“Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted.”
Churchill did not say that, though it’s been attributed to him for a long time. Abba Eban didn’t say it either, though he was the first to say something similar about nations in general (not specifically America), back in ’67.
But, boy, it really fits, doesn’t it? Especially this week.
The historian Heather Cox Richardson, in her 02Nov2026 Election Eve “Letter from an American,” took us through the parallels in our American history, moments where We the People of the United States had seriously had enough and used the power of our votes to completely reconfigure the nature and personnel of our government. This past Tuesday was just such a moment, and the depth, breadth, and scope of our repudiation cannot be denied or explained away.
Yes, it took us too long. But as Churchill didn’t say, it always takes us too long.
Maybe it’s because we have such a strong streak of individualism in our society, and we have to overcome that in order to really see the bigger picture and band together on the issues that affect us all. Or maybe it just takes us a long time—and I mean a really long time—to admit to ourselves that our first impression of someone famous was totally, totally wrong. Or maybe we are, in the aggregate, just so damned selfish that we don’t care if our leaders are bereft of character until it affects us personally, costs us money, affects our lives, or destroys the lives of people we love. I don’t know.
What I do know is that something broke this year. Maybe it was the murders of Campos, Pretti, and Good. Maybe it was the cost of our brand-new war in the Middle East. Maybe it was the ramblings of an unhinged and totally self-absorbed old fool about ballrooms and arches and golf courses and helipads and reflecting pools and gold leaf and marble, when millions of citizens lost health care and millions more lost food aid and millions on top of that were working two, three jobs but still couldn’t afford both rent and food.
Many questions, but they all got one answer on Tuesday.
“Enough.”
Thank you Americans. From red states and blue, from farmlands and ranches and brownstone stoops, thank you. From sea to shining sea, from mountains and prairies, thank you.
You did good.
You did very, very good.
Now, onward.
k
