Wanting a return to good wishes

I have been watching a video that went viral years ago, and it’s still making the rounds.

It shows President George W. Bush welcoming his successor, President-elect Barack Obama to the Oval Office. Joining them were three former presidents: George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. The men are standing tall and straight and President Bush is addressing the cameras gathered.

He turns to the president-elect and tells him that despite their political differences, all these men have the same thing in common. They want the new president to succeed. Bush offered Obama those good wishes on behalf of all the men gathered.

And every time I watch the video, I cannot help but think — or believe — that we’ll likely won’t see that kind of presidential fellowship for the foreseeable future. I try like the dickens to imagine Donald Trump taking part in such an event one day near the end of his time in office. My mind’s eye just cannot capture that moment.

I wish for all my might to see that kind of gathering to return. When President Biden won the 2020 election, we saw an angry mob storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. You know what happened. Donald Trump never conceded that he lost. He still carries that complaint with him, alleging that the 2020 election was stolen.

So, what might we expect to occur if a Democrat happens to win the 2028 election? Will the incumbent fling open the White House doors to all his predecessors and stage the kind of rapprochement we saw in 2009? Do not hold your breath.

I cannot predict, either, what might occur if a Republican wins the 2028 election. I suppose it might depend on which end of the GOP the winner might emerge. I still enjoy seeing video evidence of how it used to be in this country, where a peaceful transition of power allowed grown politicians to put their anger aside and wish the very best to the new person who will take the reins.

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