The hope of resuming Wanderbirds activities again – The Electoral College vote – Dissension among Republicans – Evening statistics
A fellow-member of Wanderbirds sent a note that touched upon the Christmas festivities we generally had at this time of year. I needed no reminder of how much I miss the activities that the group has organized in the past. The loss – a temporary one, as I devoutly hope – of the society of the Wanderbirds club has been one of the greatest restrictions for me since the onset of the virus, even with the meliorating factor of occasional hikes with subsets of the group members. At this point most of the material conveniences I noted in the early months of the pandemic have disappeared: the food stores are well-stocked again and articles such as toilet paper, paper towels, disinfecting wipes, flour, bread, etc., that used to be in short supply are readily obtainable once more. But I would gladly barter these for the opportunity of riding with a large group of fellow-hikers to a common destination and then partying together after a hike as the hikers gradually assemble at the bus again once the hike was completed. However, one cannot choose in such matters. With luck we will be able to begin resumption of such activities some time in the third quarter of 2021, and in the meantime we must wait in patience.
It is official: the electoral votes have been cast and Biden is now President-Elect, no matter what any lawsuit may contend. It’s an important hurdle that has been cleared but it’s not the only one. There are some more significant dates to come:
- December 23rd – the date that the states are due to send their vote results to Capitol Hill
- January 3rd – the swearing in of the new Congress
- January 6th – electoral votes counted in Congress
- January 20th – Inauguration Day
I would give a good deal to know what move Trump is planning next. Lawsuits are even less likely than formerly to have any effect now that Biden has been formally designated at President-Elect. But I regard it as a given that Trump will not concede and that he will attempt to derail the election results to the utmost of his ability. He has too much at stake to do otherwise. The moment he becomes a private citizen, he will be forced to given an accounting for his massive private debts, to say nothing of various charges pending against him of sexual harassment, defrauding various relatives out of their inheritance, and tax evasion.
There is at any rate some dissension among Republican ranks concerning Trump’s conduct, which (to use Jane Austen’s phrase) “though late and reluctant and ungracious, was yet better than nothing.” Governor Hogan of Maryland has urged other Republicans to accept the election results and move on, while Representative Paul Mitchell from Michigan has formally quitted the party and labeled himself as an Independent, stating openly that he has been driven to this expedient by the efforts of Trump’s supporters to attack our electoral process. Who knows? – possibly the Republican party is a stage of flux and transition similar to that of the Whig party in the 1850s. Unquestionably it is high time. Both the Republican and Democratic parties are showing signs of exhaustion.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 72,627,681; # of deaths worldwide: 1,627,262; # of cases U.S.: 16,936,102; # of deaths; U.S.: 308,017.