Hindsight is 2020

The year 2020 will live in infamy. In American history, it will rival the years of 1776, 1860 and 1941.
In 1776, our republic was born. In 1860, our republic was split. In 1941, our republic was attacked.
In 2020 our republic… 

Hindsight is 2020. By looking at the past, I can see clearly that we are at a pivotal point in our history. 

In 1776, the writing was on the wall. The Stamp and Townshend acts were nearly 10 years old. The
Boston Massacre happened in 1770, the Boston Tea Party in 1773. In 1775, Patrick Henry gave his
famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. Americans had a choice to make. Live under
tyranny or risk everything. The rest is history. 

Our new country forged ahead but soon we were at another turning point. 1860. In the years leading
up to that povital year we grappled with our institution of slavery. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published in
1852, sparking widespread support for abolition in the North. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 pitted
people against each other over the question of slavery in new states. In the election of 1860,
Americans were given a clear choice. The South voted one way, the North the other. Abolitionist
Abraham Lincoln prevailed. The Southern States seceded. The rest is history.   

December 7, 1941 lives in infamy just as FDR commanded it to. However, when looking back at the
US’s role in World War II, it seems that our participation was inevitable. Our greatest ally, Britain, was
being bombed to smithereens on a nightly basis. Japan was on the warpath, invading Manchuria in
1931 and French Indo China in 1940. Yet, America held her policy of isolationism. So, when Japan
attacked the US at Pearl Harbor, Americans had a choice to make. Sue for peace and negotiate with
Japan and Germany or fight. The rest is history.         

When we look back at these three crucial years in our history there are three common threads. First,
a series of events leading up to the year. Second, a clear threat to our republic. Third, Americans
making choices.  

If hindsight is 2020. Let’s use hindsight to prepare us for the choices we need to make in the year
2020 so that our republic can survive as it has for over two hundred years. 

What are the series of events leads us to 2020? Globalization has crushed our manufacturing
economy. Since the 1980s, steel mills, coal mines and factories of all sorts have packed up and moved
away. With them went many people’s American Dream. At home we have drifted apart. Multinational
corporations rule the day. The rich have gotten richer and the poor poorer. The hallmark of our
democracy, the middle class, is being squeezed out of existence. On September 11, 2001 we were
blindsided by an ideology we knew very little about. Those same men and women wondering where
their American Dream was, spent the last 19 years dodging IEDs in the deserts of the Middle East,
wondering why? Yet, global instability continues causing pushback against long standing allies like
NATO and the United Nations. 

With instability at home and abroad there is now a clear threat to our republic. Seizing on our division,
in the 2016 presidential election Russia used a variety of means to influence our election. This is well
documented and supported by both Democrats and Republicans (one of the few things they agree on).
Yet, our president is hesitant to talk openly about this threat. Instead he propagates conspiracy
theories about Ukraine, the FBI and the Democrats. Meanwhile the 2020 election looms. Which begs
the question? If the integrity of our system is compromised does anyone plan to honor the results of
the election? Why would they? How do we not see this coming? The same way the British didn’t see
the revolution coming or the South the inevitable abolition of slavery or the Navy the attack on Pearl
Harbor. Hindsight is 2020. 

Luckily we still have choices to make. Remember, at the end of the day, regular Americans like you
and I make choices and those choices make history. Only 56 people signed the Declaration of
Independence. Without Americans choosing to stand up, Washington would have had no army.
In 1860 Americans chose abolition at the ballot box. In December of 1941, thousands chose to
answer the call after the attack on Pearl Harbor. At times like this we may seem powerless. It may
feel like there is nothing we can do to stop the march of history. This is false. In fact, it is us,
“the people”, that will dictate what happens next. Leaders can make decisions but those decisions
are only as powerful as there are people behind them. 

In the coming year our republic will come under threat. A crisis abroad may “force” the president to
take drastic measures. One side or the other will cry foul over the handling of the looming
Impeachment trial. The results of the election will be questioned. One of these if not all three will happen.

What do we do?    

Let 2020 be the year that Americans chose democracy. If there is a crisis abroad we must not let
our leaders skirt Constitutional processes in the name of “security.” Let the facts, not partisan
affiliation determine the result of the impeachment trial. Reject conspiracies theories on either side
and read the news not your newsfeed on social media. Be mindful in the months leading up to the
election. Engage in thoughtful debates about issues not tirades laced in fear and hate. Lastly, take to
the streets when necessary. Remember, protest at the airports stopped the “Muslim Ban”.
Protests in the streets stopped the separation of families at the border. Leaders can make decisions
but those decisions are only as powerful as there are people behind them. 

             

2020 will live in infamy but the rest… is not history yet. Our choices will determine our country’s future.