January 30, 2021
Each of the first ten days of the Biden presidency has brought good news from the capable, competent women and men of the administration. The President has signed a flurry of executive orders designed to reverse the worst excesses of the Trump administration, including an order to “strengthen anti-discrimination policies in housing,” closing private prisons and “increasing the sovereignty of Native American tribes,” (Source: “Biden signs actions aimed at dismantling systemic racism,” by Cleve R. Wootson and Tracy Jan, The Washington Post, 1/26/21).
Chastened by criticism that his plan for 100 million vaccinations in 100 days was not aggressive enough, on Tuesday, Biden announced that his administration was planning to purchase 200 million more doses , (Source: “Biden Administration Aims To Buy 200 Million More COVID-19 Vaccine Doses,” by Scott Detrow, NPR.org, 1/27/21).
Armed with a Democratic majority, the Senate confirmed Anthony Blinken, the stepson of a Holocaust survivor as Secretary of State, Lloyd Austin as the first Black Secretary of Defense and Janet Yellen, the former Fed Chair, as the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Treasury.
In the Senate, the standoff between Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell over the filibuster ended without the Democrats signing an agreement to keep the filibuster, although Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema once again went on the record stating their opposition to eliminating it, (Source: McConnell and Schumer ended their standoff over the new Senate. Who won and what happened?” by Sarah Binder, The Washington Post, 1/26/21). Still, the newly empowered Democratic majority refused to be stymied by their intransigence, putting the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package into their budget reconciliation bill.
After four years of being conditioned to reflexively recoil at the sound of a Washington Post news alert, we are unaccustomed to alerts announcing executive orders focused on racial equity or climate change. It will take us some time to adjust to an administration focused on ameliorating, instead of causing, harm.
Yet our palpable sense of relief is laced with dread, thanks to the continuing fallout from the January 6th insurrection. With each passing day, the murderous intent of the insurrectionists and the level of planning that went into their attack becomes clearer. The January 6th insurrection was no mere spasm of violence by people whipped into a frenzy by the incitement from Donald Trump and other zealots at his “Stop the Steal” rally, but a meticulously planned military operation.
Wednesday’s indictment of three members of the Oathkeepers involved in the attack contains allegations that they began planning in November, (Source: “Three Individuals Affiliated With the Oathkeepers Indicted in Federal Court for Conspiracy to Obstruct Congress,” Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs Release, justice.gov, 1/27/21). Worse still, there is evidence that several sitting members of Congress have ties to these far right militia groups. In addition to bottle blond bigot, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, and barely literate gun moll, Lauren Boebert, Arizona representatives, Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs are alleged to have connections to these domestic terrorists, (Source: “Republican Ties to Extremist Groups Are Under Scrutiny,” by Luke Broadwater and Matthew Rosenberg, The New York Times, 1/29/21).
Even those Republicans without direct ties seem broadly hostile to democracy. After all, nearly 70% of House Republicans endorsed Trump’s big lie and voted against the certification of Biden’s unequivocal victory, (ibid). All but five Republican Senators voted in favor of Rand Paul’s resolution to declare Trump’s impeachment unconstitutional . Taken together, that means that an overwhelming majority of Congressional Republicans either actively support or have no issue with violence in the service of authoritarian white supremacy.
At the state level, Republicans in 28 states have introduced 106 new bills to restrict and limit voting, (Source: “Republicans are going all-out to limit voting rights. We know why,” by Jill Filipovic, Theguardian.com, 1/30/21). In Arizona, the GOP has gone even further. In addition to censuring Cindy McCain and the sitting governor from their own party, one Republican state legislator has introduced a bill that would permit the legislature to throw out the Secretary of State’s certification of the state’s electoral votes.
Ten days into Biden’s presidency, we must face the fact that one of our two major political parties is in thrall to violent terrorists. Biden should hardly be exempt from critiques of his policy or personnel choices, but stories that criticize him for owning a Peloton or wearing a Rolex make a mockery of the grave challenge we face. Clearly, those who publish them think that they have nothing to lose. As one murdered and 140 seriously injured officers could tell them, they’re tragically, horribly, wrong.