I keep hoping that I’ll wake up to find that this was nothing more than a bad dream. 

Or maybe that it was the plot of a poorly written Netflix series that involved a likeable but befuddled old president, and his challenger, a convicted felon. A felon who was a reality TV star is more likely to lie to you than tell the truth. 

Then in a bizarre plot twist, the Supreme Court gives whoever wins the Presidency the power to act as a king, or even a dictator with little or no concern for the rule of law.

But that storyline is too strange even for Netflix.

And it’s not a bad dream it’s an actual living nightmare. 

How did we get like this?

I was raised by a WWII vet who risked his life for freedom in the Battle of the Bulge.  A man who believed in the promise of America.  A man who warned me of the dangers of oppressive governments like the Soviet Union where a person could be sent to Siberia or even killed if they challenged the Premier.  My father had me believe that what made this country great was that things like that could never happen here.

But we now have a former President who is a leading candidate to get his old job back, who has threatened to put political opponents in jail and punish those who challenge him.  A man who motivated a mob to storm the Capitol in an effort to hold on to power.  A past President who in another time in America would have been stripped of power and left to live a lonely life in a gilded cage.  But today, half the country doesn’t see a problem with having a President with a criminal history.

Also at another time, the Democrats would run a candidate that could speak without a teleprompter.  A candidate that knew where he was. A candidate that could beat a person like Trump in a landslide. 

As of this writing, it’s still uncertain if Biden will step down from the campaign. I respect President Biden for what he did.  He calmed down the nation and brought us somewhat back to normal.  But after his performance in the debate, it’s obvious he is no longer up to the task.  It’s time to take the car keys away from Grandpa. 

The Supreme Court in a ruling most Americans believed could never happen here, has given the President more power than our Founding Fathers ever envisioned.  Our Founding Fathers put the checks and balances in place to assure that no President regardless of party, could do whatever they wanted.  Our Founding Fathers believed that no man is above the law.  The Supreme Court has decided that one man is.

Every American should be alarmed by this Supreme Court ruling.  But I fear most aren’t.  We’ve become numb to all the drama. Numb to what is happening to our country.  Numb that the political party that claims to be the party of law and order isn’t anymore. 

Like I’ve said for years… We don’t need voter ID.  We need voter IQ.

I don’t expect to agree with every decision a President makes.  I do expect our President to have integrity and to care about the country more than they care about themselves.  Care about the citizens and not just the corporate donors. This country works best when we all work together.  Compromise is not a dirty word.  No matter if you’re a Republican, Democrat, or Independent we are all Americans first.  I find it impossible to believe that we can’t do better than this.   We must do better than this.

Maybe this is like a Netflix series after all and we are in the middle of the suspenseful part where we wonder what’s going to happen next.  The country is sitting on the edge of their seats eating popcorn and praying that this drama has a happy ending. 

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.