I have not written anything political on this blog in a very long time. But I cannot refrain from writing about the events of today. A busy day at work prevented me from watching live, but my friends and colleagues kept me informed.

I rarely watch the news (I read it) but I had to watch the evening news broadcasts today.

After watching PBS News Hour, I am angry beyond words. Infuriated. Horrified. Dismayed. Have I mentioned angry? Furious, really.

And oh so helpless. I think that’s the worst feeling of all. There is nothing I can do.

But no, I can at least express my feelings on my blog, even if I only have three readers. (An admittedly poor attempt at humor on a day utterly devoid of it.)

This post will be entirely about venting about this unprecedentedly horrible day in our country.

Where do I begin?

I lay the blame at the feet of 45. I will not mention his name; it is unpresidential, it is not worthy of even an inch of space on my blog. If you don’t like that, feel free to stop reading and disengage with this post. I’m not even sorry.

I also blame Republican leaders in Washington who have enabled this man and his behavior for four plus years. The majority of them have been silent for FAR.TOO.LONG. This is a direct result.

Did some of them, finally, today, make the appropriate comments about the election results? Yes, but it was far too little and much too late.

Let me be clear. I would be equally horrified at events like today regardless of which party was associated with any similar infamy. I align politically with the center-left Democrats but I think both parties are far short of ideal.

How will our so-called leaders react?

Will they step up from the deepest lows of these last several years and provide real and beneficial leadership for our country?

Will Republicans and Democrats join together to condemn the president’s actions? His fantasy-based false claims of a stolen election, inciting the violence we saw today.

Will they lead the country to turn its back on this hyper-divisiveness, this inability to accept fair and honest defeat?

Will they recognize that over 60 lawsuits to overturn election results were denied by judges across the political spectrum, including judges nominated by 45 himself, for lack of any substance whatsoever?

Will they help us turn the ship around and work to find common ground? Maybe we could join forces to fight the COVID pandemic together. Imagine that.

Will individual Americans, those of us horrified at what we saw today, use this to rediscover our “better angels”? Will this serve as a wake-up call for us to shift focus to what is best for the country, not what’s best for one individual or one party? I am skeptical. But I would be thrilled to see my skepticism proved wrong at least this one, very important time.

Will we work together to move away from being the divided states of America? We’ve become a farcical representation of what a democratic republic should be.

Our country long has been viewed as the “shining city upon the hill”, an example for the world to emulate. Today, and for much of the last 4 years, the world would do best to look away.

On a positive note, I’d like to hug every single Georgia voter who voted for Ossoff and Warnock today, exercising their right to vote, under pandemic conditions. I acknowledge that it would not be best right now, (hello, COVID) but I am virtually sending warm, heartfelt bear hugs to every single one of them.

And to Loeffler and Perdue I say, you’ve lost. Georgia’s voters have spoken. Concede. Be a gracious loser. Recognize that democracy is all about losers accepting their defeat and moving on.

Another positive note from a horrible day is news that tomorrow President-Elect Biden will nominate Merrick Garland as Attorney General. I just love that. SO.MUCH. McConnell will not be able to stop Garland’s nomination from following the expected process.

I’m exhausted and now watching the return of our Senators and Congress-men and women to their duty to certify the votes. I’ve shared only some of the millions of thoughts swirling around my brain.

Only the days to come will see what happens.

May this day be our lowest point ever for now and forevermore.