I am not a religious person. In fact, like many, I am an atheist. Unlike many, I even reject the concept of “spirituality”; which I feel is just a nonsensical way to dress up atheism in a cloak of religious superstition.
However, I find real value in the expression “Thank God”. It is a way to acknowledge that strange and wonderful confluence of need and coincidence. The seemingly magical arrival of the right person at the right time, such as Roosevelt in the 1930’s or Churchill in the 1940’s; earns the phrase “Thank God.”
It is in view of the challenges, risks, dangers and outright threats to continued human existence that I say Thank God Hillary Clinton is going to be President in 2017.
Thank God a person with unprecedented experience in foreign policy is going to be the one directing the response to ISIS, Syria, Putin, and to the ever present threat from terrorist elements regardless of whether they are Muslim inspired or Christian inspired. Consider the danger of a President who knew only one of two responses to foreign crises; to bomb or not to bomb. To do too much or do too little; history is replete with lessons on the failure of both. The need for a President who understands the minutia of foreign policy and who knows when to apply force, how much and when to remove it is paramount.
Thank God a person who understands the death, damage and destruction uncontrolled and unregulated firearm ownership is causing is going to be the one who nominates the next Supreme Court justices. Consider the danger if the President was someone who equivocated on gun ownership. Consider the danger of a President who failed to comprehend that just because poorly controlled access, ownership and use of firearms was not that big a problem in their corner of the world, that did not mean it was not a major problem for the rest of the country. The possibility of that President nominating a justice who was weak on gun control would be all the greater and the death, destruction and damage that unregulated firearms are causing would continue for decades longer.
Thank God a person who appreciates the need to reform but not destroy the economic engine of the world will be crafting the financial regulations for the next eight years. It is all too easy to take a hammer to a problem that requires a saw or a machete to an issue that requires a scalpel. The need for a President who can both resist the urge to charge the gates and to burn down the edifice or to ignore the problem by simply hiding behind platitudes about “self-regulation” has never been more pressing. The need for a President who, like FDR, understands Wall Street and the financial system that operates within the nation and who is intelligent enough to know effective reform doesn’t mean going to war against either but that both work better and on a sounder footing, is paramount.
Thank God a person who truly understands and appreciates the amazing accomplishments of the Obama Presidency and wants to build on them and extend them will occupy the Oval Office going forward. Neither a President who believes only in destroying the ACA and going back to the bad old days or a President who overreaches and fails to improve and expand the ACA building on its accomplishments and reforming its weaknesses. A sober, pragmatic realist who will examine what worked, what almost failed and what did fail and build on the successes and not repeat the failures is exactly the President that will be needed going forward. An ideological dogmatist who will throw the baby out will the bath water will only undo all of the accomplishments achieved so far.
Thank God a person who truly understands that Black Lives Really Do Matter, will be President and not someone who feels acknowledging the humanity of African-Americans is somehow a racist attack on whites or is an issue that can be bundled together with all other social issues to be collectively solved with revolutionary social reform.
Thank God a person who understands that Climate Change is real and is being caused by human beings will take the oath of the Presidency in 2017. More than ever, a person who accepts the science of climate change, appreciates the successes of Paris and who will build on this achievement by working with other nations to reduce carbon emissions is needed. That this person will be someone who understands diplomacy and who knows how the halls of international politics work, is an advantage that defies proper description.
Thank God a person who has over twenty years of experience dealing with the worst aspects of domestic partisan politics of the both the Right and the Left will sit behind the President’s desk after January 2017. In the fractured, hostile and deeply partisan environment that has become Washington today; where opponents will vote against their own bills simply to deny the current President a victory, someone who knows the ins and outs of Washington, who understands how things get done, who knows who to push and who to cajole is vital.
Thank God Hillary Clinton stands ready to take over when Barack Obama leaves office. She is the person the United States and the world needs right now. The right person at the right time.
Wednesday, Dec 30, 2015 · 1:14:57 PM +00:00 · LiberalCanuck
In all honesty, I did not expect my little diary to generate over 1,000 comments or to find itself on the wreck list. I was motivated to write it after reading the newspaper on the way into work and seeing an article about negative reactions to Syrian refugees. My only thought was “thank God Hillary is going to be President.” I took that feeling from there and put it into my diary.
I spent all of last night reading the comments (including the negative ones of which there were many) and appreciate each of them. I won’t respond to the comments, not because I don’t feel they deserve reply, but because people are entitled to their opinions and nothing I can say will change those opinions.
However I will respond to one complaint. The suggestion was made that in the paragraph dealing with Black Lives Matter, I was equating Bernie Sanders with those who feel BLM is a racist attack on whites. As that was absolutely not my meaning, I ran it past my 10th grade daughter and asked her what she thought I was saying. This was her observation:
“You are clearly speaking of two groups as you use the conjunction “or” instead of “and”. So in the sentence:
not someone who feels acknowledging the humanity of African-Americans is somehow a racist attack on whites or is an issue that can be bundled together with all other social issues
You are speaking of one group that is racist and another group that would bundle the issue with other social issues but not of one group that would do both.
If you meant one group, you would have written:
“acknowledging the humanity of African-Americans is somehow a racist attack on whites AND is an issue that can be bundled together with all other social issues”
Since it is ridiculous to state a racist group recognizes BLM is a social issue that needs to be solved with other social issues, I accept my daughter’s reading.