"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty."

"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." – Thomas Jefferson

And we sure are navigating tempestuous seas! Bring it on! I'm confident that Liberty will prevail, but until then we will have some waves and crests. 

Where are we a week after the election was carefully counted and called for Joe Biden? Chaos and calm!

Babyhands has done what he can to disrupt the transition. Anxiety spiked this week as there were nefarious gestures. But Joe Biden is showing himself to be an apt captain and will steer the ship true. 

So far, on the Toddler-in-Chief side...

Sulking: He has rage-tweeted plenty in the last week, but has stayed silent. There have been no public comments about the election, other than his lie-fest on the Thursday evening of election week. Today he spoke publicly about the progress of the COVID vaccine, but nary a word on the election. He nearly let slip acknowledgment of a new incoming administration saying, "This administration will not be going to a lockdown. Hopefully, the – the –whatever happens in the future – who knows which administration it will be? I guess time will tell." He dare not let on; it would spoil his grift.

Suing: Captain Chaos has refused to concede the election. He has filed more than a dozen lawsuits in five states, and so far has prevailed in just one of them, a minor matter in how late to allow Pennsylvania voters to correct their signatures on mail-in ballots. In fact, judges hearing the cases have chastised 45's attorneys over the frivolity of some of the suits. Attorneys in some firms expressed concern, and some quit their firms. In court, attorneys admitted they did not have evidence of fraud. Attorneys withdrew from a lawsuit in Arizona, and two days later when Arizona was finally called in favor of Joe Biden, the lawsuit was dropped completely. Attorneys in a Pennsylvania case also withdrew from a suit this week. 

In short, it's been chaos. As attorney Ben Ginsburg, who headed Bush's team in Bush v. Gore, said: "They’re throwing the kitchen sink against the wall to see what sticks — a mixed metaphor that’s deserving of this legal strategy. And ‘legal strategy’ should be in quotes.” 

There's not much air left in the legal lungs.

Dismissing: SCROTUS fired his Secretary of the Defense Mark Esper and installed loyalists into the Pentagon. This was the source of a giant spike in my anxiety this week. Were we on the verge of a coup? Probably not, as smart friends reminded me. He's exerting some power, but hopefully not more toward despotism. There is speculation that FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel will also face the chopping block soon. The lame duck is getting his wings chopped off, too. Not great for the country's national security.

Smirking. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's smirky comments were absolutely terrifying. Why the hell would the Secretary of State for the United States of America smile and say, “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration” after a free and fair election that unequivicably elected a different person? What does this say to the world? Gah! So wrong!

Obstructing: Traditionally after an election is called, the administer of the General Services Administration signs a letter acknowledging the election results. The letter allows access of the president-elect to security briefings, office space and equipment, as well as about $12 million in funds for the transition. But so far, Cheeto Benito appointee, GSA Administrator Emily Murphy, has not written this letter. 

The State Department, lead by sycophant Mike Pompeo, has also been obstructionist. Among other roadblocks, they have been preventing Biden from accessing messages from foreign leaders. Leaders have had to use other means and contacts, such as through Obama-era diplomats, to reach Biden and offer congratulations. 

Shameful.

Ass-kissing: GOP lawmakers are towing the line. I get it; there are 70 million rabid followers who they need. They be shaking in their boots with the prospect of the Wrath of Kahn't should they disobey. Typical of them, putting party before country. There is real danger for our national security by enabling the Lyin' King. There have been a few from the GOP who have made mouth noises in favor of acknowledging the president-elect, but nothing concrete has been done as I write this. Most notably, Oklahoma senator Tom Lankford said that if 45 hadn't conceded by Friday the 13th, that he would "step in." Well, Okies cried foul, whining that he "shouldn't cave." And cave he didn't. Friday the 13th came and went. There hasn't been a single GOP in Congress who has seriously pushed for a concession, for access to briefings, or even for acknowledgment of the election results. States have until December 14 to certify their results. We may have to wait until then for any from the Right to pull their heads out.

Superspreading: Meanwhile, several in the Corona King's circle have recently tested positive for COVID-19. His chief of staff Mark Meadows, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, and senior advisor Cory Lewendoski, among others, have all tested positive since Election Night. These are in addition to the many souls who contracted it in early October after the superspreader event in the Rose Garden, not to mention the 130 secret service officers – nearly 10% of the force! – who are infected or in quarantine.This is saddening and maddening. Most of these infections were completely avoidable. 

All this is in the context of a huge acceleration in the spread of the virus (now over 180,000 daily cases!), prompting governors to implement strict restrictions again. Just another example of the piss-poor "leadership" that the current administration* affords.

Grifting: He has made a loud call for donations to his "legal fund" to launch these bogus lawsuits, but read the fine print and you'll see that most of the donations will go to his "Save America" PAC and the RNC, and only donations of $8000 or greater will actually go toward these stoooopid frivolous lawsuits. It's just a scam sandwich!

As it is, he's been personally profiting off of campaign donations. Will his followers ever wise up, I wonder?

And that brings me to... 

The Carrot: Q: What can get him out without wreaking too much destruction? A: The prospect of another con. Some way to make a buck. Being in the spotlight, surrounded by adoring fans. If there is a way to pad his pockets, I bet he would ditch the presidency like yesterday's underwear. What can we dangle? There's already been speculation that he will start a new media company to compete with (and to his mind, destroy) FAUX News. He and his Fox'n'Friends have been on the outs. There is talk about him running for president again in 2024. This one, actually, seems like it would be really the best bet. Just think: if he had been re-elected, he wouldn't have any rallies to hold in front of an idolizing sea of red hats. Given that he started his re-election campaign less than a month after inauguration in 2017, I think that once the sting of losing abates a bit, he'll be back in the ring. No, I don't think he will seriously seek the office again. But he will do fundraising, he will do rallies, he will be on TV. He'll run a long con and he'll be in the spotlight. Just what he wants. 

If only he could just go away in a corner and play TV in a box..... (but if we're lucky, he'll be doing just that, in the steel-barred box he shall find himself in.)

And the Calm:

The Election. Arizona was finally called for Biden, and a few outlets also called Georgia for Biden, though Georgia is undergoing a hand recount. With Arizona and Georgia, Biden now possesses 306 electoral votes and over 5.5 million more votes nationwide. Only Obama in his landslide 2008 win has won by a bigger percentage of the popular vote in the last 20 years. 

Grown-ups in the room. A group of election officials working with the Department of Homeland Security called the 2020 election "the most secure in American history." In their statement they said: “While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should, too.” Oh, snap! 

Grace under fire. Dr. Anthony Fauci stayed cool after death threats last week from former Whitewash House advisor Steve Bannon, saying, “It’s obviously been very stressful. I mean, to deny that would be to deny reality. When you have public figures like Bannon calling for your beheading, that’s really kind of unusual, I think. That’s not the kind of thing you think about when you’re going through medical school to become a physician.” I value his steadiness and tenacity in staying in this ultra-important job despite all the roadblocks. Lead us, Dr. Fauci!

The once and future America. Someday these four years will be just a blip in our history. We know what we are. We are kindness and grace, like President Obama was four years ago:

Our president-elect. Joe Biden has been the voice of calm and reason. In his victory speech last weekend, he painted his vision of unity. To reporters on Tuesday, Biden remained unflappable about the lack of a concession. He said with regard to 45's refusal to concede, “I just think it’s an embarrassment, quite frankly. – How can I say this tactfully? I think it will not help the president’s legacy.” Joe reassured us all that the transition is moving forward regardless. He has given us – and the world – reassurance regarding foreign policy. He has given us transparency, releasing transcripts of calls with foreign leaders. He has hit the ground running in terms of a COVID response, and is not waiting until his inauguration to act. He is our de facto leader, regardless of the calendar date or the delusions of the orange cave monster.

In the end, we must wait until the baby is all tuckered out and we quietly swaddle him in his blanky. Until then....

Stay afloat, resisters! Be not timid! We must sail the tempestuous seas, and once we do, we will be sure-footed on the shores of our democracy.