By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
“Do what you want to do” is a line from a song many years ago. It kind of speaks to having a loose code of standards and behaviors. This looseness of mind, body, and soul has creeped into our America, in my view. Thankfully, many of us have held onto the system of right and wrong that our loved ones taught us. Unfortunately, too many of us have fallen off the table of right and wrong into a trough of incivility and decadence. Will we ever return to good and right?
The 2024 presidential election is over. Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and will soon become president of the USA in January. These are simply the facts. Vice President Kamala Harris and/or her team will not be filing any lawsuits claiming the election was stolen. Neither will they be contacting any state official saying they need a certain number of votes to become president. That is not the way democracy works. President Joe Biden has already stated there will be a peaceful transfer of power. Isn’t that the way it should be? That wasn’t the way it was handled after the 2020 election. Mr. Trump made a spectacle of the process. Don’t forget January 6.
When Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance take their respective positions in the White House, what will happen? Will anyone benefit other than the super wealthy? Will others be an afterthought and just forgotten about? I guess we will have to wait and see. Will the US Department of Education be dissolved? Will we have to work longer before we retire? Will diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in corporate America be dismantled? What role will Project 2025 have in legislative matters? These questions will need to be answered.
This was an important election in the history of our country as it had a former president and a sitting vice president. Credentials and character played an extremely important role in my choosing the next president to lead our country. I guess, for some, you could debate and quibble over credentials. After all, Mr. Trump was the president, so his credentials did win him the White House for four years. You can’t deny those facts. What he did while he was there is another story and quite questionable.
Character has always meant something to me, and you can’t just sweep it under the rug. It’s how people see you and what they think when they see you. It is fair to say that character didn’t matter in this election. Why didn’t it count in this year’s election? That’s a good question. When you look back over the presidents of our great nation, you can say they had character and standing in the communities they served. Is it asking too much for the leader of our country not to have a criminal record and pose for a mug shot? Do we want our president to be a catalyst for confusion?
In days gone by, the answer would be no. Well, we are living in a new age of reason. It’s an age where we cast an acceptable eye to mayhem and malfeasance. Living outwardly in a den of shadiness is now ok. Mocking the judicial system has now become a sign of strength. Oh America, what have we become?
President Joe Biden will welcome the incoming president to the Oval Office in the coming days. That will be an interesting conversation. If you voted for him, you are asking yourself, what kind of president will he be? Literally and figuratively, the jury is still out as he will soon take office. If you are in the character counts crowd like I am, no worries, it still does.
Our televisions sometimes say we are experiencing technical difficulties. Well, we are just experiencing technical difficulties. It will clear up. It always does
Dr. James B. Ewers, Jr. is a longtime educator who hails from Winston Salem, N.C. Ewers is a life member of the NAACP and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
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