As the Toll Mounts...

"Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead." -- Hillary Clinton, concession speech 2016

"Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country. I mean that very sincerely." -- Donald Trump, victory speech 2016

Perhaps some people have forgotten that the exchange of messages between the presidential candidates was quite gracious following the outcome of the 2016 election.

No nasty chants or denunciations.

That's certainly worth remembering as we approach the conclusion to this year's election.  We know based on his character that Joe Biden will be gracious, win or lose. We can hope for the same from Trump, though it seems possible that we may be disappointed in this regard.

The indications at this point are that Biden will win, perhaps by a substantial margin. And that he will win not only the popular vote but the electoral college vote as well. It is still possible, however, that Trump will prevail in the electoral college. If so, Democrats are not likely to accept that as a legitimate result.

Either way, after what has been a brutal political fight, some on the Democratic side will probably call for revenge against Trump. "Lock him up!" would be the logical call. 

But revenge is a self-destructive impulse to be avoided at all costs. It only perpetuates a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks that never ends until there is no one left standing.

Plus, if Trump loses, he will nonetheless have had the backing of perhaps 40+ percent of the electorate. The appropriate emotion for the victors in that case will be compassion. As much as you may hate Trump's incendiary language and baseless threats, he has inspired the loyalty of millions of your fellow citizens. And he won the last election fair and square. He'll probably lose this one, and that also will be fair and square.

If the Democrats win the Senate as well as the White House, it will be by a razor-thin margin, maybe a vote or two. 

That will hardly be an overwhelming mandate to suppress the hopes and dreams of the predominantly rural and less educated segments of the population that support Trump.

My hope is that a Biden administration will make a special effort to address the needs of those Americans for more work opportunities, better education and inclusion in an honest national debate over policies and priorities.

Biden is 78. He won't be president forever. My guess is he will yield to Kamala Harris in 2024 and that a reconstituted GOP will turn to somebody like Nikki Haley.

That would present a remarkable scenario, whereby the white-hot issues of race and national background and gender would be completely neutralized.

Perhaps then a real conversation about ideas -- conservative ideas, liberal ideas, independent ideas -- might come to the forefront. It would be a wonderful development  if the national focus were on ideas, not personalities or fantasies about "deep states," Qanon or civil war.

Am I allowed to have a dream?

If so, that is my dream.

***

Tonight, it is worth remembering that the situation around the world is far worse than here in many respects.

* At Front Lines of a Brutal War: Death and Despair in Nagorno-Karabakh -- Times journalists find civilians huddling in basements as a three-week-old conflict over the disputed Caucasus territory hints of a long and punishing fight. (NYT)

* Hopes are rising that China can pull the globe out of its coronavirus-induced funk, much as it did during the global financial crisis more than a decade ago—but economists offer a long list of reasons to be skeptical. (WSJ)

* Tens of thousands of people brought Lagos, Nigeria, to a standstill on Monday, the biggest protest yet in a two-week campaign against police brutality, escalating a standoff with a government that has pledged to restore order. (WSJ)

* Researchers: Coronavirus stays on skin for 9 hours (NHK)

* Coronavirus: Belgium facing 'tsunami' of new infections (BBC)

* Coronavirus: Top Palestinian official Saeb Erekat in 'critical' condition (BBC)

* Worldwide coronavirus cases crossed 40 million on Monday, as the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere fueled a resurgence in the spread of the disease. Experts believe the true numbers of both cases and deaths are likely much higher. The pace of the pandemic continues to pick up. It took just 32 days to go from 30 million global cases to 40 million, compared with the 38 days it took to get from 20 to 30 million, the 44 days between 10 and 20 million, and the three months it took to reach 10 million cases from when the first cases were reported in Wuhan in early January. [Reuters]

* Biden’s lead fuels an uncomfortable sense of deja vu -- Democratic voters, party officials and campaign aides are caught between optimism and dread, the residue of seeing Hillary Clinton’s expectations of victory dashed. (WashPo)

* As Local News Dies, a Pay-for-Play Network Rises in Its Place -- A nationwide operation of 1,300 local sites publishes coverage that is ordered up by Republican groups and corporate P.R. firms. (NYT)

* ‘My people fought for the right to vote’: With a surge of emotion, Black Americans rush to the polls (WashPo)

* What Happens if Roe v. Wade Is Overturned? -- Abortion access would decline in large regions of the country, a new data analysis shows. (NYT)

* Trump attacks ‘Fauci and these idiots’ in call with his campaign staff (WashPo). Trump hit out at top government scientist Fauci following the doctor’s appearance on CBS's 60 Minutes programme on Sunday. (BBC)

* Refugees Who Assisted the U.S. Military Find the Door to America Slammed Shut -- President Trump has reduced the flow of refugees into the country to a trickle, and even Iraqis and Afghans who risked their lives for American service members have been cut off. (NYT)

* Wildfires Grow in Colorado -- Evacuations were ordered in Colorado as crews battled new blazes from the Cameron Peak and the CalWood Fire. (NYT)

* Officials in California issued a fire weather watch for mountain areas in the North Bay area to take effect Monday night. [The Press Democrat]

* Biden is favored to win the election -- We simulate the election 40,000 times to see who wins most often. The sample of 100 outcomes below gives you a good idea of the range of scenarios our model thinks is possible. Biden 88%, Trump 12%. (538)

* From Electoral-vote.com: Biden 356, Trump 182. Senate: 51(D), 48(R), 1 (T).

* "Mr. Trump stands without any real rivals as the worst American president in modern history," the editors of the New York Times wrote. "In 2016, his bitter account of the nation's ailments struck a chord with many voters. But the lesson of the last four years is that he cannot solve the nation's pressing problems, because he is the nation's most pressing problem." (Yahoo News)

***

What are riches untold in a life without compassion?
For there's no winter as cold
As a life without compassion
There's no prescription that's sold
That can heal you like compassion

For there is nothing so sad
As a life without compassion
And even love has turned bad
It was love without compassion
And you don't need what you had
'cause you did not have compassion

-- Todd Rundgren

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