Jackson Jambalaya

Have you sensed a change? Remember the lead up to the 2024 election? Everybody was predicting how close it would be. Neck and Neck. Too close to call. Of course there were the usual claims and counterclaims, and fact checkers were canoodling to find just the right nuance to sway voters one way or another.

Sixteen years ago Barack Obama declared, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” during a campaign speech in October. Americans have seen his vision and have decided to change directions. The 2024 election seems so far away now.

Over the holidays people were saying, “Merry Christmas!” and “Have a blessed day!” Nothing was coerced. People were just falling back into their former courteous ways. That’s a huge change from the past 16 years of political sniping.

For the first time in three election cycles no one objected to certifying the electoral college votes. Vice President Harris called January 6 “a good day for democracy,” telling reporters, “It’s a peaceful transfer of power,” as she left the building on Monday.

This is the second time in American history a president has skipped a 4-year term and come back to win a second term. Grover Cleveland, the 22nd president after the 1884 election, came back as the 24th president after winning the election of 1892. President Trump will be the 45th and 47th president after taking the oath January 20. Expectations of what his second term will look like have grown far beyond the usual outlook for second term presidents.

For one thing President-elect Trump has already announced his nominees for most of his cabinet positions and major White House appointments. Republicans control the Senate giving the President better odds of getting the team he wants. So far, Democrats in the Senate have not voiced many reservations about the candidates. Hopefully, the peaceful transfer of power will include Senate approval of most if not all of President-elect Trump’s nominations.

President Trump was viciously attacked during his first term by legacy media as well as social media tech giants like Facebook and Twitter. This time some of those same critics have actually given money to the President-elect’s inauguration funds and are currying his favor to play roles in his administration. Have you sensed a change in news coverage of President-elect Trump since the election?

As soon as the 2024 election was called for President-elect Trump, foreign leaders began initiating contact with the world leader. Not only is Trump galvanizing domestic support for his agenda, but he’s also attracting other world leaders to join him in some innovative foreign initiatives. Trivia: what do the Panama Canal and Greenland have in common? We’ll have to wait and see.

Most of all Americans are ready for a steady normal without lawfare, without bickering over trivial pursuits using tirades of name calling unfit for public consumption. Americans want their government leaders to be adults and to work for the common good of all Americans. Is that possible?

Some things are changing and appear to be changing for the good of the American people. Needless to say we still face challenges at home and abroad, but for the first time in a long time we have an opportunity to have a peaceful transfer of power for good.

Daniel L. Gardner is a columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@gmail.com.