What does courage look like in the face of insurrection fomented by the President?

Courage is not Betsy DeVos or Elaine Chau resigning a Cabinet post two weeks before it ends.

Courage is not Mitch McConnell calling for fellow Senators to uphold the electoral college vote after weeks of dismissing the election results.

Courage is not the mainstream media blaming both political parties for the deep divisions in our nation when the Democrats promote democracy and the Republicans undermine it.

Courage is not opening the barricades to let in rioters.

Courage is not plucking Nancy Pelosi’s name plaque off her door; breaking windows of our nation’s Capitol; or chanting “USA” as you mount a coup. …

I don’t like death, and 2020 has brought plenty of it.

I used to not mind it. At age two, I faced a life-or-death surgery because I had seven spleens fused together that didn’t allow my blood to coagulate. My earliest memory was of the surgeon lowering the big white light over my head and asking if I could count numbers yet. “Yes!” I said indignantly. “I bet you can’t count backward from ten?” I rose to the challenge: “10…9…8…7…6…” I was out. The life-or-death surgery did not freak me out because what else did I know about life? …

We have been holding our breath for four years as American democracy, rule of law and human rights have been battered. Here are some of the ways we can build back better.

The incoming Administration should appoint a Director of Human Rights as an ex-officio member of the Cabinet to ensure that human rights are given due consideration in all policy decisions. While the U.S. promotes human rights abroad, those considerations are too often overridden by supposed economic, foreign relations or security imperatives. Human rights needs a voice at the table and the backing of our leaders.

Human rights and civil rights need to be given priority at home as well. Issues of justice and equality are too often approached piecemeal because agencies focus on their missions (housing, education, commerce…), not the broader, cross-cutting issues of equity. A civil rights czar could help coordinate whole-of-government responses to critical issues of justice and rights. An Administration could perhaps accomplish the goal by naming the head of the Civil Rights Commission to the Cabinet ex-officio and ensure that the budget and mandate of the Commission are aligned with the task required. …

President-elect Biden should prioritize a human rights foreign policy. Military options should be used as a last resort. Too often, the U.S. has deployed our military as the only option. Our $7 trillion wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have not led to greater stability and peace in the region. Nor has our military strength deterred the mass crimes against humanity committed in Syria, Myanmar and China. As Rita Mae Brown said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Instead, Biden should heed the wisdom of Nelson Mandela who said, “The time to build is upon us…. We pledge ourselves to liberate our people…. None of us acting alone can achieve success.” There are three animating ideas in Mandela’s words — acting together, we can build toward peace and prosperity for all. What would that look like in U.S. …

The thread that runs through hope and change, make America great again, and build back better is disruption.

Many Americans believe that the government does not work for them. Over the past four decades, they have seen the middle class gutted; they have to work two or more jobs to make ends meet; they have to choose between going to the doctor, paying the rent, getting the car fixed, and buying warm coats for their kids. They have seen politician after politician promise a better tomorrow, only to be disappointed by a string of unfulfilled yesterdays.

President Obama promised hope and change. He inherited the Great Recession from George W. Bush and two endless wars. Without bitter recrimination, Obama pulled us from the brink of ruin and built an economy that grew for seven successive years. He saved the auto industry and Wall Street from bankruptcy, while establishing new rules to protect the consumer from fraud and predation. Yet, Obama also extended regressive Republican tax cuts. Walmart and McDonalds earned billions, while tens of thousands of their employees sought Medicaid and food stamps because their wages fell short. Unions faltered. Those who had hoped for change did not feel it. …

Some have argued that the 2020 election is a repudiation of Trump. Others have argued it is a rejection of the Democratic party. Those who argue the former point to Biden’s victory, winning back voters in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, and flipping traditionally red states like Arizona, and possibly even Georgia. Those who argue the latter point to the ground lost by Democrats in the House, and the failure to win back the Senate, despite polls suggesting a blue wave. Both are correct. The results demonstrate an electorate that remains deeply divided.

For those who sought a strong rebuke of Trump’s menace — where even his staunchest allies in the Republican party have said he is a threat to our national security, democracy and health — they got a watered down repudiation. Biden won the popular vote by five million votes, and both the total number and ultimate margin of victory may increase once states certify final results. Voters, however, sent back to the Senate Trump’s henchmen who enabled his worst impulses. As I have written before, Trumpism will not magically disappear. …

My heartfelt wish for all Americans post-election is hope.

Hope is the day when we can share dinners with our extended family, play cards, and tell family stories.

It is a day when we can visit grandparents in the nursing facility without fear of killing them.

It is catching a film with our best friend.

It is breaking bread at our favorite restaurant.

It is going to the ballgame with our sons and daughters or watching them play soccer along with the parents of other teammates.

It is giving our sons and daughters the opportunity to learn from teachers in a classroom, reading great books, doing challenging math problems, and giggling with their classmates. …

Trump’s own national security experts call Mr. Trump a national security threat and a threat to democracy. Those experts include General James Mattis, Trump’s former Secretary of Defense; Dan Coats, Trump’s former Director of National Intelligence; General H.R. McMaster, Trump’s second National Security Advisor; John Bolton, Trump’s third National Security Advisor; General John Kelly, Trump’s former Chief of Staff; Trump’s former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson; and Elizabeth Nuemann, Trump’s former assistant Homeland Security Secretary for Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention. …