The Alliances Emerging Out of This Crisis
At first glance, the coronavirus looks solely like an angel of death that threatens livelihoods and lives. Clearly, it is that.
At first glance, the coronavirus looks solely like an angel of death that threatens livelihoods and lives. Clearly, it is that.
The uncertainties we face harken back to the days after 9/11 — when evil working through humans, rather than a virus, brought us to our knees. Every single hour of every single day, Americans still experience the lingering effects of the terrorist attacks. The invasive, expensive security at airports is just one example of how we continuously pay for 9/11.
We don’t yet know the end of the coronavirus story, but we are seeing one bright spot emerge, just as we did in the aftermath of Sept. 11.
There is, once again, a sense of unity among the American people. Decent citizens are metaphorically linking arms, even as we keep our physical distance, in an effort to defeat the spread of what threatens us.
Remember the image of the entire Congress standing shoulder to shoulder on the Capitol steps as they prayed to God after the terrorist attacks? It was one of the most beautiful moments of political unity in modern history.
Democrats and Republicans are again praying together. On Sunday, the nation observed a National Day of Prayer, declared by President Trump. He said: “As we unite in prayer, we are reminded that there is no burden too heavy for God to lift or for this country to bear with His help. Luke 1:37 promises that ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible,’ and those words are just as true today as they have ever been.”
Allied in prayer as “one nation under God” is a beautiful and powerful thing to behold.
Other kinds of alliances are emerging out of this crisis too. I was as proud as I’ve ever been of our president when he addressed the nation from the Rose Garden on Friday. Flanked by medical experts, who serve the public through their governmental roles, and highly successful private business leaders, the president rolled out a plan to protect all Americans. In so doing, he showed how people benefit when industries are unleashed from the shackles of draconian government regulations and the good that can come when government works with the private sector instead of against it.
Who would have thought it possible that in a span of just a few weeks, hard-working public servants and private companies could assemble, create, and execute a plan to save our nation? Who thought it was possible to bring direct competitors like Walmart and Target into a room and persuade them to lay down their business swords for the good of the country?
Who conceived such an audacious plan? I’ll tell you who: President Donald J. Trump.
On Capitol Hill — normally the apex of political discord — there emerged a unified congressional approach to combat a virus that is no respecter of political affiliation. Save for the ever embittered and partisan House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who tried to sneak abortion funding into legislation that would provide aid in this time of national emergency, Republicans and Democrats alike focused on getting immediate help to the people who most need it.
It’s important to linger on the Pelosi scheme for a moment, simply because she is not some freshman congresswoman who doesn’t yet understand that her duty is to uphold the Constitution in service to the taxpayers. No, Ms. Pelosi is the leader of the Democratic Party. Seasoned and powerful, she chose to abuse her position in order to advance her personal radical agenda. Specifically, the radical agenda of killing children.
Ms. Pelosi finally gave up as legislators on both sides refused to buckle to her bully tactics. But her attempt to thwart the good will of her colleagues at a time when the citizens are begging for unity and help is nearly unforgivable. Just as Ms. Pelosi embarrassed her party when she childishly ripped up the president’s State of the Union speech, she has again embarrassed the Democrats.
Of course, the mainstream media, motivated more by their disdain for President Trump than they are for their love for the American people, continue their relentless attempts to divide us. We must not let their hate-filled mantra drag our nation down — especially in such a vulnerable time.
The image couldn’t be more stark: On the one hand, we have a president working to create unique, effective bipartisan alliances that benefit all Americans who are eager to sacrifice and help. On the other hand, a speaker so consumed by her own dark agenda and power that she engages in her typical putrid political maneuvers even while the nation suffers, cheered on by the shrill, diminutive voices of hate.
Rebecca Hagelin can be reached at [email protected].