JIM SHARPE

‘We’re in this together’ is not just a COVID-era commercial tagline

Nov 9, 2020, 12:30 PM

President-elect Joe Biden speaks at The Queen theater, Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (A...

President-elect Joe Biden speaks at The Queen theater, Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

So many people were — and are — so invested emotionally in the election that it has had a negative emotional effect on what’s really most important: our families and friends.

I’ve been saying that the results won’t have a profound enough effect on our personal lives to destroy our personal relationships, but I do have to acknowledge that Joe Biden’s plans can, and will, affect our government’s approach to things that are important to us — like immigration and the environment and his plan to fight COVID.

With Pfizer announcing today that their COVID vaccine is more than 90% effective (YAY!!), wouldn’t it be ironic if the effort that got us that vaccine — something Trump launched — ends the pandemic during a Biden administration?

(I know Pfizer is downplaying the government’s involvement — but a Pfizer press release in July sure made it seem that they were on board with Trump’s Operation Warp Speed when it launched.)

But I don’t care who gets the credit — I just care about stopping coronavirus.

If you’re happy that Joe Biden won, don’t be a sore winner and taunt Trump voters. That’s doing exactly the opposite of what Biden says he wants most: to unite the country.

That’s especially true if you believe Biden’s policies will dramatically improve your life. Because he’ll probably have a Republican-majority Senate to deal with and Republicans gained enough seats in the House of Representatives to block a lot of what he wants, so Democrats will have to play nice.

Assuming everyone who voted for Trump (or ran alongside Trump in the election) is a horrible human being and announcing so on social media isn’t going to get you the votes you need to get your guy’s stuff passed.

And to the Trump folks who are mad that their guy lost this election, I say this: He might not have lost (yet) and he should be allowed to pursue all legitimate legal angles to find out for sure. But I also say this: Don’t assume Democrats stole this election. Some fraud may have taken place here and there but not enough to make a difference. 

And the Republican lawsuit challenging the results here in Arizona doesn’t even allege fraud — it says poll workers made mistakes.

But if you need further proof that fraud isn’t rampant in the ol’ Arizona, Barrett Marson, a Republican political consultant, made an excellent point on Twitter: Democratic Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes — the man responsible for counting the votes here — is losing his reelection bid.

Marson says, “If he was going to fix an election, wouldn’t he start with his own?” 

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

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