The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

To The Eagle:

In the 1933 German federal election, Hitler’s party captured only 43% of the vote despite massive violence and voter intimidation by the Nazis, but it was enough to slink into power and legislate the Enabling Acts which accorded Der Fuhrer dictatorial status.

Seventy two million citizens, 47% of the voting population, recently failed in their bid to re-elect a clearly authoritarian sociopath who’d also failed, so far, to find a way to pass his own version of the Enabling Acts and continue our transformation into the Confederate States of America

I'm not heaving any sighs of relief over that, because according to what just happened, there isn’t anything to be relieved about. Not quite half the voters of this country just endorsed a guy who gave new meaning to the concept of the “bully pulpit.” Ruthlessly vandalizing the principles of human decency, international amity, scientific objectivity and factual veracity made him the quintessential example of the populist figure that George Washington feared might gain power and truly damage the country.

In my opinion, President-elect Biden shouldn’t waste any particular effort trying to unite or heal us. That will happen naturally if he just gets on with the business of revitalizing our nation by doing the greatest possible good, through the administration of progressive legislation and policies. Those should include measures that will strengthen us against the next attempt by any other demagogue, as will surely happen.

JB Bouchard

Puget Island