Yesterday, I wrote about the disproportionate suffering of the poor, the overwhelming impact the coronavirus has had on people of color and the injustice of good fortune. Yesterday, Bernie Sanders called off his presidential bid, leaving Joe Biden the presumptive nominee (unless somebody, like Joe, nominates Andrew Cuomo.) My immediate fantasy is that Joe does something unprecedented and names both his running mate and his entire cabinet, made up of all of the great prior candidates, at the national convention. Yes, a cabinet and presidential appointees chock full of his former opponents. Could you imagine it? What a thought – that would unite Democrats (and some weary Republicans) all over this plague-worn, corruption-weary country. Unbeatable, except where voter suppression, supported by the bought and paid for justices in the federal courts, has been cemented into law as we all shelter in place. (Wisconsin, anyone?)
My daughter is a Bernie fan, and rightfully so. Bernie has fought for the maligned, abused and ripped off his entire political career. He is the angry grandpa all young people wish they had. She is not happy with her choice right now, but is resigned to assert her civic duty to relieve us of the conscious, corrupt ineptitude that is presiding over our federal government in this moment.
Let’s also not forget the plague, this horrific killer of people, that is sweeping through the country and the world, rendering us homebound, some people homeless, jobless, hungry and sick. I did not expect to be angry; in fact, I don’t really feel angry, but the words that I am typing are indeed angry. Go figure.
I need to live where people’s basic needs are met, where we are not one step away from avoidable crises or at least where we can expect a rapid, cohesive response to a collective threat. I need to know that people’s basic human rights are a given – and if they are not, there will be a collective effort, both from government and citizens alike to ensure that they become a given. I am a proponent of the idea that it is everyone’s job to look after one another and support the fabric of our society.
This is not an equal-opportunity plague. There are far more people who do not have the good fortune to shelter in place in a safe, relatively germ-free environment. And there are people, including (or perhaps especially) those who we have elected to represent us, who are and will use this tragedy for their own gain.
OK. Rant over. I will post something more thoughtful and uplifting later.