When Joe Biden ran for president in 2020, he spoke with calm and measured conviction about:battle for the soul of the nation” It was more of a warning than a campaign slogan. He spoke of restoring the sacred trifecta of our nation’s identity: civility, dignity, and democracy.
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During the 2022 midterm elections, Biden renewed his call:fight for the soul of our nation”
His voice often became low when he said the word “soul.” It was as if we knew we were talking about something very fragile that could easily fall apart like a delicate flower if we weren’t careful.
in him farewell addressBiden returned to the same theme, reminding us that the soul of a nation is not partisan ideas, but the very essence of who we are: empathy, decency, truth and respect for each other.
I listened to the speech again and lamented the complete lack of civility and eloquence from the Oval Office.
President Biden had an eloquence that reflected some of America’s great presidents, but he was definitely not our current president. He was serious, thoughtful, and deeply human. Biden believed america’s great angels That’s because he has grappled with his own hardships, and perhaps because he realizes that under President Trump, the soul of the nation will fall into the abyss.
He was right.
If you had to choose two monuments that best embody the soul of a nation, they would be united states capitol and white house. One represents the voice of the people and the other represents the homes of the people. The Capitol produced laws that expanded freedom, protected equality, and corrected injustice.
and the White House, which welcomes school children, tour groups, and heads of state. It was the setting and sanctuary of America’s proudest and most painful moments. Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama all gave passionate words to the nation from the Oval Office. They also signed historic legislation.
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I was there in 1989 when the president was George H.W. Bush signed a bipartisan bill raise the minimum wage To the law. You will be overwhelmed by the history of the room.
I know these places not only from history books, but through life. When I worked at the Capitol, I walked past it almost every day. I tell people that passing by the Capitol every day on my morning run never gets old. Not yet. It’s a sacred place for me.
As a young Congressional aide, I often gave tours to visiting constituents. I could walk through the Rotunda with my eyes closed, through Statuary Hall, the old House and Senate chambers, and today’s chambers and galleries to the site of George Washington’s empty tomb (he chose Mount Vernon). I think I could come back 30 years later and do the same tour and feel the same awe that never faded.
And my first visit to the White House before the bill was signed was forever etched in my memory. Through a family friend, we were lucky enough to take a private tour led by future FBI Director Louis Freeh. president clinton.
We went everywhere, passing under the pillars into the Oval Office, into the Cabinet room, Roosevelt’s room, the East Room where Lincoln used to lie in state affairs, and even the Secret Service quarters below. I remember every room as if I had just walked out of it. The sense of history was overwhelming.
So, when the rebels led on January 6th, donald trumpstormed the Capitol and brought me to tears. I knew every hallway arrangement they had violated, every shattered window they had soiled. It was demoralizing to see a sacred space that I had cherished for decades desecrated.
This week I felt the same heartbreak again. When footage of President Trump destroying the east wing of the White House was played, I felt the same lump in my throat, the same disbelief that he had once again found a way to physically destroy something that millions of Americans hold sacred.
He has torn apart the very soul of our country.
For those who have passed through these doors, the East Wing is where the journey into history began. You go through Secret Service checkpoints, you go through metal detectors, and then suddenly you’re in people’s homes.
Now, under the Trump administration, that narrative is being torn apart brick by brick. He is destroying not just institutions, but symbols, the very fabric of our collective soul. He is rendering the Constitution worthless. The laws of our country do not concern him.
Where do I start adding up damage? On January 6th, he literally and figuratively punched democracy in the face. And now, by destroying the White House, he is delivering a powerful punch to the soul and spirit of the nation. And I’m afraid he’s not done yet.
he has already targeted majestic air force oneThe stately blue and white design has been a global symbol of American strength and dignity for decades. golden luxury cruise shipan aircraft that reflects the antithesis of a democratic republic.
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What he focuses on is kennedy centerhas pondered renaming it after himself. This is a grotesque insult to President Kennedy, who inspired an entire generation to pursue public service. he is rewriting history smithsonian museum Display exhibits more suited to his autocratic ways.
And yes, his portrait mount rushmore..
In the past, such a scenario would have been dismissed as crazy. But did anyone imagine seeing the U.S. Capitol ransacked? The White House destroyed? The unimaginable now seems inevitable.
Trump has turned our most revered places into demolition sites. Marie Antoinette’s ball at the White House is an affront to the humble and moral soul of America that the house represents.
Joe Biden was right all along. The battle for the soul of a nation is the moral battle of our time.
I’m scared of what Trump will destroy next. But more than that, I fear that if we become silent, if we become exhausted by all the chaos and madness, if we fall into soul-sucking despair, we may allow ourselves to be destroyed.
Once upon a time, the Capitol stood as a beacon of our common purpose and the White House stood as a symbol of our common home. Now they both have the scars of a monster who only cares about property and wants nothing to do with management.
The soul of the nation bleeds and bleeds. The question President Biden has been asking us is whether we have the courage to save again.
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