In the part of America in which I spent many years, this was a marvelous day to combine ridding ourselves of the last vestiges of holiday merriment and acceptance of the growing horror that the new year was actually starting. This week used to be “next year.” That is part of our tradition, anyway, but like everything else in the COVID era, it has changed.

I hope you allowed the Holidays to distract me, and I hope they did it for you as well. But it really is here now, the next new year and we are in it, already a few days behind. And it is going to start out with an exciting burst of activity. Tuesday is Election Day down in Georgia, not that the individual day seems to make much difference these cycles. It has been a fun run, so far, with a couple improbable candidates vying closely with those currently holding the titles.

So there will be a higher volume level pouring out of the media about that important matter, though it appears no actual certified result will be available for days or weeks after the polls close to determine where the Senate sits. That is an enormous deal, with an uncertain timeline.

Consequently, I don’t foresee much immediacy out of the Peach Tree contests, since the main prize is still dangling. But the Georgia contests have surreal aspects, like the presence of a failed gubernatorial candidate’s sister presiding on the matter of electoral legality in the frolic. Could something go wrong? Certainly. But we will have to see it play out. It is fun.

The Big Deal is the 6th, of course, and it is breathtaking in possibility. The Congress meets in Joint Session with the Vice President (current) sitting as President of the body. There is already enough acrimony and alternative electoral slates to wade through, and we have not even got started on the show yet. Plus, the (current) President has invited tens or hundreds of thousands of his close friends to town, and the people who are not friends have also sworn to attend. Could either of these streams of fervent excitement help generate a President?

As a geezer, my sensibilities are no longer relevant to what is possible. America’s politics have always been a high-elbows sport, but usually some awkward compromise enables the monolith to shamble forward. But the monolith of the moment has dramatic possible schisms. With our amazing prelude to this, it is entirely possible that something could go wrong.

Add the possibility of Iranian military action promised by Tehran before the inauguration, (and others) there are a myriad of problems with uncertain consequences. For our part, our Air Force and Navy have made presence missions around the road as a warning. Part of that spring has already been wound.

But despite the problems looming, I am hoping things can be worked out. But there is also the smaller, but quite real, possibility that things will not work out as we hope. So, take a look as this week plays out. It will undoubtedly be historic, however it plays out. It will tell us a lot about what is coming at us all. And soon.

Copyright 202! Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com