The Hill We Climb
And so we wait.
Everything's already been said, we just have to see what our fellow Americans think of it all, at this point.
Because I could think of nothing to write to add to this day, I instead reached back to the best wordsmith of our time and what she had to say after the previous election. What follows is the poem read by Amanda Gorman at the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, on January 20th, 2021.
I will add as my only commentary: We're still striving to climb that hill, obviously.
[Technical Note: I could not find an "official" version of this poem, by which I mean a version with the line breaks and punctuation approved by the poet herself. So I went with one version of it I found online (which only had one typo to fix), because I think these line breaks accurately capture the cadence in which Gorman read her poem that day.]
-- Chris Weigant
The Hill We Climb
-- Amanda Gorman
When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry, a sea we must wade.
We've braved the belly of the beast.
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace.
In the norms and notions of what just is isn't always justice.
And yet, the dawn is ours before we knew it.
Somehow, we do it.
Somehow, we've weathered
and witnessed a nation that isn't broken,
but simply unfinished.
We, the successors of a country and a time
where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of being president,
only to find herself reciting for one.
And yes, we are far from polished.
Far from pristine.
But that doesn't mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose,
to compose a country committed to all cultures,
colors, characters and conditions of man.
And so, we lift our gazes not to what stands between us,
but what stands before us.
We close the divide because we know,
to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped;
that even as we tired, we tried;
that we'll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat,
but because we will never again sow division.
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree,
and no one shall make them afraid.
If we're to live up to our own time,
then victory won't lie in the blade,
but in all the bridges we've made.
That is the promise to glade,
the hill we climb if only we dare it.
Because being American is more than a pride we inherit;
it's the past we step into and how we repair it.
We've seen a forest that would shatter our nation
rather than share it.
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed,
it can never be permanently defeated.
In this truth,
in this faith we trust.
For while we have our eyes on the future,
history has its eyes on us.
This is the era of just redemption.
We feared it at its inception.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour,
but within it, we found the power
to author a new chapter.
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves.
So, while once we asked,
"How could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?"
Now we assert,
"How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?"
We will not march back to what was,
But move to what shall be:
a country that is bruised, but whole;
benevolent, but bold; fierce and free.
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation,
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation.
Our blunders become their burdens.
But one thing is certain,
if we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy,
and change our children's birthright.
So, let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left.
With every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.
We will rise from the gold-limned hills of the West.
We will rise from the wind-swept Northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.
We will rise from the sun-baked South.
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
in every known nook of our nation,
in every corner called our country
our people diverse and beautiful
will emerge battered and beautiful.
When day comes, we step out of the shade
aflame and unafraid.
The new dawn blooms as we free it.
For there is always light,
if only we're brave enough to see it.
If only we're brave enough to be it.
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Great idea posting this!
Found another typo:
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation,
because we know our inaction and inertia
we** be the inheritance of the next generation.
Our blunders become their burdens.
But one thing is certain…
**well, IMO
[Note: I am having problems commenting here for some reason, so I am answering by editing instead. You're right -- it's actually "will". It has been changed and mea culpa! -CW]
As I remember it, in past election cycles people were trying to find out who won. They reported on where there were long lines and where polling places were deserted. They pored over exit-polling data, while also noting its limitations. As results began to come in, they noted the difference between predicted and actual results for the precincts that had reported their numbers. And so on.
This time, I'm not finding any of that. We're being told that a few non-swing states have voted the way we knew four years ago that they would vote today. And that's basically all. There are opinion columns that could just as well have been posted yesterday as today. There are oh-so-informative statements that the swing states are still the swing states. But no news.
Ok, some information has started showing up, about an hour later than expected.
Iowa and Virginia both interesting so far.
Yes, sir. Virginia shouldn't be that close. Trump is overperforming there. If that pattern continues in states with similar demographics, Trump will win the Electoral College.
Of course, urban areas report last, but the pattern is already emerging of underperformance by Democrats versus 2020.
Basically, it's looking more like 2016 than 2020... at this point.
Are the comments working this evening?
Well, assuming they are, I'm thinking that what we are witnessing today is what one might call 'political justice'.
All the talk of saving American Democracy from the clutch of the big. bad. evil orange one was more than a little hypocritical given how Harris became the Democratic nominee.
I wonder how much that played into the vote. Well, that and the fact that it has always really been about the economy and how the Democrats could never figure out to overcome the 'effectiveness' of the, ah, Republican cult of economic failure, ;)
One final point ... If Biden was so unfit to be the nominee for president in 2024, then why was he not removed from office, altogether.
Harris was not being honest about all of that and if she can be honest about something like that, then how trustworthy can she be, generally speaking?
What's up with everyone??? Why so glum???
Did someone die???
Oh yea.. The Democrat Party just died... :)
I bet ya'all are happy the streets of Florida need me right now, eh??
:D. :D
Who could have predicted that President Trump would win!!!!
Oh... wait.... talk to ya'all soon..
Liz... Good questions...
What's up with everyone??? Why so glum???
Not glum. Just running numbers.
If CW was posting like he usually does, I'd be commenting like I always do. But he isn't... so I'm not. :)
Elizabeth Miller
8
One final point ... If Biden was so unfit to be the nominee for president in 2024, then why was he not removed from office, altogether.
That is a question for Biden and/or those who do the removing via Constitution. Why did Biden choose to run again instead of announcing his stepping down and then Democrats having a primary to choose a candidate for 2024? You tell me, and we'll both know.
Harris was not being honest about all of that and if she can [sic] be honest about something like that, then how trustworthy can she be, generally speaking?
Perhaps Biden wasn't being honest about "all of that." You won't generally see the Vice President of any American President step forward and announce to the world that the POTUS is unfit to serve. How trustworthy would you have found Ms. Harris had she announced to the world that Your Worship Joe Biden was unfit?
You probably would start off saying she was a disloyal expletive who doesn't know her role as VP and a whole lot of other things worse than that. You would have also likely claimed she was throwing Biden under the bus so she could become POTUS because she was "ambitious" or a "power-hungry" expletive and all kinds of other choice terms. I probably would have agreed with you.
the answer is that biden has never been unfit for office, he just got old, and his already poor speaking ability became significantly more pronounced. the democratic establishment thought he'd lose, and muscled him out, for all the good that did.
kamala was loyal and a decent candidate on short notice, but there's no answer for a cultural phenomenon like donald, unless he really and truly self-destructs, which this time he did not.
JL
Apologies for not getting on here earlier.. I was dead tired so I took a quick nap. Dummy me, I scheduled a blood donation for noon today.. :(
So... Anything new?? :D
JL,
the answer is that biden has never been unfit for office, he just got old
He got old which made him unfit for office..
Liz is right and I stated it dozens of times in the aftermath of President Trump's knock-out debate performance..
If Biden was unfit to be the candidate, then he was (and is) unfit to be POTUS..
"Simple logic.."
-Admiral James T Kirk
kamala was loyal and a decent candidate on short notice,
I admire your loyalty but let's be honest here..
Kamala was a horrendous candidate. She was in 2019 and she was worse in 2024..
Anyone who is afraid of press conferences is not fit to be a candidate for POTUS, let alone POTUS itself..
Holy shit — boy was I wrong!
JL,
And it looks like Weigantia is getting a donation, eh?? :D
Because I am in such a good mood, I will match your donation of $50 to Weigantia as well. And because I am in a REALLY good mood I will match those donations with a $50 donation to Israeli Guide Dogs.. :D
in the extremely unlikely event that Donald completely sweeps the swing states, he'll get 312.
"Extremely Unlikely"?? Is that what we're calling the facts?? :D
Of course.. I am not saying that 2024 is going to be exactly the same as 1980, vote for vote..
While history seldom repeats itself... History has been known to, on MANY occasions, rhyme.
What I AM saying is that it's not going to be a razor thin win for President Trump. It's going to be a blow-out win for President Trump where it's going to be indisputable and it won't drag out for days or weeks, but rather we should know by this time tomorrow, if not sooner..
You have to admit.. My prediction was uncannily accurate, eh?? :D
Sure, it wasn't close to 1980..
But it WAS "a blow-out win for President Trump" and it WAS "indisputable" and it DIDN'T "drag out for days or weeks" and we DID "know by this time tomorrow, if not sooner."
Regardless of all that, it's UNDENIABLE that the pollsters were "WAY WRONG" as I predicted they would be..
As I said, there was "simply NO scenario where Harris wins that could be, in it's wildest dreamz, 'realistic'.."
:D
Depending on how others respond, that's probably going to be the extent of my gloating..
Maybe I am mellowing in my old age, but I hate to kick ya'all when yer down...
Even Caddy... :D
But wasn't that a SHIT thing for Harris to do??
I mean, it was obvious by midnight or 0100hrs that she was going to lose...
It was a pretty shitty thing to do to send her followers home without a concession speech...
I have a feeling that Harris is going to be the kind of loser that ya'all thought President Trump would be...
Kick,
AND it looks like President Trump won the POPULAR VOTE by a.... wait for it...
CONSIDERABLE MARGIN
:D
Damn!! I coulda had a MILLION dollars!!! :D
I will settle for a promise from you that you will leave my wife and kids OUT of your comments and flame wars...
Attack me all you want, to hell and back.. That's absolutely fine with me...
Just leave my family out of it..
Deal??
And, with all the focus on President-Elect Trump, one fact hasn't been mentioned...
Democrats LOST the Senate and DIDN'T gain the House...
President-Elect Trump pulled off a Trifecta!!! :D
Complete control of the government..
PLUS advanced knowledge of how vindictive and hate-ful Democrats can be..
No weekly impeachments from the Democrats this time around, eh? :D
Liz Cheney calls on all Americans to accept Trump victory
Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney acknowledged President-elect Trump's victory in a statement Wednesday morning that called on all Americans to accept the results of the 2024 presidential election.
"Our nation’s democratic system functioned last night and we have a new President-elect. All Americans are bound, whether we like the outcome or not, to accept the results of our elections," Cheney said in a statement.
"We now have a special responsibility, as citizens of the greatest nation on earth, to do everything we can to support and defend our Constitution, preserve the rule of law, and ensure that our institutions hold over these coming four years. Citizens across this country, our courts, members of the press and those serving in our federal, state and local governments must now be the guardrails of democracy."
Looks like Liz is trying to avoid the firing squad, eh?? :D
https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/11/1920/1080/cartoon-11.06.24.png?ve=1&tl=1
OUCH!!! And the ref takes a point away!!! :D
http://mfccfl.us/BatTrump.jpg
THE COUNTRY IS SAVED!!! :D
Use the power of the pardon to heal a nation....
In no particular order...
Pardon ALL J6 defendants who committed no violent crime.
Pardon ALL defendants who have been persecuted and pursued by the Democrats and their HATE TRUMP mentality.
Pardon Joe Biden.
Pardon Hunter Biden.
THAT is what President Trump should do.
But President Trump should NOT pardon himself..
President Trump should let ALL the legal cases against himself crumble on their own lack of merit...
Kick,
You probably would start off saying she was a disloyal expletive who doesn't know her role as VP and a whole lot of other things worse than that. You would have also likely claimed she was throwing Biden under the bus so she could become POTUS because she was "ambitious" or a "power-hungry" expletive and all kinds of other choice terms.
Heh. Projection, projection ... oh, never mind dear.
I probably would have agreed with you.
Have a great day!
Chris,
This may just be the result that will best serve to save the union ... in the long run, I mean.
And, it could also save the Democratic party in the process - if you know what I mean and I believe that you do, deep down.
Liz,
It's my fervent hope that ALL Democrats take a good long look in the mirror and I would hope they would be mortified by what they have become..
You really have to admire how Democrats have so completely and so utterly frak'ed themselves..
What else can one say about a group of people who have put themselves into a position where they A> have to admit that they were completely and utterly full of kaa kaa… Or B> have to concede the election to Adolph Hitler and will have to work with a fascist for the good of the country..
Only Democrats could frak themselves over so completely and thoroughly...
Speaking of kaa kaa…. Hay JFC??? You still around buddy?? :D
Liz,
Have a great day!
OK.. If you insist.. :D
So.....
The only question that remains...
Will Democrats accept the will of the people??
Anyone here want to field that???
Democrats have to A LOT more than just accept the will of the people. Unfortunately, most of them probably don't realize that and likely never will.
Has the Democratic nominee had anything to say, yet?
Has the Democratic nominee had anything to say, yet?
Nope.. Not since she had one of her minions tell everyone to go home..
As much as I dislike Harris supporters, they deserve better than that...
Harris was definitely not POTUS material no matter how ya slice it..
Is she waiting for a miracle?
Michale,
I will reserve judgement until I hear her concession speech. She will either leave a small crack through which to continue her political career OR she will quickly fade into political oblivion.
Oh, it's starting already ... it's Biden's fault! People love the blame game, especially those who don't have the first clue about how to play it.
Michale,
Having now won the presidency in resounding fashion AND controlling both houses of government AND winning the popular vote, to boot does NOT make the next four years for president-elect Trump easy breezy.
He also has A LOT to lose if he doesn't make the lives of Americans better and improve the state of the union.
He's got both houses of Congress, I mean ... for those who can't let such things slide. ;)
He will have no excuses.
When I wished for undivided government, this isn't quite what I had in mind but, it could turn out for the best ... again, in the very long run ... if the right lessons are learned.
Michale
18
AND it looks like President Trump won the POPULAR VOTE by a.... wait for it...
CONSIDERABLE MARGIN
You mean "considerably margin"? Heh. Well, we never actually decided on a benchmark for considerable margin, but I will tell you honestly now that I would have -- and still would -- define a considerable margin as +5. We'll see if he gets there.
California takes so long to count, and the addition of all those as yet uncounted millions of votes on the coast are likely to shrink that final margin versus expanding it. It'll sure be interesting to find out.
Damn!! I coulda had a MILLION dollars!!! :D
Missed opportunity! Seriously, though, I still don't think he'll win by a considerable margin, but we might find out when all the votes are counted whether you would have owed me a million dollars I would have donated to veterans.
I will settle for a promise from you that you will leave my wife and kids OUT of your comments and flame wars...
You haven't won the bet yet, but I will state unequivocally that there's absolutely no reason to "boomerang" a hurled insult unless it is thrown by you in the first place.
Deal??
That's entirely up to you... and always has been.
Elizabeth Miller
24
Heh. Projection, projection ... oh, never mind dear.
Well, EM, I'm just saying it's easy to armchair quarterback in hindsight, but if Harris had done what you're suggesting, she would have still drawn the ire of many -- you and me included -- but for entirely different reasons.
Have a great day!
I always do. :)
Kick,
We all have lessons to learn in the wake of this election result.
It should be an interesting four years and, God willing, we'll get to live through them! :)
Elizabeth Miller
34
Oh, it's starting already ... it's Biden's fault! People love the blame game, especially those who don't have the first clue about how to play it.
Life is complicated; politics is moreso except when it isn't.
Just to clarify, though, I definitely wasn't blaming Biden when I was explaining why we really shouldn't blame Harris.
And while those sentiments do not exactly reflect the point I'm trying to make, I think you know what I'm trying to say.
And while those sentiments do not exactly reflect the point I'm trying to make, I think you know what I'm trying to say.
I do.
The blame game can be such a waste of precious time and energy without any meaningful gain.
You know, maybe this decisive result in favour of the former president is just what was needed for the country to make some meaningful progress ... in the long run.
And, I am already starting to get the feeling that our own little world here in Weigantia may also have the opportunity to rise to its true potential, if you know what I mean and I'm sure that you do.
I just hope there isn't another major national emergency, because Donald has already proven that he does not know how to handle one.
There will indubitably be another major national emergency at some point down the line while Trump is president.
The pertinent question will be about if and how the country comes together to handle it.
As someone who doesn't believe the narrative that Biden didn't run in 2016 because he was grieving the death of his son, I wonder if anyone here can explain why it was that president Obama decided to push out his vice president in favour of a Clinton run for the presidency.
I've always wondered about that and it still sticks in my craw today, especially in view of this unprecedented 2024 presidential campaign. It's just one of those things that I can't seem to let go of.
So.....
What's ya'all's opinion on Democrats' lawfare operations???
Personally, I think they should admit defeat and apologized to all involved..
This is an object lesson against fascism..
Don't use the courts and a twisted fascist version of the law to try and settle political scores and interjecting election campaigning by other means..
It's a process that ultimately backfires..
Would Democrats have won if they had simply killed the lawfare operations in it their infancies???
Quite possibly.
JL,
As I said before...
Puerto Rican support for Trump maintained despite 'garbage' joke that drew backlash
Trump makes gains with some Puerto Ricans this election despite controversial 'garbage' joke
Puerto Rican voter says despite joke she voted for candidate who will give her 'better life in the future'
The controversial "floating garbage" joke about Puerto Rico made by a comedian at a rally for Republican President-elect Donald Trump during the final days before the election may not have had the negative effect on Trump's support from Puerto Ricans that critics expected it would.
Despite the backlash from the quip made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally in New York City roughly a week before Tuesday, Trump still won several Florida counties with the state's largest concentration of Puerto Ricans, which he lost in both 2020 and 2016.
Osceola County, which is home to the largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the Sunshine State based on census data, voted in favor of Trump on Tuesday night after voting Democrat in the last two elections in which Trump ran. Meanwhile, Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties, two other districts with a significant population of Puerto Ricans that Trump lost in 2020 and 2016, also went for Trump this time around.
The backlash had no appreciable negative effect.
While you may claim that there was still backlash, I would submit to you that a difference which makes no difference IS no difference..
…. FOR PNUT!!!!!
http://mfccfl.us/PNUT.jpg
WHY it's not a good idea to use fascist lawfare operations in politics...
http://mfccfl.us/RedWave.jpg
nypoet22
42
I just hope there isn't another major national emergency, because Donald has already proven that he does not know how to handle one.
Yes, sir, and to your very excellent point, I believe that Donald will prove himself to be that "major national emergency" not necessarily limited to a single nation, as modern-day Republicans in general have repeatedly proven they cannot govern because they are not leaders but cowards who have abdicated their oaths and responsibilities to a pathologically lying opportunist who invents his own reality and cares for little else beyond money and power combined with an unquenchable neediness for praise.
44
Liz that’s easy — Obama needed Hillary’s supporters in both 2008 and 2012 so they made a deal that it would be Hilary’s turn in 2016.
49
Kick
The Tech Bros and billionaires largely know Trump has no loyalty to anyone besides himself. He’s objectively losing it and will be more difficult to influence him let alone control.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky was once the richest oligarch in Russia but when he looked like he was going to jump into politics and was a little incautious with some of his statements. So Putin took his riches and threw him in prison for ten years.
They got EVERYTHING they needed out of Trump, JD will work smoother.
25th Amendment his ass by the close if his first year.