The Day After

Many years ago, my wife Berniece and I took our children Nykeshia, Rashan and Avery on a trip to visit their aunt Virgie in Houston. They were at the age that they would rather hang around with their friends (pre-cell phone days) than with mom and pop, taking a long trip. Nonetheless just as Chevy Chase was insistent when he took his kids on vacation in the movies, so was I on the trip to Houston. The first question asked was, how long will the trip take. When I said about six hours, you should have seen their faces. Suffice to say, Keshia, Shan and Avery knew that this was a fight that they weren’t going to win, and off we went. They wound up enjoying the trip and now because we have more relatives living in Houston, it is like a second home for them. They will never forget how long the trip took, as they tease me because I wasn’t going ninety miles an hour to get there. That long drive to Houston reminded me of something else, that in the minds of so many who has taken a long ride waiting for it to end, has been the presidency of Donald J. Trump. To say that most Americans have “Trump fatigue” is an understatement. It has been some time since the nation has seen such a vibrant enthusiastic interest in voting, as the polls indicate that the majority of voters want this four-year trip with Trump as the driver(president) to come to an end. If this was a horse race, media pundits would say that those running are “coming down the stretch” heading to the finish line. If this was a sign that said “Houston: 20 miles”, one could see the excitement in automobile passengers as well as patrons in the stands cheering because the race/trip is just about over.

President Trump, along with the nation and the rest of the world should have an accurate reading of how the election went on Wednesday, the day after Election Day. Will a winner be announced? Perhaps. However, there will be an eagerness to count the votes simply because a lot is riding (pun intended) on the results of the millions of votes cast. No one has more at stake than President Trump because if the polls hold true to what they have shown us, then President Trump will be taking his last rides in the motorcades and trips on Air Force One. How the president reacts on the “day after” will be of concern for the nation and the world, as Mr. Trump has sent out signals that he may contest the results if he believes that the election had been “rigged”. Many times, the president has thrown out accusations against his enemies of things without providing proof or evidence of any wrongdoing. As president, he could have ordered the Attorney General of the Justice Department to conduct investigations to prove his point. Nevertheless, as has been shown many times, the president wants to wage his battles on the court of public opinion, especially to his far-right base of congressional leaders and conservative media. That may well be his playbook to try to overturn the results of the election and one shouldn’t doubt if the president will hold rallies to create chaos and confusion. Then there is always the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court “settled” the election results between Al Gore and George Bush in 2000, as Gore congratulated Bush and moved on. Nonetheless President Trump, as he has alluded, said that he has conservatives on the Court “to settle” the outcome of the 2020 election, if need be. Yet, that can be seen as an insurance policy for the president because he and other conservatives “expect” that the conservative majority to rule in their favor. Just as the president expects that the justices will rule against the Affordable Care Act, cementing the one thing that he wants to destroy about President Obama’s legacy. Of course, if Joe Biden wins, Mr. Trump can “enjoy his victory” from the sidelines, not from the White House. Historians will write many books about the Trump presidency, perhaps showing him some kindness by not implying that he had failed (as a whole), as a leader. Others may not be so kind. However since 2018 when Democrats have won races that they weren’t expected to win, the mood of most voters has signaled that change is necessary and that it will happen Tuesday, November 3. The big question now becomes, what will happen the day after. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.