 117th United States Congress. On the Senate side, new Senators will be sworn in and new rules adopted. In the House of Representatives, newly elected and re-elected members will be sworn in, and the Speaker of the House will be elected.

January 5, 2021: Two Georgian Senate runoff elections are being held. The results will determine  which party controls the Senate. The seats are currently held by GOP incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue. They are being challenged by Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively.

January 6, 2021: Congress will gather in joint session to certify the electoral votes for president and vice president of the United States. Vice President Mike Pence will preside over the proceedings, and he will open the certificates of the electoral votes of each state and the District of Columbia. Once opened, each certificate is read aloud and the vice president calls for any objections, if any. The objection must be in writing and endorsed by at least one Senator and one House member. If an objection is raised, the joint session is suspended and each house meets separately to debate and vote on the objection. If the objection fails, the votes are counted and the joint session of congress continues to count the electoral votes of the remaining states.

Objections are rare, and the certification of the electoral votes is typically quick and uneventful. But the 2020 presidential election was anything but typical, and objections will be raised in a last-ditch effort to overturn the election in Donald Trump’s favor. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Alabama) plan to raise one or more objections due to what they claim are voting irregularities in certain states. Several other Republican members of Congress will raise their objections as well. It could be a long day. But this is all just political theater. The Democratic held House will never vote to uphold the objections, and several Republican Senators have no intention of objecting to any of the certified electoral college votes. The only good that will come out of this affront to our democracy is that it will force Republicans in Congress to publicly acknowledge their support for either Donald Trump or the electoral process.  

January 20, 2021: Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, and Kamala Harris will be the first woman (of any color) to become vice president. Due to COVID-19, the inauguration will probably be a subdued affair, with most of the festivities occurring virtually. The only real question now is whether or not Donald Trump will be in attendance. I hope that he is. Not because I want to give him any more TV time, but for the sake of the country. Donald Trump’s presence will maintain our country’s tradition of a smooth transition of power, and signal to his supporters that Joe Biden is the legitimate president. I just hope, for this one day at least, Donald Trump can keep his ego in check and put the country ahead of his self-interests.

Other Things on My Radar for the Year Ahead:  

Coronavirus Pandemic: Unfortunately, the pandemic will dominate our lives for at least another year. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. By the 2nd half of the year there should be additional COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the U.S. from Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Novavax. But the real issue to keep an eye on is the distribution and administration of the vaccines, in the U.S. and around the world. As we have witnessed over the past few weeks, it is a tall order to get the vaccines to where they are needed, and then getting them into the arms of people.  Our healthcare system is exhausted by the hundreds of thousands of COVID patients being treated, and the Public Health System is doing all it can to keep up with testing and contact tracing. The federal government is going to have to step up in a big way if the vaccination program is going to succeed. The system also needs to keep an eye on the new variants of the virus that are currently in the population, and to convince enough people to get the vaccine in order to achieve herd immunity.  

What Donald Trump Does Next:  I don’t think that Donald Trump is going into quiet retirement at Mar-a-Lago. He will continue to wield considerable influence in the Republican Party. The question is, what role will he take (or make for himself)? Will Donald Trump be a king maker, an elder statesman, or something more? I think he will launch his 2024 presidential campaign on January 20, 2021.

Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Let’s face it, our response to the current pandemic was not good. We have no excuse not to be ready for the next pandemic, which will arrive sooner rather than later. The world has learned a lot about what has worked and what hasn’t during the current pandemic. The United States has a lot of work to do to put the systems and best practices into place, and to build critical supply chains.

Student Loan Forgiveness:  I don’t think that the Democrats will win back the Senate this year, so not much will be done on student loan forgiveness. Nonetheless, this is an important subject that needs careful consideration.  

Removing or Modifying the Presidential Pardon: No one is above the law, except the President who has the authority to grant pardons for offenses committed against the United States. President Trump’s recent pardons of convicted criminals (as well as questionable pardons made by other presidents), makes this a topic for serious discussion.

Medicare for All: Most people agree that the healthcare system in the United States is broken, and the massive amount of money it sucks from the economy is unsustainable. There is no easy fix, and the politics surrounding it seem insurmountable. But I think that Medicare for All is a step in the right direction and needs to be pushed forward.

Gun Control: With Republicans in control of the Senate this is probably a nonstarter. But you can’t convince me that assault style weapons, armor piercing bullets, and high-capacity magazines are guaranteed rights under the Constitution.

​Wishes for the New Year:

• A smooth transition for the new president and his administration.
• Getting kids back in school.
• Reopening of small businesses as soon as possible, and getting people back to work.
• Getting as many people as possible, all over the world, vaccinated against COVID-19.

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Even though 2021 brings many challenges, I remain hopeful for the new year. The new administration will bring competent leadership to Washington D.C. The availability of COVID-19 vaccines and the resiliency of the American people, give me hope that when we look back on 2021 there will be a lot to celebrate.

Happy New Year!
 
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Thanks,
Armchair American