Dear Mr President

35 Replies

I’m not a political person. I have no intuitive grasp of politics or their machinations. If you asked me to explain, off the top of my head, how a bill is passed in the U.S., my answer would not be… good.😐 If you requested I summarize the Constitution of the United States, well again, my response might make you question how I got a college degree. Name all my representatives? 😢 Point being, it just doesn’t come naturally to me. Politics don’t light me up.

When Barack Obama became president, I compared it to the childhood feeling one got when their father was behind the wheel of the family car on a long trip. The kids could relax, look out the window, read a book, play “auto bingo” or what have you. The car was being driven and you, the (child) passenger could turn your attention elsewhere. Likewise, I felt safe with Obama at the wheel.

From Trump’s election right on through this very moment, I have felt the opposite. He was, and is, an erratic, unpredictable driver. As a passenger, I hung on for dear life, stomping the floor boards, unable to look away, horrified. It felt like he took every wrong turn, blithely running down “No Trespassing” signs, mowing over pedestrians, and recklessly taking curves at 80mph. It was exhausting and scary to go on this ride.

This is what I require of our President-elect Joe Biden. Keep the car on the road. That’s it. If you can do some good, undo some wrongs, great, that will be swell. What I’m already hearing sounds good, promising even, but my expectations have dropped off so much, having seen the bar hit a new, impossible low, that it won’t take much to make me happy. Just keep the damn car on the road.

35 thoughts on “Dear Mr President”

    1. Colette Post author

      Thanks Kate, from the beginning I was afraid he’d start a (needless) war. Remember North Korea? I was nervous his fat mouth was going to write a check U.S. citizens would end up having to make good.😕 I still can’t relax completely but like to think his power is waning.

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  7. Sheila Moss

    I don’t often comment on my blog about politics as I have strong feelings and it automatically alienates half my readers. Besides, there are enough people writing about politics who do it much better. I am so happy to get rid of this vile, corrupt, embarassment. I worry a lot about the damage done. I liked your analogy. However, I must say I expect much more than keeping the car on the road. I have a tremendously long list of things I would like to see done. May God bless American and keep all of us safe.

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    1. Colette Post author

      Yes, expressing strong feelings in life and on blog opens up the possibilities of debate, rebuttal, harassment, etc. But as you allude, some things are too important not to be said. And thankfully, we live in a country where we can say them. Now, don’t tease me, what do you really think of our soon-to-be-former president?😁

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  11. Maggie Wilson

    You’ve probably encountered the meme that’s circulating lately, about how the left and the right wings are part of the same bird. I’ve been thinking on that, and how, if one wing dominates, the bird’s flight is compromised, if it manages to fly at all. But your post brilliantly describes the crazy, funhouse ride through the house of horrors that we have endured these last four years.

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    1. Colette Post author

      Maggie, I didn’t know that meme so I googled it. Interesting. True enough, both extremes make me uneasy, especially when violence comes into play. Thank you for your generous words. I often need to find ways to explain things to myself and I needed this to be OVER to see the whole house of horrors ride as you so aptly describe it.

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  13. Pistachios

    This is a very good analogy. I guess a very simplistic Australian equivalent is not knowing who the driver is, only that someone has their hands on the wheel (in the last several years, we’ve changed leaders so many times people joke that half the population don’t know who’s in charge anymore).

    I hope the car does, indeed, stay on the road now, travelling in the right direction too.

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    1. Colette Post author

      😄 I don’t know which would be worse; keeping somebody like Trump a long time or playing musical chairs with who’s in charge!

      I feel reasonably confident in the car but then again, the bar is (now) low.😐

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  14. battlewagon13

    I said almost the exact same thing myself this morning. Even if Mr. Biden doesn’t do a great job, it’s still so much more relaxing. Guaranteed he will at least surround himself with experts vs. the current situation.

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  16. viewfromoverthehill

    Of course you are political. Life itself is political. The family is political and when we are young, our parents have more power than we do — and that is what politics is all about. And, here you take a stand. Good on you!

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    1. Colette Post author

      No, what I have in mind is an absence of interest in the machinations of government. (Some people are fascinated by political intrigue.) Having an opinion, particularly on personalities and personality disorders, is different.

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  17. laura bruno lilly

    I”m late to your blog party…you ‘liked’ a comment I made on Ms Bean’s blog post and I checked out your blog as a result. I guess on your end that should say ‘likes’ can sometimes turn into ‘follows’ HA!
    Anyway – this analogy is perfect. Especially since we’re a road trip type of family so totally relevant to our way of thinking.
    🙂

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    1. Colette Post author

      Thanks very much! I haven’t changed my mind about only needing Biden to keep the car on the road (even though everything he does or doesn’t do will be under a microscope, analyzed incessantly, etc) because I personally just want to ride along and look out the window for a while.

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