Stain Removal

I consider the last four years as analogous to a stain on a vintage patterned rug. (Choose your nastiest stain.) At first the stain is obvious and disgusting. However, with time and aggressive scrubbing, the stain blends into the background. You know the stain’s still there, but it’s not as overt as it was in the beginning.

In the case of the previous administration, it was a succession of stains on our body politic. The Russia-coddling and Ukraine-bribing. Appointments of incompetent and sometimes corrupt toadies to government agencies. Family separations and child imprisonment at the southern border. The botched response to Covid-19 that’s resulted in the deaths of over 400,000 Americans. Finally, the denial of the election results and the insurrection on January 6.

Fortunately, the stain is beginning to lift. An experienced, empathetic man was inaugurated as President on Wednesday. His Vice President is a woman who’s proven herself in California and national politics. The cabinet appointments are diverse and highly qualified for their positions. Although it’ll take a while to scrub the worst stains of the previous administration out of our national life, we’re on the way to restoring the fabric of America.